April 09, 2009
Avera Study Shows Positive Impact of Remote Intensivist Care through eICU
Rural Health Care Physician Shortages Can Be Addressed by Information Technology
SIOUX FALLS (April 9, 2009) - Using telemedicine to serve the critical care needs of rural communities total has saved millions of dollars while significantly improving patient survival, according to a new study conducted by Avera eICU® CARE, a service of Avera Health based in Sioux Falls, S.D.
"The health care quality and safety benefits of ICU telemedicine have been well documented," said Dr. Edward Zawada, medical director of Avera eICU® CARE and an author of the study. "What is becoming evident are the significant financial benefits that can accrue from this improved quality. Equally important are benefits like less stress on rural physicians and nurses, and higher patient and family satisfaction."
The study, presented at the recent Society of Critical Care Medicine's annual meeting, involved Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in Sioux Falls and rural hospitals in the Avera eICU network. Data was compared before eICU implementation, and 30 months after implementation. Among the findings:
-Rural hospitals estimated a 37.5 percent reduction in the number of patients requiring transfer, representing a cost savings of more than $1.2 million.
-Reduced length of stay in Intensive Care Units saved an estimated $8 million.
-ICU and hospital mortality rates were 65-80 percent lower than predicted outcomes after implementation of the eICU, compared to 50 percent lower than predictions before implementation.
-90 percent of rural hospital clinical leaders surveyed reported being more comfortable caring for critically ill patients with eICU.
-90 percent of rural hospital leaders surveyed agreed that patients and families are comfortable staying in the hospital with the added eICU care.
-100 percent of rural physicians surveyed agreed that better, safer care can be supported by a remote critical care team.
While numerous studies documented by the Leapfrog Group show that intensivist staffing reduces the risk of ICU mortality by up to 40 percent, a shortage of intensivists makes such bedside care impossible in most locations. With only about 6,000 of these specialists in practice, less than 15 percent of ICUs have dedicated intensivist care. This is especially true in rural areas, which represent close to 25 percent of the population, yet have only 10 percent of the nation's physicians.
The eICU Program, by Philips VISICU, is designed to make specialized care by intensivists more widely available. When it opened in 2004, Avera's eICU was the first system of its kind in a Midwestern rural setting. Avera eICU® CARE provides tele-intensivist care to 16 hospitals across a rural four-state area, including seven community hospitals and eight Critical Access Hospitals.
"These results show that we can leverage scarce physician resources across rural areas, said Dr. David Kapaska, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Avera McKennan. "We have seen reductions in mortality and cost that have saved lives and more than covered the cost of the investment."
About Avera Health
Avera, the health ministry of the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters, is a regional partnership of health professionals who share support services to maintain excellent care at more than 235 locations in eastern South Dakota and surrounding states. Our caregivers are supported by the resources and expertise of the region's largest health system. Management and other support services are provided through the Avera Central Office in Sioux Falls, S. D., and its five regional centers: Avera St. Luke's in Aberdeen, S.D.; Avera Queen of Peace in Mitchell, S.D.; Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Avera Sacred Heart in Yankton, S.D.; and Avera Marshall in Marshall, Minn.
