Augusta University Medical Center’s Interhospital Transfers

Marilyn Sherrill and her guests, Dr. Matthew Lyon and Dr. Max Bursey, take a deep look at Augusta University Medical Center’s successes and challenges regarding Interhospital transfers.      

 

Guest speakers:

Max Bursey, DO
Associate Professor, Service Chief
Department of Emergency Medicine
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

 

Matthew Lyon, MD
Associate Dean, Experiential Learning 
Director, Center for Ultrasound Education
Vice-Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University 

 

Moderator:
Marilyn Sherrill, RN, MBA
Performance Improvement Program Director
Vizient

 

Show Notes:

[01:36] Georgia is unique in that it has a large number of rural hospitals, requiring a large number of interhospital transfers for high acuity cases.

[03:50] Telemedicine and ED-based critical care services have aided rural hospital quality of care and decreased the need for transfers.

[05:48] These two services have evolved from intervention in the ED only to a holistic program of care for patients in rural hospitals.

[07:38] The ED ICU service provides inpatient level care to patients waiting on an ICU bed and “short-stay” ICU patients, and works closely with the telemedicine critical care to prevent and manage transfers.

[09:53] Telemedicine interacts with Emtala in ways that allow rural hospitals to admit and keep a broader selection of patients.

[11:13] Challenges have included the need for training providers on the use of telemedicine, and training and staffing ICU-level nurses in the ED ICU and in rural hospitals.

[13:53] Starting slow and adequately training staff are important best practices.

[16:03] Telemedicine isn’t going anywhere and should be utilized fully, and included in the work of the ED.

 

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