Bayhealth https://bayhealth.org has launched a new telepathology system at their Sussex Campus. Telepathology is the process of performing pathology testing and tasks to diagnose disease at a distance using electronic methods.
The telepathology system produced by Remote Medical Technologies (RMT), is being used at hospital systems nationwide including the Mayo Clinic and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
The telepathology solutions enables pathologists and cytologists to analyze samples and share results instantly and securely without being on site which speeds up the diagnostic process. For the health system, it improves turnaround time and productivity, reduces travel expenses, and helps manage reduced staffing levels that labs nationwide are experiencing.
Bayhealth Medical Laboratory Director and Pathology Department Chair David Brenner, MD, reports, “The robotic technology is a game changer. It delivers reliable, affordable, fast, secure, encrypted, HIPAA compliant, and high quality results to improve workflows and the quality of care for our patients.”
The system functions through a secure network, in real time, with live images and allows the diagnosis to be done remotely. For example, a pathologist at the Sussex Campus working on a complex medical case can now get a second opinion from a Kent Campus colleague within minutes. Previously this task depended on a courier to transport slides from one location to another.
As Dr. Brenner explained, “We can provide an accurate, timely report to someone facing a potential cancer diagnosis. Now a surgeon can get instant pathology results on a particular tissue in the operating room to determine the next steps needed during an operation.”