Although it’s new, it’s not too early to say that the collaboration between Avera e-emergency and North Shore Health has been a win-win situation for all parties involved.
During the first three months of operation from October to December 2017, North Shore Health emergency department had 459 emergency room visits with 29 Avera e-emergency calls for assistance. Patients assisted by the Avera medical staff and local medical personnel were treated for trauma, chest pain/cardiac problems, altered mental status, and musculoskeletal problem.
Of those 29 emergency room patients, four were admitted to North Shore Health, 14 were treated and discharged, and 11 were transferred so they could receive more care at a larger hospital.
Avera Health is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and provides emergency room service to more than 300 small or remote medical facilities in more than 100 communities in South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire and more. Avera has offered virtual care since 1993 and has developed into the most extensive tele-health service in the world.
Through telemedicine, Avera doctors offer advice to assist local health providers with patients who need immediate medical attention.
Avera doctors and nurses keep their skills up to date by pulling shifts in medical centers to retain their knowledge, but when they are working to provide eCare, that is what they do for that shift. They connect to hospitals like Cook County North Shore Health using interactive video and technology and provide guidance and expertise for emergency room cases that doctors and nurses at a remote facility might not have encountered before.
North Shore Health RN Amy Lacina said, “Nursing staff continues to share their appreciation for having this resource. It gives them a sense of security to know they have more help at the push of a button.”
There has been one instance, said Lacina, where Avera couldn’t assist when needed. “Nursing leadership collaborated with Avera to determine the cause and follow up with those involved,” said Lacina. “Lessons learned, but despite this, there is a continued overall appreciation for this added service.”
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