REACH Health, Inc., a provider of telemedicine solutions, has launched REACH Tele-ICU, which brings a clinical tele-presence application for critical care, which brings pulmonologists and intensivists into critical care units with four or more beds to provide real-time ICU consultations, using a standard PC and the Internet.
ICU (Tele-ICU) is an electronic means to link physical ICUs to another location which assists in medical decision making. Given the shortage of intensive care physicians in the U.S., Tele-ICU systems could be an efficient mechanism for physicians to manage a larger number of critical care patients.
Using REACH Tele-ICU, physicians and clinicians operate in a virtual, collaborative care environment. The Tele-ICU application is designed to manage the complexities associated with critical care without the high costs associated with other ICU solutions.
REACH Tele-ICU uses a standard PC (laptop, desktop or mobile) and leverages the structure of the Internet, eliminating in some cases the need for a dedicated communications infrastructure and minimizing hardware costs and the IT resources needed for implementation.
REACH Tele-ICU enables hospitals with as few as four ICU beds to profit from this method of tele-medicine. In some cases, hospitals can see their costs repaid in one or two months, especially with Emergency Department (ED) patients lost through transfers to higher level tertiary-care facilities, according to a REACH spokesman.
REACH Tele-ICU places all relevant patient information, including multi-modality diagnostic images and decision support tools, into one integrated application. Physicians and clinicians do not have to jump between screens and other information systems during a time-critical consultation. The application also uses a SOAP (subjective, objective, assessment and plan) note format to simulate the physician’s approach to assessing the patient.
Consultants and clinicians can work together using REACH Tele-ICU to collaborate on patient care, with each participant viewing and actively participating in the documentation process. Updates are immediately available to all consult participants, and this can result in better care for the patient and a more efficient process for physicians and clinicians.
Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
