Hot Springs, SD — Fall River Health Services (FRHS) announces the addition of the Avera eCARE® Hospitalist, a virtual health service that supports community hospitals with around-theclock access to physicians who specialize in the care of hospital patients. The new eCARE Hospitalistservice is expected to be operational on February 4, 2020.
Via secure, high-definition two-way video, eCARE Hospitalist offers a 24/7 connection to the eCARE team of board-certified physicians and nurses with a goal of providing consistent, high quality care to hospitalized general medical and surgical patients. This is in addition to other Avera eCARE services offered in Hot Springs, including Emergency and Pharmacy.
High-definition cameras and microphones will allow the eCARE Emergency virtual team at Avera to both see and hear everything that is taking place in the emergency room. They can guide rural nurses and other providers in patient care until a rural physician arrives. They can also consult with doctors on difficult cases.
“We look forward to providing this state-of-the-art service in conjunction with Avera E-Care to our community. We welcome and appreciate the extra layer of support and expertise that Avera eCARE provides in the realm of hospital care for the benefit of our patients and staff in providing high quality rural health care,” states Tricia Uhlir, CEO.
The Hospitalist team is comprised of internal medicine physicians who specialize in the care of patients during acute illness, as well as experienced registered nurses. “The Hospitalist program will be an additional resource for Fall River Health Services care team to utilize for all adult patients hospitalized there,” said Amy Evjen, MD, Avera eCARE Hospitalist Medical Director.
eCARE Hospitalist is available for local physicians, advanced practice providers and nurses to consult with experts at the eCARE eHelm hub in Sioux Falls at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year. Patients may also meet the eCARE Hospitalist nurse or physician on a real-time video interaction as they collaborate with local medical staff. “Hospital patients will continue to have a relationship with their local providers, with extra assistance with diagnosis and treatment as needed,” Evjen said
Additionally, eCARE Hospitalist staff can order lab tests or answer questions about test results, which may help improve efficiency and timeliness of care. As well as, the local staff can request as much or as little support as they need. Patients can be assured that eCARE connections are always secure and confidential.
Avera has 25 years of experience in telemedicine and is a model nationally and internationally. Avera eCARE serves 400+ sites in 17 states. eCARE has saved more than $200 million in health care costs over the past decade and has served more than 1.4 million patients.
“We look forward to partnering with staff at Fall River Health Services to assist in delivering high quality hospital care. eCARE couples sophisticated technology with a spirit of collaboration and partnership – all with the goal of improving access to quality health care,” said Deanna Larson, CEO of Avera eCARE.
For more information please contact, Tricia Uhlir, CEO, Fall River Health Services at 605.745.8910