Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Telemedicine Reduces Readmissions

A unique telemedicine consultation between a rural hospital and skilled rehabilitation/nursing facility is dramatically reducing patient readmissions. Atlantic General Hospital, a 62-bed facility in Berlin, Md., discharges many patients to a local, privately owned post-acute care facility. In January 2015, Atlantic General used grant dollars to purchase telemedicine equipment and peripherals. If a patient’s status changes after discharge, providers at the facility consult an Atlantic General hospitalist, who performs a patient exam by video with assistance from the facility’s clinical staff. The hospitalist then recommends interventions or readmits the patient directly to the hospital, bypassing the ER. Since the program’s implementation, Atlantic General has reduced readmissions from the facility by more than half; current readmission rates range between 11 percent and 15 percent. Implementation challenges, particularly for the rehabilitation/nursing facility, included upgrading network infrastructure and EMRs, and connecting with the hospital’s EMR. Atlantic General CEO Michael Franklin emphasizes that building relationships and creating buy-in have been crucial, but the changing reimbursement environment incentivized all involved. Since many health systems own hospitals and LTC facilities, this type of program “would be a natural way of operating with those systems within a corporate structure,” Franklin adds.

For more information, contact Franklin at mfranklin@atlanticgeneral.org.