Director, Telehealth Software Sales

Full Time

Job Details

Position title

Director, Telehealth Software Sales

Shift Availability

Full Time

Comapny Vision

Sevaro is a provider of Telestroke and teleneurology services to hospitals, healthcare systems and payers. Sevaro is focused on improving patient outcomes by providing the highest quality of specialty care. We maximize our impact using data and compassion. Our vision is to enable patients to live meaningful and healthier lives by supporting them through their entire journey. Sevaro is leading the charge in data capture and reporting within Telestroke services and implements Telestroke programs that bridge the gap between the processes needed to deliver expert care and the compassion needed to impact lives.

Sevaro focuses our Telestroke delivery model around years of experience at academic medical centers. We empower our hospital partners to supply prompt stroke and neurological care through a robust implementation and training approach that delivers our teleneurological expertise to the patient in seconds. The team is led by physicians and stroke experts with years of experience running stroke and teleneurology programs at comprehensive stroke programs, as well as telehealth’s most experienced individuals.

Position Summary

This dynamic and influential individual will report to Sevaro’s Chief Growth Officer and will be responsible for the growth of Sevaro’s telehealth platform in hospitals and health systems in the United States.

This individual will be tasked with achieving the strategic vision set forth by Sevaro’s leadership team to provide health systems with an intuitive, physician-focused telehealth platform that eliminates the numerous barriers that have inhibited hospitals from designing their own telehealth networks.

As the Director, Telehealth Software Sales you will be responsible for a successful marketing and sales strategy to impact the right decision makers and influences within the market. Furthermore, your experience and input will be valued as we continue to update the product to provide further impact to our customers.

Qualifications

The right candidate will easily acclimate to Sevaro’s culture of going above and beyond. Sevaro is derived from two words “Seva and Karo”, which together mean to serve others without expecting anything in return. The right candidate will attain top line growth by signing contracts with health systems to expand their reach and coverage models through telehealth. Your years of experience in either telehealth, hospital software sales, or hospital-based neuroscience programs will provide a firm foundation and a base of leads to pursue. An exemplary candidate will understand the number of individuals and groups that need to be influenced to allow for successful growth of our telehealth applications.

7 years of experience to include:

  • A desire to do what is necessary to help a startup grow, and revolutionize how stroke and neurological care is provided.
  • Business development at the strategic level, identify partnership opportunities with channels such as associations.
  • Sales experience selling a neurological or hospital-based software solution is a plus.
  • An understanding of software purchasing behaviors in hospitals
  • An understanding of the barriers to the delivery of expert vascular and general neurological care
  • A drive founded on intrinsic motivation, autonomy, and mastery
  • A grateful attitude and a desire to give back to humanity
  • Ability to travel when necessary
  • Experience launching programs or implementing telehealth solutions
  • A high level of grit and determination to design the road map when one isn’t already paved

Salary & full-time benefits include:

  • A competitive salary with an uncapped commission program
  • 401k plan with company match after 1 year of employment
  • Company Stock
  • Comprehensive Health Insurance (Medical, Vision and Dental)
  • 15 days of vacation

TNK: Past, Present, Future

January 16, 2023

Importance Of Quality And Data To Improve Patient Outcomes

December 7, 2022

Sevaro enhances patient care with telestroke/teleneurology.

Although telemedicine has been used for decades, medical professionals are still researching the best ways to utilize it to improve patient outcomes. One company that has been at the forefront of innovating new technologies in this area is Sevaro. Their data-driven approach allows them to provide personalized care for each patient via a data-driven approach. This article will focus on how quality and data are improving patient outcomes, and how Sevaro has risen to the challenge.

The Value of Quality & Data in Healthcare

Quality is the foundation for all healthcare. Without high-quality and accessible care, patients will not be able to access optimal treatment options, leading to worse outcomes and increased costs. The movement towards using data to improve quality began in the 1960s when electronic medical records were introduced to share information among providers. Since then, we have seen this idea evolve into an entire industry; pioneering companies like Sevaro have made it their mission to improve patient outcomes through better coordination of services, the use of data and analytics, and advanced technologies such as OneCall and Sevaro Synapse.

How a Data-Driven Approach Helps Improve Patient Outcomes

One of the best ways to improve patient outcomes is through enhanced coordination. By combining data from different aspects of patient care like monitoring devices and patient recordings, healthcare providers can monitor symptoms much more effectively to provide faster treatment. This is especially important in cases that require patients to be hospitalized, where it can literally mean the difference between life and death.

The rise of technology has provided significantly more opportunities for people living in their homes.

