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CNI Stroke Program
Patient Care
CO-DOC Telemedicine Program
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CO-DOC Telemedicine Team
L-R: Dr. Byron Rod Spencer, Dr. Robert Pratt, Dr. Ira Chang, Dr. Jeffrey Wagner, and Dr. Christopher Fanale, CO-DOC Telemedicine Medical Director.
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Launched in 2006, the CO-DOC Telemedicine Program (Collaborative Digital Online Consultant) is a collaborative effort between the Colorado Neurological Institute (CNI), Blue Sky Neurology and Swedish Medical Center. This innovative program serves communities in Colorado that require 24/7 acute stroke neurology coverage but lack an on-staff stoke specialist. The CO-DOC Telemedicine Program meets this need, deploying proven technology to deliver highly specialized stroke expertise every second of every day.
Today, the CO-DOC Telemedicine Program has expanded to several medical centers in rural, frontier and urban communities throughout Colorado. The central hub for the CO-DOC system is at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood.
Current statistics (as of May 30, 2011)
- 18 partner sites and 20 cameras
- Over 500 remote consultations
- Of the number of patients evaluated for stroke through CO-DOC, approximately 22% are determined to be appropriate for acute treatment with t-PA, a "clot-busting" medication. This rate is estimated to be four times higher than the national average for t-PA administration, which is 5.5% according to the American Heart Association.
- 57% of CO-DOC Telemedicine patients remain in their community, and don't need to be transferred from their home facility to another hospital for specialized care. The important aspect of this statistic for our partner site administrators is that effectively 100% of the patients would have been recommended for transfer without the telemedicine consultation, thus saving the families and patients the cost and inconvenience of long-distance travel to busy metropolitan areas.
How the Technology Works
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CO-DOC Telemedicine System
Site-Independent • Internet-Based
HIPAA Compliant • Synchronized 2-way
Audio and Video • DVD-Quality Video
DICOM Server Integrated • Remotely Controlled
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Through the CO-DOC Telemedicine Program, stroke specialists at Blue Sky Neurology can be joined remotely by a site-independent, Internet-based, HIPAA-compliant telemedicine system to any hospital in our service area. This secure connection allows the neurologist to provide real-time acute stroke consultations--a critical service when literally every second counts.
The CO-DOC Telemedicine program is a proprietary system that requires the installation of a portable monitoring machine in emergency departments and a wireless laptop and headset combination that resides with an on-call neurologist. CO-DOC delivers smooth video through any Internet connection, automatic adaptability and error correction, dramatic zoom capabilities, excellent audio and video synchronization and no echo. Both the patient and physicians have two-way audio and video capabilities.
Community Education
Community education about the signs and symptoms characterizing an acute stroke is an essential part of the CO-DOC Telemedicine program. Just as important is the knowledge of the system within each community. The CO-DOC project manager and other CNI staff, as well as the program's medical director, Christopher V. Fanale, MD, a recognized stroke-treatment expert, are committed to educating both the host sites’ health care providers as well as their communities at large.
About the CO-DOC Telemedicine Partners
Colorado Neurological Institute
Since its founding as a non-profit organization in 1988, the Colorado Neurological Institute (CNI) has earned a reputation as a world-class facility, offering patients access to innovative clinical trials and new surgical techniques. CNI's specialized teams touch lives and change the future through a blend of physicians' knowledge, skills and talents that provide the highest level of care to patients with nearly every neurological condition and adults and children with hearing loss and ear disease.
Blue Sky Neurology
Blue Sky Neurology in Englewood, Colorado was established in January 2005 is a CO-DOC Telemedicine program partner. The physicians of Blue Sky Neurology are all university-trained and board certified in neurology. Additionally, all members are fellowship-trained in subspecialties of neurology, many having additional board certifications, including two of only three fellowship-trained stroke neurologist in the state. Blue Sky Neurology strives to provide the most advanced, full-service, neurological care using the latest evidence-based guidelines.
Swedish Medical Center
Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado, serves as the Rocky Mountain Region's referral center for neurosciences and comprehensive stroke care. Swedish is the only facility in the region to be four-times certified by the Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center. As a Level 1 Trauma Center, Swedish provides the most advanced care for adult and pediatric trauma. Each year Swedish continues to care for more than 142,000 patients with a team of 2,000 dedicated employees, 300 volunteers and more than 1200 physicians.
For additional information about the CNI CO-DOC Telemedicine Program, contact:
Megan McDonald
Project Manager, CO-DOC Telemedicine Program
303.806.7413
E-mail
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