Georgians in 14 rural counties with the need for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) now have access to Emory University https://med.emory.edu doctors and specialists even before they reach a local hospital through a new telehealth initiative.
The telehealth initiative referred to as the Emory Rural Tele-EMS Network (ER-TEMS) will work with the South Georgia Division of Grady EMS https://gradyhealth.org/grady-ems in cooperation with local rural hospitals. The network is being funded with the help of a four year $1.2 million grant from HRSA.
According to Michael Carr, MD, Network Project Director and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Emory University’s School of Medicine, “Telehealth hasn’t been used much in the pre-hospital environment which is even more true in rural areas. We know that in rural Georgia, long distances required to reach a hospital contribute to worse medical outcomes in time sensitive critical conditions.”
By using video technology and high speed internet connection, the network puts Emory emergency medicine professionals visually in the ambulance across remote parts of Georgia. The ambulance crew can call the Emory emergency hub physician when a critical patient is identified or if they need other clinical support.
The Emory emergency physician will then use a video internet hookup to consult with the ambulance crew to help evaluate and manage the initial patient care. If needed, the emergency physician, located in Atlanta, can access the vast network of specialty health services at Emory, such as obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, cardiology, and neurology.
While EMS personnel are focusing their attention on patient care, the Emory emergency physician is able to coordinate with the receiving hospital on the incoming patient’s arrival and on any treatment plans that have already been initiated.
A key part of the network is the telemedicine interface, which allows for EKG readings, vital signs, patient charts, and biometric data to be uploaded to a streaming cloud from the inbound ambulance. Other counties in the state are taking part in the network and Emory is working with 18 partner hospitals in the counties and have approximately 30 ambulances stationed within these counties.
In addition, the Emory program called Health DesignED: The Acute Care Design and Innovation Center https://emoryhealthdesigned.com along with a company called access.mobile International Inc. https://access.mobile.io have partnered to drive equitable access to healthcare and digital solutions. The two organizations are working together across markets to reduce the disproportionate burden of COVID-19.
Through Emory’s Collaborative Community Outreach and Health Disparities Group, the partners are identifying ways to work directly with community anchor organizations in metro Atlanta. The goal is to provide critical and timely COVID-19 information on prevention strategies, provide online information on symptom checking, mobile testing sites, contact tracing, and the availability of community-based telehealth services.