The rise of technology has provided a lot more opportunities for people living at home to be monitored and cared for in a way that was not possible before. This has been especially helpful for people living with chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, heart failure, diabetes, and others. These conditions can have symptoms that change rapidly, making it challenging to monitor them. Sevaro can help hospitals use data from different sources to better understand the overall health of these patients to provide efficient and tailored care.

How quality and data enhance healthcare industry operations

There are a lot of benefits to improving quality and data in healthcare. The most obvious benefit is that it helps patients by providing them with faster care when they urgently need it, thus increasing their chances of survival, but there are other ways this idea benefits all involved, including:

  • The patient-provider relationship becomes more efficient since providers have access to more comprehensive information about the individual’s health history, making it easier to provide personalized treatment plans based on what has worked best in the past.
  • Providers will spend less time going over medical records, which means they will be able to see a larger volume of patients per day, increasing efficiency while also decreasing costs due to lower overhead expenses from having fewer staff members required at any given time.
  • The overall cost of healthcare can be reduced when unnecessary testing or services are avoided. Not only does this reduce the amount that patients have to pay, but it reduces costs for insurance companies and providers as well, which in turn can lower premiums and fees across the board, making care more accessible for everyone involved.

Sevaro’s data-driven telestroke model/evidence-based stroke care

Sevaro can provide optimal care for stroke patients through their evidence-based, data-driven model.

Using Sevaro’s OneCall program, ED staff can connect with seasoned, boarded vascular neurologists in under 45 seconds, which are available to help actively treat patients in coordination with staff at the partner hospital. Depending on the patient’s symptoms these neurologists, who are credentialed and privileged at the hospital, may suggest treatment options, including using tPA or TNK (tenecteplase) to increase the chances of survival.

This model also helps improve quality since every physician has access to a vascular neurologist’s expertise in order to make the best possible decisions regarding providing care.

In addition, Sevaro is also introducing their stroke data capture and analytics platform called Sevaro Synapse. This platform captures metrics and data points in real-time by vascular neurologists. The platform allows stroke programs to pull data instantaneously, and this data can pinpoint areas of improvement for the program.

Sevaro: Improving Patient Outcomes

Sevaro can help optimize patient outcomes by providing them with enhanced care through their data-driven telestroke/teleneurology model. This evidence-based stroke model allows our Sevaro vascular neurologists to work in concert with the hospital ED staff to work together to make more informed decisions about how best to treat a condition which can ultimately lead to an increased chance of survival.

The effects of strokes can be devastating. Stroke is the #1 cause of disability and #5 cause of death in the United States. Stroke treatment is highly time-sensitive, but Sevaro can help patients receive the treatment they need in minimal time, thanks to innovations, like OneCall and Synapse. If you’re looking to enhance neurology services, stroke patient outcomes, and reduce patient transfers, consider choosing Sevaro as your trusted hospital partner.

Corazon Webinar

November 23, 2022

Hospital and Health System Sales Executive

Full Time

Job Details

Position title

Hospital and Health System Sales Executive

Shift Availability

Full Time

Comapny Vision

Sevaro is a data-driven Teleneurology company bringing clinical quality, academic training, innovation, and modern technology to the market. Our compassion or “Seva” pushes us to serve others without expecting anything in return. Sevaro was designed for physicians, by physicians! We are vascular trained neurologists with experience at academic medical centers focused on creating stroke survivors.

Position Highlights

The Hospital and Health System Sales Executive leads the business development of Sevaro’s teleneurology service and technology platforms in and will be held accountable for the growth in accounts, both new and existing. This position reports to Sevaro’s Chief Growth Officer and will have an influential role in continuing to promote Sevaro as the teleneurology partner of choice for large and medium-sized health systems.

The Hospital and Health System Sales Executive will be supported by members of the business development team as well as have access to members of the C-suite to achieve signed customer contracts.

You don’t work for us
you grow with us!

Position Requirements

  • Generate a sales funnel through cold calling, conference attendance, email campaigns and other outreach tactics
  • Develop marketing infiltration and influence strategies
  • Present Sevaro’s services through on-site presentations, telephone, or video meetings
  • Be the SME for teleneurology in your assigned market
  • Create proposals with a unique strategy based on needs, market conditions and proposed services
  • Lead the contractual discussions and process as appropriate
  • Deliver on annual sales quota goals

Qualifications

  • 5-10 years of experience in a hospital-based neurology field with an emphasis on stroke care is desired
  • Sales experience is desired but not mandatory
  • active listening, not a somebody who has to fill the void with talking
  • creative problem solver skills
  • Relentless in their pursuit to generate access to top tier teleneurology services
  • Ability to work without much oversight to accomplish our goals
  • Responsible, Accountable and a get it done attitude

Raising Stroke Awareness On World Stroke Day

October 7, 2022

World Stroke Day is a day when we can come together and raise stroke awareness. At Sevaro, we are dedicated to educating the public about stroke awareness and affecting more positive patient outcomes through data-driven teleneurology.

