University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health and Lorien Health Systems
Awarded Telehealth Grant Hospital and skilled nursing facility work together to improve patient quality of life.
University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health (UM UCH) has received a $30,000 grant from the Maryland Health Care Commission to establish a pilot project demonstrating that telehealth technology can be used to improve care transitions as patients move between hospital and nursing facilities.
UM UCH is partnering with Lorien Health System’s Bel Air senior community and LifeBot Telemedicine to show how patient care can be improved and cost savings achieved by reducing unnecessary visits to hospital emergency rooms and unnecessary hospital admissions and re-admissions.
Watch the video of live use of the LifeBot 5 and Clinical Workstation at Lorien Healthcare and University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake.
During the pilot project, the physicians at the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (UM UCMC) Emergency Department will conduct remote “telehealth” assessments of Lorien Bel Air patients. These patients will remain at Lorien in its new examination room which is fitted with video cameras, microphones and other specialized equipment. Working in consultation with the patient’s attending physician, UM UCMC physicians will analyze a patient’s status and any change of condition and will determine a course of treatment including whether it is medically necessary to transfer the patient to UCMC’s emergency room.
Lyle E. Sheldon, CEO of UM UCH said, “We are excited about the possibilities of using this technology to get a patient assessed earlier and maybe to avoid an unnecessary trip to our emergency department. Pilots like this also afford the opportunity to build closer relationships with our community partners in health care such as Lorien Health.”
Louis G. Grimmel, Sr., CEO of Maryland – based Lorien agreed. “Our Lorien Bel Air community has been a preferred location for quality assisted living and nursing care for over 10 years. We’re very excited to participate in this grant project as we are dedicated to continual innovation and investment in new technologies to meet the needs of our customers in the ever evolving health care system.”
Lorien Bel Air is connected to UM UCMC with the LifeBot Telemedicine system. According to Kerry Fletcher, COO at LifeBot, “Advanced Telemedicine is the solution to improved patient care while reducing costs, and LifeBot is proud to participate in the grant initiative. The LifeBot 5 is a ‘mobile micro-hospital’ which provides the consulting physician with not only multiple camera views for complete visual assessment but also the same real-time physiological data as if the patient was located in their ICU. Having access to the patient’s data, in a format that makes true Health Information Exchange (HIE) possible, allows the doctor to make better decisions without the disruption or cost associated with non-emergency transport.”
Lorien Bel Air is connected to UM UCMC with the LifeBot Telemedicine system. …The goal of this partnership will be to improve the patient’s quality of life by reducing avoidable acute care transfers, admissions and re-admissions.
The goal of this partnership will be to improve the patient’s quality of life by reducing avoidable acute care transfers, admissions and re-admissions. The intent is to create a sustainable care model that can be replicated in additional locations.
The pilot will run from December 2014 until July 2015 with a final report due to the state at that time. Maryland Emergency Medicine Network will be providing the consultative services on behalf of the UM UCMC Emergency Room. For more information about the grant, call 443-643-4219 at UM UCH.
About University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health
University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health (UM UCH) is a community based, not-for-profit system located in Harford County, Maryland, and dedicated to maintaining and improving the health of the people in its communities through an integrated health delivery system that provides the highest quality of care to all. UM UCH owns and operates UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, UM Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace, Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation and the Senator Bob Hooper House, an assisted living facility specializing in hospice care located in Forest Hill. UM Upper Chesapeake Health is also an affiliate of the University of Maryland Medical System. One of the largest private employers in Harford County, Upper Chesapeake employs almost 3,000 team members. Visit www.umuch.org to learn more.
About Lorien Health Systems
Lorien Health Systems is family owned and operated company that offers a continuum of services for seniors, including health and wellness programs, community – based services, inpatient skilled nursing and rehabilitation services, long term care services, and assisted living community housing. Lorien has over 2,000 employees and operates five Assisted Living and nine Skilled Nursing facilities in Central Maryland including Harford, Howard, Carroll and Baltimore counties. The company also includes Advantage Fitness and Rehabilitation, which provides inpatient and outpatient services, and a licensed Residential Service Agency which provides community-based services under its new “Lorien at Home” program.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2014
UM UCH Communications Department
443.643.4219
VP of Home & Community Based Services
410.750.7500