Telemedicine Services at the
Neurosciences Institute

Seconds are precious for patients suffering symptoms of stroke or other neurovascular diseases. Swift diagnosis and treatment can help prevent further brain damage from many neurovascular diseases, such as arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), brain aneurysms and stroke. Abington Memorial Hospital’s Neurosciences Institute has advanced expertise that can help these patients.

Our high-tech telemedicine service means specialists from our Neurosciences Institute may evaluate patients at other hospitals’ emergency departments who are diagnosed with neurovascular diseases, such as stroke, in real time and without delay.  Participating hospitals use advanced technology that enables the AMH Neurosciences Institute physician to interact with the patient and review studies.

Through our telemedicine connection, a community hospital emergency physician can request an immediate consultation with the AMH neurologist. Our specialist is able to assess patients and speak directly with them and family members. The doctor also reviews patients’ medical histories and views laboratory and radiology test results. Together, the community hospital physician and the AMH neurologist then will determine the best course — either to continue care at the community hospital or to transfer patients to Abington Memorial Hospital’s Neurosciences Institute for our advanced diagnostic technology and procedures.

Abington Memorial Hospital expertise includes neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuro-interventionalists, neuro-radiologists and nurses trained in caring for neuro patients.  Our advanced technology includes a state-of-the-art biplane angiography laboratory with 3D imaging, neurosurgery suites, neuro critical care units and access to leading-edge clinical trials.

The Telemedicine Process

Telemedicine expertise is available immediately, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for cases where every second can make a critical difference. Telemedicine is a system that interfaces with the patient at a remote hospital location using an on-site telemedicine unit that is lightweight and very mobile. 

The emergency department attending physician at a participating community hospital calls our One-Call Transfer Center and requests a stroke or neurosciences consultation. On the AMH side, when the One-Call Transfer Center is notified, the AMH neurologist logs into a secure laptop.   The videoconferencing allows the patient to be visible on the doctor’s computer screen, enabling a neurological assessment and access to lab results and imaging studies.

The neurosciences specialist speaks directly with the patient and/or family members and can even perform an examination. In consultation with the emergency department physician, the AMH specialist determines what therapy is needed, in real time, without delay.

A decision is made either to admit the patient to the local hospital's critical care unit or to transfer them to Abington’s Neurosciences Institute for advanced diagnosis, intervention and/or neurocritical care.

One-Call Transfer Service

Our One-Call Transfer Service offers a seamless and efficient intake process by dedicated registered nurses for rapid transfer to Abington Memorial Hospital 24/7.