Overview

The Massachusetts General Hospital TeleHealth Consult Advisory Services and Portal License Program was originally designed to enable academic medical centers and health systems to create their own TeleStroke networks. It now supports health care systems that share the mission of specialty care (including behavioral health, neonatal medicine, oncology, dermatology, cardiology, intensive care, to list a few) in their regions, driven by a focus on clinical quality. With 20-plus years of experience and continuous improvement, highlights of the service include: 

  • Mass General TeleHealth Consult Portal License—the HIPAA-compliant and white-labeled web application provides: 
    • Workflow and documentation management
    • Clinical/business intelligence reporting functionality
    • Single entry tool for providers enabling centralized access to video, radiology, protocols, guides and EHR (with FHIR API integration) driving program scalability
    • Flexible clinically customizable modular architecture 
  • Program materials and license and advisory services include customizable guidance on: 
    • Finance and regulatory program framework
    • Operations
    • Technology decision making support 
  • A collaborative relationship that includes bi-yearly meetings, quarterly newsletters and regularly communication to assure optimization of services along with research collaboration opportunities

We definitely have seen significant improvements in stroke care. One of the outcomes is the tPA administration and utilization for acute ischemic strokes. Our average is about 30%, while the national hovers around 12%. Our neurologists are connecting within five minutes to rural practitioners who historically may have been hesitant to administer the clot busting drug tPA. Having access to neurologists really empowers these rural practitioners to make sure that they are practicing evidence-based stroke care.

Pamela Forducey, PhD
System Director of eHealth at INTEGRIS Health