The Samaritan Healthcare Telehealth team is excited to announce the launch of TeleNeurology services at Samaritan Hospital.

Samaritan Healthcare will now have access to TeleNeurology (Acute TeleStroke and Emergent TeleNeurology) 24 hours a day, 365 days a year through a virtual TeleNeurology provider team.

TeleNeurology diagnoses and treats patients with neurological disorders virtually. The services are provided using a movable telehealth cart which can be used at the bedsides of hospital patients who have been admitted, as well as in the Emergency Department. The telehealth cart provides instant contact with board-certified vascular neurologists who consult, diagnose, and recommend treatment in conjunction with the Samaritan attending physicians.

“We have been utilizing TeleStroke for some time and this is an expansion of that service. It makes a big difference in the lives of our patients by being able to provide higher-level care, and we’re able to monitor them more closely and provide treatment close to home,” said Andrea Carter, MD, and Chief Medical Officer at Samaritan Healthcare. “Now that we’ve added TeleNeurology to our care program, patients can now receive state-of-the-art care for stroke and other neurological conditions, without having to travel.”

Adding TeleNeurology to the services offered at Samaritan was a joint effort among many departments, including Anne Foss-Durant, CNO; Rebecca Suarez, ED Director; and Jodi Mauseth, Inpatient/Acute Care Service Director.

“Bringing in the services of board-certified vascular neurologists with the use of TeleNeurology is one more way we can optimize our current services to support our doctors and providers and offer higher-level care to our patients,” said Anne Foss-Durant, Chief Nursing Officer at Samaritan Healthcare. “With TeleNeurology,  we can offer patient care instantly and locally via teleconsultations with neurologists.”

Since 1947, Samaritan Healthcare has been community-owned to keep our care local, in order to provide care and services tailored to meet the unique needs of our area.