Factors Contributing to Stroke

Many factors contribute to having a stroke. The most common factor is age. Other risk factors include a family history of strokes or diabetes (which can cause cardiovascular issues).

Symptoms of a Stroke

There are a few key symptoms you can look for if you think someone is having a stroke. The most common one is paralysis or weakness in the face, arm, and leg. They might also have slurred speech or confusion that doesn’t alleviate quickly. If someone experiences any of these symptoms, then immediately dial 911.

A good acronym to remember is BE-FAST, which stands for:

B – Balance

Check to make sure they can stand and walk. If there are significant issues with either, then call 911 immediately.

E – Eyes

Do their eyes look uneven or asymmetrical? This could indicate neurological impairment.

F – Face

Has their face drooped on one side since you’ve seen them last? Does it drop when they try to smile or speak? This can mean something is wrong with facial muscles, so get medical attention as soon as possible if this happens.

A – Arm

Do they have any noticeable arm or leg weakness or numbness? If you ask them to lift their arms, notice if one arm drifts downward.

S – Speech

Is speech slurred at all? Are they having trouble speaking normally, even though body movements appear fine (i.e., they can walk and stand perfectly)? This could be a sign of impaired speech, which is critical to pay attention to because the person might appear fine otherwise.

T – Time

Have someone call 911 right away instead of waiting, especially if this has happened more than once in the past. The faster medical professionals know what’s going on and can initiate treatment, the better chance the patient will survive and have fewer long-term side effects.

Stroke Treatment

There are many different treatments for strokes, but the most common is an injection of tPA medication into a vein. tPA stands for tissue plasminogen activator, and it is the only stroke treatment that breaks up clots in the brain that are negatively affecting blood flow to certain parts of the brain.

Recovery From Stroke

Even if the patient survives a stroke, they may have long-lasting problems with their brain for months or even years after it happens. Not every patient’s recovery journey is alike, so this is why medical professionals will recommend physical therapy and other forms of rehabilitation to help them get back on track as quickly as possible.

Some top recovery options for stroke survivors include:

Physical Therapy

This might include walking, using specific muscles or limbs that have been affected by the stroke, and working on strengthening their balance.

Occupational Therapy

Occupation therapists can help stroke survivors restore their ability to perform daily functions, such as grooming, cooking, and doing household chores. Repetitive activities help the survivor relearn how to conduct necessary tasks. An occupational therapist might break up the task into smaller activities and repeat each one, then, the survivor will perform the entire task in sequence.

Speech Therapy

Another option is speech therapy, where patients go through different exercises designed specifically for helping stroke patients restore communication skills.

Home Care

Hospitals and rehab centers can be costly, which is why many patients will prefer to go home after they’ve been discharged. This might mean having family members or friends help take care of them until they’re able to do specific activities of daily living (like feeding, dressing, and bathing themselves). Some professionals come into the patient’s home for a few hours each day to make sure nothing gets overlooked as far as medical needs go, while someone else could cover basic things like keeping the house clean and cooking meals if necessary.

Why Your Hospital Should Partner With Sevaro

Sevaro offers evidence-based telemedicine and, more specifically, telestroke services that help connect patients with a vascular neurologist within 45 seconds. Since strokes can kill 1.9 million neurons per minute and are the number one cause of disability among American adults, getting the best possible treatment as fast as possible is essential.

Learn more about Sevaro and how we can be your trusted hospital partner.

Sevaro: A Company Founded And Led By Vascular Neurologists

September 7, 2022

When your hospital partners with external care providers, you want to ensure that those providers have experience with the problems you face day in, day out.

Sevaro is revolutionizing the telemedicine field with true teleneurology and unprecedented connection times to a dedicated vascular neurologist.

That service comes with the peace of mind that Sevaro is a company developed by physicians, for physicians, with a full understanding of the pressures and demands of caring for patients with a broad range of neurological conditions.

How Sevaro Started

Becky Toney RN, BSN, SCRN, is the Director of Clinical Quality at Sevaro, a company name derived from the Sanskrit words for “selfless service”. Becky remembers that originally, telestroke services worked through a standard call center; messages were passed between the emergency room and the neurologist.

She recognized that this process wasted precious time.

For a stroke patient, literally every second counts. Each minute during a stroke, an AIS patient is losing roughly 2 million neurons until they receive treatment. According to the CDC, nearly 800,000 people suffer a stroke each year in the United States. 87% of these are ischemic strokes, which means blood flow to the brain has been blocked, and the brain is beginning to die.

