Manchester Life 2018 | Page 73

FOCUS FOCUS ON PARTNERSHIP SVMC is proud to work with Dartmouth-Hitchcock to ensure the delivery of exceptional care to our regional community. Our providers are members of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Putnam Physicians, a multispecialty medical group operated in partnership with Dartmouth-Hitchcock. This partnership is instrumental in recruiting outstanding physicians to serve throughout our system. The SVMC | Dartmouth-Hitchcock partnership also extends to the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center. Managed by Dartmouth-Hitchcock, one of only three National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in New England, the Cancer Center is able to provide patients with access to some of the most advanced specialty services available anywhere including genetic counseling, groundbreaking clinical trials, and high-risk assessments. In addition, Dartmouth-Hitchcock is a partner in telemedicine services (see below) and manages the Quality, Safety, and Value Division, which seeks to keep patients safe from infections, falls, and complications associated with healthcare. PA R T N E R S H I P I S P O W E R F U L M E D I C I N E FOCUS ON SM TELEMEDICINE Thanks to telemedicine, SVMC’s team approach to care now regularly includes providers based at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and beyond. An integral part of the hospital’s ICU, emergency, and neurology departments, as well as both of SVMC’s ExpressCare locations, the telemedicine program offers an immediate connection to a range of specialists and ensures the most vulnerable patients have access to the care they need when they need it. Using a high-definition live two-way audio-video camera and Wi-Fi-enabled monitors, the telemedicine program gives remote providers the same access to patient information they would have if they were on site at SVMC. For patients experiencing emergent neurological conditions such as a stroke, TeleNeurology provides potentially life-saving access to a board-certified neurologist no matter the day or time. Housed on a portable cart, the device can be moved into any area of the hospital, ensuring access to care for every patient. Similarly, TeleED service instantly connects members of SVMC’s board-certified emergency medicine team to additional emergency telespecialists for consults. Working together, the emergency teams can determine and enact the best care plan for each patient. Along with real-time video and audio, SVMC’s telemedicine program includes decision-support software that alerts providers to relevant changes in a patient’s status. Pictured: Dr. Trey Dobson and RN Jill Maynard By this summer, the TeleICU system will provide 24/7 continuous monitoring of patients by board-certified critical care physicians based at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Avera eCare. Consulting providers are able to view the patient, engage with staff at the bedside, and assess patient condition via innovative software that provides real-time monitoring of vital signs, fluid intake, lab results, and more. Even when the provider is not present, the software continues to assess trends in vital signs and diagnostic studies and alerts providers if there’s an emerging issue. special Southwestern Vermont Health Care supplement 71