Telehealth Provides Access To Immediate Stroke Care

By Karla Paris

Expanded stroke care through telemedicine connects thousands of California patients experiencing stroke-like symptoms to on-call stroke specialists for rapid treatment.

A stroke can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity and is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, as well as the number one cause of adult disability. However, a stroke is an emergency that is treatable, especially if you get to an ER quickly.

With the expansion of telemedicine technology for stroke, known as Telestroke, St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff and Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta have joined Mercy Medical Center Redding’s Primary Stroke Center in offering fast and immediate, coordinated stroke care for thousands of residents in northern California.

“Telestroke brings highly specialized care into smaller communities,” said Doug Winter, St. Elizabeth Community Hospital Emergency Department Manager. “It’s a privilege to offer this level of stroke care closer to home ... when our patients need it most.”

“Being able to rapidly assess stroke patients is critical, because ‘time is brain,’” said Lisa Bennett, Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Emergency Services Director. “It’s amazing what Telestroke means for both the patient and their family. It’s like the neurologist is right there in the room.”

There are 2 common models for a telestroke system: Hub and Spoke and Third-Party Consult.

• The Hub and Spoke model connects several smaller spoke hospitals to one hub hospital via formal agreements to engage in stroke consultation.
  • Hub hospitals are typically Joint Commission-certified primary stroke centers (PSCs) with advanced capacities, including in-house neurologists, and neurosurgery capabilities available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Spoke hospitals are typically smaller and do not have extensive neurology support. They may be community hospitals located in underserved rural or suburban areas and may or may not have stroke center certification.
• With the Third-Party Consult model, the spoke hospital contracts with a third-party provider for neurologist coverage.

• Third-Party provider employs neurologists to be on call to provide telestroke services.
• Spoke hospitals typically have sufficient ICU capabilities for treating patients who do not require surgery, but they transfer more complicated patients to a tertiary hospital when interventional procedures are required. The system allows spoke hospitals to maintain stroke certification, giving them access to a steady stream of patients.

The Dignity Health North State hospitals include Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta, Mercy Medical Center Redding, and St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff. The networks three non-profit hospitals provide comprehensive health care in far Northern California offering a full range of services including cancer care, heart care, orthopedic services, maternity care, newborn, adult intensive care, emergency and trauma services, home health and hospice care, and other specialized programs.