Changing from the industry standard call center model to Sevaro’s proprietary OneCall technology means a hospital can connect with a vascular neurologist within 45 seconds. Improving patient outcomes is at the heart of everything Sevaro does, thanks to physicians and other clinicians devoted solely to neurology being at the helm.

An Evidence-Based Telestroke Model

We know that not all hospitals have adequate facilities or onsite vascular neurologists to deal with acute stroke patients. We also know that every second a patient goes without treatment is a risk of serious disability or death. That’s why our physician-led team created the emergent stroke care telemedicine solution, OneCall.

Unlike other telemedicine services that rely on messages passed from agent to agent, OneCall connects emergency responders directly with a seasoned, boarded vascular neurologist. Combine this with inpatient follow-up, physical therapy, outpatient follow-up clinics, and a full support program called My Stroke Journey, and this is a telestroke model that truly puts patients first.

Sevaro: Founded by Vascular Neurologists

Neurologists understand the impact a stroke has on the brain. During a stroke or transient attack (TIA), the brain ages 3.6 years every hour without treatment. This damaged and dying brain tissue cannot be recovered. This statistic is what drives Sevaro’s team to constantly innovate and improve the time-to-treatment.

For example, by thoroughly understanding every aspect of the workflows and through years of experience with thousands of acute neurology patients, Sevaro has been able to reduce the average time for a patient to receive tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) from 46 minutes to 23 minutes.

Employees at Sevaro have worked at over 100 hospitals, many of them in dedicated stroke care environments. They all understand that every second counts when dealing with stroke patients – but also the importance of compassionate care and understanding the unique needs of each individual patient.

Sevaro’s physicians are all boarded vascular neurologists with extensive on-the-ground experience. This allows them to support not only stroke patients but those complex and critical neurological conditions such as those caused by meningitis or cranial hemorrhages. These expert physicians can also assess EEG readings and provide remote interpretations.

Sevaro’s Culture

The company culture at Sevaro helps drive the innovation and excellence in service their partners have come to rely on. Weekly meetings help the team bond and reinforce the company core values of:

  • Integrity
  • Patient First
  • Innovation
  • Stewardship
  • Gratitude
  • High Touch and High Tech

Choose Sevaro as your trusted hospital partner, helping you enhance your stroke care and save time, save brain, and save lives.

Teleneurology and HealthTech Provider Picks Up Another Endorsement

September 6, 2022

The North Carolina Healthcare Association and its for-profit subsidiary NCHA Strategic Partners (NCHASP) have selected Sevaro, a data-driven telestroke and teleneurology company, as their preferred partner in stroke care optimization.

Sevaro in the news

“When it comes to treating a stroke, every second counts,” said Jody Fleming, president of NCHA Strategic Partners. “Sevaro’s telestroke solution provides local community hospitals access to experienced vascular neurologists and life-saving neurological interventions.”

“Sevaro is pleased to partner with NCHA on stroke care, as stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in North Carolina,” said Dr. Rajiv Narula, CMO of Sevaro. “We are excited to offer the same level of stroke care across the state that we’ve delivered in the Raleigh area for the last two years. We assist hospitals of all sizes either by providing expertise through our vascular neurologists or stroke specific platforms.”

Stroke Risk Factors

Sevaro is helping hospitals succeed in their stroke initiatives and achieve higher utilization of thrombolytics. The company just released Sevaro Synapse 2.0, a proprietary technology platform that enables real-time stroke data capture and actionable analytics, which optimizes any stroke program.

The NCHASP partnership will raise greater awareness of Sevaro’s ongoing healthtech innovations, fostering greater accountability and trust in patients, their families, and healthcare providers statewide.

At Sevaro, we’re more than just healthcare specialists; we’re caretakers of your most sensitive information. Our SOC 2 report is a symbol of that responsibility—one we carry with pride and dedication.

About Sevaro

Sevaro provides acute and non-acute neurological telemedicine consultations and technology platforms that improve patient outcomes.

About the North Carolina Healthcare Association: NCHA is a trade association representing more than 130 hospitals, health systems, physician groups and other healthcare organizations.  The association’s mission is to improve the health of the communities where we live and work by advocating for sound public policy and collaborative partnerships.

About NCHA Strategic Partners: NCHASP is a wholly owned subsidiary of the North Carolina Healthcare Association and is committed to being the first resource healthcare providers turn to for access to workable, cost-effective solutions.

SOURCE Sevaro Health, Inc; North Carolina Healthcare Association

Sevaro Selected By Montana Hospital Association As Preferred Stroke Care Provider

September 6, 2022

Position title

Sevaro in the news
Sevaro, a data-driven telestroke and teleneurology company, was recently endorsed by the Montana Hospital Association (MHA) as the preferred choice in stroke care optimization. Through this endorsement, Sevaro will be listed as the MHA’s only preferred stroke care provider. 

