Revolutionizing Telestroke Care
When it comes to emergency teleneurology consults, seconds matter. Yet many hospitals rely on call center models that are ineffective in getting the right neurologist on the phone quickly. Sevaro OneCallTM offers a unique solution.
What is Sevaro OneCall?
OneCall is a telemedicine solution that ensures that a seasoned, boarded vascular neurologist answers urgent stroke calls in less than one minute. It cuts down on hold times that can stretch as long as 20 minutes — a veritable eternity when dealing with telestroke or other emergency calls. When handling acute neurology calls, every second counts.
The solution answers a need that comes up time and again when hospitals rely on call centers to support telehealth. In a traditional call center model, a person answers the call and screens the situation before connecting someone with the right doctor.
But it’s one person trying to connect with one doctor. The doctor may or may not pick up for any number of reasons. Meanwhile, nurses and emergency physicians may be stabilizing patients the best they can while awaiting the vascular neurologist’s orders for scans and next steps in tPA evaluation.
And once the physician does connect with the ED staff for a virtual consult during an emergency or on-call hours, will that doctor be the one completing rounds in the days to come to help follow through on the patient’s treatment plan? In traditional scenarios, it’s common for the vascular neurologist first working with a patient in an emergency scenario to be different from the doctor who supports the patient through their time in a hospital, and this can erode patient confidence and comfort.
How OneCall Works
OneCall streamlines intake and treatment procedures for stroke patients by automating much of the process.
When staff in the hospital dial OneCall, they get an automated system. The system knows where the call is coming from, which means it can connect with the Sevaro neurologist on-call for that facility.
Staff who call with a need for a new patient enter the patient information. Within just 45 seconds, OneCall connects the call to a physician’s phone and sends the on-call physician a message noting which hospital has a need and the specific information for the case.
After that first contact is made, the patient is seen and treatment is started. Typically, a CT scan is conducted. At that point, the hospital puts a second call into OneCall. The call is automatically routed to the same vascular neurologist to support continuity of care and ensure the patient’s doctor is well informed.