Becker's Hospital Review

29 Executive Briefing Sponsored by: T he COVID-19 pandemic highlights a large number of opportunities for the future of telehealth. Hospitals and health systems are expanding beyond their traditional four walls and using telemedicine to bridge communications gaps using mobile technology. Becker's Hospital Review recently spoke with James Woodson, MD, CEO and Founder of Pulsara, about telemedicine and real-time communication among healthcare providers. As a mobile health (mHealth) expert, he shared where there's room for growth for telemedicine in the acute care space and how mobile tech can streamline communication for providers in chaotic and unpredictable environments. Mobile tech, an untapped resource to unite care teams When CMS lifted state licensing requirements and expanded telemedicine reimbursement for Medicare members in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals in many regions of the country weren't prepared for the changes. These providers focused on using telehealth solutions they already had in place, which were built under pre-COVID-19 reimbursement and regulatory requirements. "Most telemedicine solutions in the acute care space are designed for patients who are stable or stationary," Dr. Woodson said. "Pulsara is really designed for patients who are unstable, or who are transitioning between organizations or departments. We work for the stationary patients as well, but it's a unique thing to be designed for patients specifically who are in transition." Most telehealth solutions aren't designed to meet the needs of acute care patients in transition. This challenge was highlighted with the surge of COVID-19 cases because the situation requires individuals to mobilize and form care teams in an unpredictable and chaotic environment, which can be difficult if the telehealth solution isn't calibrated for such situations. "Telemedicine should not be limited to outpatient or specific disease states, or super rigid interactions based exclusively on expensive, proprietary hardware," Dr. Woodson said. "It's important for us to look at mobile technology as a powerful tool that we all carry and is in our hands. This offers a huge untapped opportunity to unite teams." Built for time-sensitive emergency care Pulsara's telehealth and communication network specifically focuses on uniting team members who are mobile and practice in chaotic environments, such as the acute care space. The company offers telemedicine and communication solutions that are designed to connect teams, through audio, video, images and more. Given Pulsara's core focus, the pandemic has reinforced the need for telemedicine usage during events like pandemics or natural or manmade disasters. In these situations, it is important for healthcare organizations to adopt an emergency preparedness mindset, which relies on principles such as flexibility, standardization and collaboration. Emergency situations often call on developing care teams with individuals from many different organizations. When communicating, they should leverage the same intuitive, digital communication tools they use in their daily lives. In addition to uniting team members practicing in chaotic environments, Dr. Woodson said, "Pulsara can also unite a care team around an event … and then can bring in the correct consultants or organizations as the patient's case evolves." Bridge clinical communication gaps to decrease treatment times Studies have shown that hospitals and health systems that have leveraged Pulsara's clinical communication and telehealth network have shown an average decreased treatment time of 30 percent. While Pulsara's communication and telehealth network has traditionally been used in emergency settings, the company's expansion to support COVID-19 care has been relatively seamless. A health system in a major metropolitan area recently partnered with Pulsara to streamline care for COVID-19 and better manage patient surge, according to Pulsara's recent "Improving COVID-19 Response Together" case study. Prior to tapping Pulsara, the organization used separate lines of communication across multiple technologies and facilities, resulting in the transfer of incomplete information relating to COVID-19 patients. Ineffective communication tools caused various challenges for the health system, particularly patient triage. In one example, a patient thought they were experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and didn't know where to seek care. The patient called an urgent care facility that was able to evaluate them and contacted a transfer center at a hospital, which then directed the patient to call 911. Emergency dispatch reviewed the report and identified the patient as a possible COVID-19 case and sent out a special response ambulance. However, once EMS arrived on scene, they determined the patient was stable enough to remain at How mobile tech can eliminate communication silos & enhance emergency clinical response

• Cover