The MHA is a hospital member organization that nominates vendors through a rigorous and lengthy vetting process, identifying revolutionary breakthroughs in healthcare solutions. The association collects organizational background, testimonials, references, offerings, and other essential company details. 

Sevaro was selected based on their outstanding contributions to the telehealth industry. In early 2021, the company launched its groundbreaking 45 second response time through its Sevaro OneCall solution. When paired with their vascular neurologists, Sevaro has been able to significantly reduce hospitals’ door-to-needle (DTN) times to 30 minutes or less.

“When it comes to improving the health outcomes of the communities we serve, Montana’s hard-working hospitals are as innovative and resourceful as it gets,” said Sean Becker, VP of Shared Services for the Montana Hospital Association. “Sevaro, a proven, data-driven telestroke solution, is a powerful rural health partner when every second matters. Rural patients now have access to state-of-the-art, life-saving neurological interventions where they live, work, and raise their families.”

Sevaro is excited about the MHA partnership and looks forward to improving patient outcomes in rural areas of the state.

Sevaro Selected By Montana Hospital Association As Preferred Stroke Care Provider

“We applaud the Montana Hospital Association for its commitment to stroke patients, as stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in Montana,” said Dr. Rajiv Narula, Chief Medical Officer of Sevaro Health. “We are excited to bring the same level of stroke care to Montanians that we’ve delivered for other rural and urban areas across the country through telemedicine. We aim to assist hospitals of all sizes either through our standalone technologies to optimize stroke programs or by providing expertise through vascular teleneurologists 24/7.”

Sevaro is revolutionizing the telestroke space, helping healthcare organizations succeed in their stroke measures and optimize their programs for stroke certification. The company has also released Sevaro OneCall and Sevaro Synapse to empower existing telestroke programs to achieve better patient outcomes. Sevaro OneCall connects hospitals with vascular neurologists within 45 seconds, while Sevaro Synapse enables real-time stroke data capture and analysis for any stroke program. 

MHA’s endorsement will help raise greater awareness of Sevaro’s ongoing developments and services, fostering greater accountability and trust in patients, their families, and healthcare providers.

About Sevaro

Sevaro revolutionized and personalized teleneurology with one goal: to enable partner hospitals to enhance stroke care and save lives. Sevaro OneCall™ technology connects hospital staff directly to an on-call vascular neurologist in 45 seconds, eliminating call centers, and saving time when time is everything. Sevaro’s singular, relentless focus on teleneurology and doing it better (and faster) than anyone had ever dreamed has resulted in the industry’s fastest response, imaging review, and door-to-needle times, and the very best patient outcomes. Sevaro is a physician-led organization with an unwavering commitment to providing actionable data, and to treating partners and patients like family. 

About Montana Hospital Association

The Montana Hospital Association (MHA) is a nonprofit organization with more than eighty members, including 100% of Montana’s hospitals, that provide the full spectrum of healthcare services. This includes hospital inpatient and outpatient services, skilled nursing facilities, home health, hospice, physician services, assisted living, senior housing, and insurance services. MHA Ventures, Inc. is the for-profit subsidiary of MHA, created to deliver solutions that improve patient care, reduce operating costs and strengthen the financial viability of Montana’s hospitals. Learn more at MTHA.org.

SOURCE Sevaro Health, Inc

Telestroke Experts Launch Sevaro OneCall to Connect EDs to Neurologists within 45 seconds

September 6, 2022

Sevaro in the news

Sevaro Health, a leader in telestroke and teleneurology, continues to disrupt the delivery of healthcare by launching Sevaro OneCall for Hospitals.

Sevaro OneCall is a proprietary platform which enables immediate access to neurologists without the use of a call center. It is now available as a separate offering or bundled with Sevaro’s teleneurology services.

One area that continues to create a bottleneck in telestroke response is working with call centers. Managing the physician’s schedule and connecting via call centers prolongs the vascular neurologist’s ability to respond quickly. Studies show, when a patient has a stroke, they lose 1.9 million neurons every minute.

“The industry’s current approach to use call centers complicates telemedicine workflows, leads to inaccurate translation of information and delays treatment. It was clear, the data was telling us the call center was limiting our ability to care for patients the way we would want our family members treated.”

Rajiv Narula, MD,Chief Medical Officer and Founder, Sevaro

Dr. Narula challenged Sevaro’s developers to deliver a solution that directs one phone call to the neurologist who is a privileged member of the hospital staff. Sevaro OneCall eliminates the middleman, and allows hospital ED, ICU and staff to reach a vascular neurologist in under 45 seconds.

