Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Right Care at Right Time with Virtual Care Center

Ten years ago, Mercy began telemedicine in its ICUs to improve patient outcomes. Today the St. Louis-based health system has opened a four-story virtual care center with an eICU that connects more than 30 ICUs in seven states, plus telestroke and e-hospitalists. The center also houses support services, such as primary and home health, e-pharmacy and on-call nursing, and provides training for staff and a research incubator for new care models. Mercy Virtual Care Center focuses on providing the right level of care at the right time to patients, which improves health outcomes and the patient experience at lower costs. Mercy’s telehealth program is able to reach more patients sooner—thereby avoiding resource-intensive interventions, helping patients return home earlier (with length of stay 30 percent to 40 percent lower than expected based on national benchmarks) and saving lives (with mortality rates 35 percent to 40 percent less than expected). The center also proactively monitors patients’ conditions, preventing unnecessary hospitalizations. Telehealth initiatives also improve recruitment and retention of clinicians, who can reside in metropolitan areas or less remote locations, increase their patient base and have access to cutting-edge technology.

For more information, contact Nancy Corbett, executive director, media relations and social media, integrated marketing, at nancy.corbett@mercy.net.

HPOE.org features a complete case study on Mercy and on other hospitals and health systems with innovative telehealth programs. More information on telehealth is also available at www.aha.org/telehealth.