“Our hospitals appreciate having the stroke experts available immediately to start making treatment decisions, which has resulted in faster door to needle times and improved patient outcomes. When patients do better, we all win,” said, Narula, MD.

The technology was designed to scale from one hospital communicating with a few teleneurologists to hundreds of facilities and hundreds of providers.

When implemented in 2020, Sevaro began to break hospital record door to needle times (DTN) and average DTNs. One hospital went from an average DTN of 67 minutes to 34 minutes.

Branden Robinson, Sevaro’s Chief Growth Officer says, “Offering Sevaro OneCall to hospitals as a standalone product will allow us to get closer to our commitment of creating more stroke survivors and is not dependent on whether a hospital uses our neurologists.”

About Sevaro

Sevaro is a data-driven provider of telestroke and teleneurology services to hospitals, healthcare systems and payers. Sevaro maximizes its impact through the use of technology, with an emphasis on compassion. Please visit www.sevaro.com/onecall.

SOURCE Sevaro Health

Related Links

A Comprehensive Guide to Telemedicine

August 28, 2022

A Comprehensive Guide to Telemedicine

A Comprehensive Guide to Telemedicine

An important step in providing timely and effective care for patients with medical conditions is figuring out the most effective and efficient way to do so. It used to be that patients who needed to see a doctor for any reason had to make an appointment over the phone and travel to a physical location, wait in the waiting room, and then wait in the examination room. After this, they were required by the doctor’s office to hand deliver a written note to the pharmacy, and then return later to pick up the prescription. In some cases, given the complicated nature of seeking treatment for an ailment in this model, patients may choose to avoid going to the doctor if they only have a minor complaint, especially if they live in a remote area and getting to a medical facility is inconvenient. This may necessitate further referrals to specialist doctors, which would result in an additional cost for an office visit.

The emergence of telehealth in the healthcare system is traceable back to the need to address the problem of optimizing patient and provider time and ability to communicate, even if separated by distance. Patients with minor complaints who might not require a visit to the doctor’s office can now be contacted via the internet, allowing the medical profession to streamline this process and reach out to those who are homebound or too remote to visit a doctor’s office. Patients can receive long-distance health care from doctors and nurses who use digital technology and the most recent advancements in telecommunications to communicate with each other and serve their needs. As technology advances, so does the practice, which has progressed considerably since its inception.

Telemedicine (TM): A Brief History

The history of telemedicine is longer than you would think, with first telehealth visits were conducted over the telephone, in which the doctor interviewed the remote patient and asked specific questions to determine the cause of the problem, foregoing the physical exam and then issuing a diagnosis over the phone.

The first recorded instance of telehealth involved the creator of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, who used it to summon assistance for a lab assistant who had suffered an acid burn. The use of radio communication and telephone communication by doctors to communicate remotely with patients in remote areas became common in the 1930s. It wasn’t until NASA began sending astronauts into space for extended missions that doctors developed remote heart and respiratory monitoring devices and information was then transmitted back down to Earth via radio signal.

As far back as 1964, the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute began using two-way television links to communicate with the Norfolk State Hospital, which was 112 miles away, for educational and consultation purposes. By 1989, interactive telehealth was seeing use in specialized settings. Telehealth became more commonplace in routine medical practices in the late 1990s thanks to the widespread use of the Internet. Even though minor complaints were easier to diagnose, the number of illnesses that doctors can diagnose without an examination or lab work is limited.

With the continued advancement of medical technology, the expansion in the number of conditions that are treatable via remote visit also expanded. This was especially true with the advent of mobile technology that allowed for better communication between doctors and patients, ranging from email communication, monitoring of conditions via specialized equipment connected to a smartphone, and video chat visits, among other methods of communication. As a result, doctors could send prescriptions to the pharmacy and patients could request refills via smartphone apps and online communication rather than dealing with the doctor’s office staff directly. People who didn’t want to take the risk of contracting illness by visiting a medical facility used video chat and medical mobile application technology to manage their conditions and communicate with their providers remotely after the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Even though telehealth is on the rise, outdated laws governing patient privacy and practices, which fail to take modern mobile technology advancements, such as security, into account, have kept the practice from taking off to the extent that it could have in the last decade, with over 50% increases in insurance claims for telehealth in 2015 and 2016 alone, demonstrating the demand for increased access to telehealth. For patient privacy, laws are being written to allow the use of applications like FaceTime and Zoom, but most laws require connections to take place through a more secure service, some of which have been developed specifically for telehealth.

Approximately 75% of American healthcare facilities have made efforts to include telehealth in their service offerings in response to growing patient demand for telehealth and mobile connectivity. Especially in the fields of highly specialized medicine like teleneurology, the future of telehealth will undoubtedly include a wider range of conditions that are treatable by the practice as technology advances, so we should now turn our attention to the various ways in which it is already in use.

Current Practices

There are more uses for telehealth today than there were a few years ago. For the most part, telehealth is used to assist patients and doctors in monitoring chronic conditions, completing follow-up visits after an office visit, obtaining second opinions, conducting mental health counseling sessions, and providing medical support to patients in assisted living facilities or who are homebound for some reason. It is also used for managing medication and making urgent care visits for minor conditions such as urinary tract infections, sinus infections, and other minor ailments. Some conditions that have seen treatment recently with these methods include: allergies, asthma chronic bronchitis, conjunctivitis, UTIs, back pain, rashes, and diabetes. [4]

Asynchronous Telemedicine

Also known as “store and forward,” this technique involves transferring patient data for later evaluation, such as at a follow-up appointment. Examples of this include results from imaging and diagnostic tests sent to another provider or lab, as well as laboratory results from an urgent care clinic or elsewhere that are analyzed at a laboratory and then sent to a provider for analysis. In specialized medicine, such as cardiology, dermatology, radiology, and endocrinology, these practices are more common.

Interactive Technologies

Patients and healthcare providers can communicate via technology while not in the same room via teleconferencing, which is what most people imagine when they think of TM. For this type of live interaction, users must use video conferencing, live chat, or other real-time communication methods to exchange information in order to say they are practicing real-time telehealth. For minor complaints or emergencies that don’t necessitate an in-person diagnosis, interactive visits are a good option.

Remote Monitoring

This practice, similar to asynchronous TM, makes use of regular and ongoing practices in technology to monitor such things as heart conditions, blood glucose levels, electrocardiograms, or sleep apnea. The patient uses these monitors at home to collect and store data, which are then transmitted electronically to the healthcare provider for diagnosis. Chronically ill patients, high-risk patients, and those who have recently been discharged from a hospital all benefit from this procedure.

Telehealth vs. Telemedicine

Despite the fact that these terms are frequently used interchangeably, it is important to remember that in the medical community, they refer to two distinct practices. There are numerous technologies, practices, and services that fall under the umbrella term “telehealth” that are used to treat patients. Conversely, TM is the practice of using technology to provide clinical services to a patient remotely, without the need for an in-person encounter. Both have similar meanings, but the first refers to a wide range of remote practices, while the second refers to the specific technologies that make this possible.

Benefits and Detriments

Telehealth, like any other practice, has its advantages and disadvantages, but in general, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, at least according to those who utilize telehealth. All of these things, as well as the provider’s ability to meet these needs remotely, will play a role in determining whether telehealth practices are right for each patient.

Pros

When it comes to the patient, remote medicine can save time and money by cutting out the need to take time off from work to visit a doctor’s office, commute to appointments, and expose the patient to other potentially infected patients. Telehealth has many advantages for healthcare providers, including better time management and the ability to see more patients in a shorter period of time each day, easier follow-up with patients at home, fewer cancellations and missed appointments, increased revenue, and immediate reimbursement. Access to specialists, better and more routine patient care, and improved patient engagement can all benefit patients and healthcare providers alike, especially those living in rural areas.

Cons

Telehealth has its drawbacks, as no system is perfect. The technology needed to implement the process is currently expensive, sometimes prohibitively so, especially if it requires specialized features and security protocols. Staff members who will be using the equipment will need additional training in its use. There is also the risk that the use of technology may be too complicated for the patient, especially for elderly patients, on the patient’s side. Medical conferencing technology, on the other hand, is still very much in its infancy. Some conditions can’t be managed remotely, while others can be managed remotely only to a certain extent. Choosing TM over in-person consultations may lead to less in-person time with a doctor, or it may result in the mismanagement of a condition due to the limitations of the technology.

People with a urinary tract infection (UTI) must have a urine sample tested for bacteria in order to receive an accurate diagnosis. When providers treat a UTI, it usually only requires a round of antibiotics, so a telehealth visit with a provider who determines that the patient’s complaints point to a UTI may prescribe antibiotics without the actual test. An overuse of antibiotics or a misdiagnosis may occur if the symptoms, which can also be found in other conditions, cause the provider to prescribe medication when it is not necessary. In addition to HIPAA regulations, legislation protecting patient privacy, and specific laws governing what conditions can and cannot be managed via telehealth result in telehealth falling into a large legal crack. As most laws are several years behind current technology, the medical industry has operated largely under what laws it could, even though the fit between laws and technology may not be perfect just yet.

Future of Telehealth

With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing to light the various needs of patients and the ways in which remote medical practices can address those needs, we can see what the future of telehealth holds. To avoid risking exposure to the virus, patients who needed ongoing care turned to telehealth as an alternative method of monitoring chronic conditions and addressing urgent, but minor, issues that would otherwise have gone ignored. In addition to modernizing the healthcare system, telehealth gives patients and healthcare providers more freedom and flexibility, and it makes healthcare more accessible to those who may have difficulty getting to an in-person visit. However, what does this portend for the ensuing years?

It is expected that advances in technology readily available to patients, such as smartphones and smartwatches with monitoring capabilities, will improve telehealth in the coming years. Already, the Apple Watch’s most recent incarnation can monitor heart rate, oxygen levels, detect irregular heartbeats and sleeping patterns, alert first responders after a fall, and provide a single-lead EKG reading that can be exported to a PDF document and uploaded to a cardiologist for review. Future incarnations of the device, or similar devices, might measure blood pressure, blood glucose levels, respiration, and other critical vital readings all from a device a patient wears every day. Wearable technology is on the rise, and integrating with various health applications on smartphones can allow for regular monitoring and uploading of data to medical professionals. Telehealth is here to stay, and as it begins to expand to cover a wider scope of conditions and actions for patients and providers, in the near future, an office visit might be as simple as putting on a virtual reality headset, activating a wearable device, and having a conversation with your provider in a VR environment while all necessary tests and diagnoses are conducted remotely. In this future era, “TM” healthcare will likely be just regular healthcare.

Case Study with St. Mary’s Hospital

“Before our partnership, St. Mary’s time to treat a stroke patient from arrival was 118 minutes. Thanks to Sevaro, it’s been reduced to just 40 minutes, and continues to improve.”

Telestroke Response in the Emergency Room: Connecting with the Vascular Neurologist

Industry Background

Every year, 800,000 Americans experience a stroke. Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States; in addition to weakness and numbness, stroke can also lead to changes in cognitive function and memory.

Clot busting medications, called thrombolytics, can treat stroke patients and reverse the symptoms if presented to medical attention quickly enough. Thrombolytics are approved to be given within 4.5 hours of stroke symptoms starting. The data shows that the sooner you give this medication, the better it works in reducing or eliminating stroke symptoms. Door-to-needle time refers to the time from when a patient presents to hospital to the time the medication can be given.

Sevaro Selected By Montana Hospital Association As Preferred Stroke Care Provider

The Partnership

Sevaro is a teleneurology company with a team of subspecialty trained vascular neurologists who have a passion for delivering the most up-to-date stroke care with the latest medical technology. Sevaro partnered with St. Mary’s Hospital in Q4 of 2019. The two teams collaborated, reviewing the current state and process of stroke care, and identified areas for improvement. Namely, how could Sevaro help St. Mary’s provide more efficient stroke care resulting in better patient outcomes and improved health care utilization?

The Sevaro team identified areas for improvement including time to CT, door-to-needle times, increased utilization of stroke order admission set, and decreased length of stay. In order to continuously improve, the data from each stroke case was carefully collected and reviewed. St. Mary’s went live with Sevaro in November, 2019.

The Result

  • From 2020 to 2021 the time from patient arrival to neurology notification has improved by over 3 minutes.
  • Call centers have been removed, and now ED teams connect directly with stroke neurologists within 45 seconds.
  • Total of 315 stroke code activated in 2021
  • 83% increase in tPA use (1/month in 2019 to 22 in 2020)
    • Zero missed eligible patients offered thrombolytics since implementation
  • Decreased door to needle time! Time from patient presentation to treatment reduced from 118 minutes to a 40 minute average in 2022 (with a best time of 20 minutes in 2021).
  • Improvement in stroke patient order sets utilization during admission to St. Mary’s resulting in more patients being treated and managed with guidelines directed therapies
    • Zero patients discharged without appropriate cholesterol management.
  • Named a 2021 Silver Plus with Honor Roll member from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
  • Implemented artificial intelligence software to assist clinicians in identifying strokes on brain imaging

Summary

After partnering with Sevaro, St. Mary’s is able to provide expert neurologic consultation within 45 seconds for patients presenting with stroke symptoms. Sevaro’s fast, easy-to-use platform allows for reduction in door to treatment times, increased use of stroke-directed therapies, and improved access to specialized neurologic care.

Once patients are admitted to St. Mary’s, the quality improvement efforts have continued. Now, more patients are treated under the stroke order set; this implementation translates to more patients being discharged on the guideline recommended medications and reducing their length of stay in the hospital. This all culminates in improved patient outcomes, and positions St. Mary’s to be a national leader in providing exceptional stroke care.

Ready to see what a partnership with Sevaro can do for your hospital?
Schedule a demo or give us a call today!

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