fbpx
TeleCare
Careers
Pay My Bill
Learning Center
Stroke Survivors

Back to Previous

AdventHealth Gordon TeleStroke Case Study

By: | Tags: , , , , , , | September 29th, 2020

Rural hospital in GA experiencing inconsistent DTN times.
After review, two major areas of improvement were identified.
After implementation of process improvements, average DTN dropped by 21.5%.

ABOUT

AdventHealth Gordon in a 69 bed hospital located in Calhoun, Georgia. Calhoun is a rural city with an estimated population of 10,667. AdventHealth Gordon has partnered with TeleSpecialists for TeleStroke and TeleNeuroHospitalist services since March 2019.

THE ISSUE

Concerns were voiced by TeleSpecialists’ Quality Program Specialist, Haley Fogle, RN, that alteplase administration times were not consistent, often delayed beyond the 45-minute or less goal. Fogle worked collaboratively with Kevin Rodman, AdventHealth Gordon’s Emergency Director, to identify areas of delay during the stroke alert process. Two major issues were found: pre-arrival notifications to TeleSpecialists were not being executed, and process delays were slowing down during stroke alerts.

THE SOLUTION

In the initial review, it was identified that EMS pre-arrival notifications were not being called into TeleSpecialists. Immediately, education was provided on the benefits of calling a stroke alert into TeleSpecialists after EMS incoming notifications. This allows the TeleSpecialists TeleNeurologist to be on camera, at bedside, when the
patient arrives at the facility, and accessing them critical information from EMS to expedite patient care.
After a comprehensive review of the hospital’s stroke alert process, the decision was made to overhaul the stroke alert process completely. Best practices were recommended by TeleSpecialists and implemented.

The changes included:

  • Patients are triaged and assessed via the TeleSpecialists Pit Stop Program™ (TSPSP) when they arrive at the hospital
  • Patients are taken straight to CT after the TSPSP, cutting back on rooming delays
  • The creation of a Stroke Kit containing alteplase and blood pressure medications were implemented to ensure quick access and availability
  • The telestroke cart is moved to CT to ensure that the Neurologist can quickly assess and make decisions on treatment

THE RESULTS

Once best practice implementations were started, the average door-to-needle time (DTN) average dropped by 21.5%, down to 32 minutes (including outliers).

TeleStroke hospital alert dates chart
DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY

Nattasha Acevedo, MD

Dr. Acevedo received her medical degree from the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and did her neurology residency at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. She went on to do a clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Emory School of Medicine in Atla nta, Georgia and then joined private practice in Fort Myers, Florida. She currently resides in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She likes running, paddle boarding and spending time with family.
dr-nattasha-acevedo-teleneurology
close-link

Bernadette Borte, MD

Dr. Borte received her medical degree from St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine in Grand Cayman. She completed her neurology residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. Her areas of interest include inpatient neurology and acute stroke. When not working, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. Dr. Borte joined the TeleSpecialist family in March of 2019.
dr-bernadette-borte-teleneurology
close-link

Mazen Almidani, MD

Dr. Almidani is board certified in pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics and board certified in epilepsy, as well as neurology with special  qualification in child neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.  Dr. Almidani is happily married with 4 children. His oldest son has autism and his daughter has complicated seizures; both were a drive for him to become a neurologist. Dr. Almidani enjoys soccer, running and spending time with his family. He is very involved with his sons’ therapy and helping with daily challenges. He is double board certified in Pediatric and Adult Neurology and Epilepsy. He sees children and adults. He also participates in charities for children in Syria who may be underprivileged and/or affected by the war. Dr. Almidani joined TeleSpecialists in August 2020.
close-link

Amanda Cheshire, MD

Dr. Cheshire received her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. She completed her neurology residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. She did a fellowship in neurophysiology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Cheshire is double board certified in neurology and clinical neurophysiology. She enjoys traveling, reading and music. She currently resides in Viera, Florida.  Dr. Cheshire joined TeleSpecialists in June 2019.
dr-amanda-cheshire-teleneurology
close-link

Jessica Floyd, MD

Dr. Floyd completed her neurology residency at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida followed by fellowship training in clinical neurophysiology with focus in EEG and epilepsy at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. She has particular interest in hospital neurology and patient education as well as the blossoming specialty of lifestyle medicine. She strives to take advantage of every encounter with patients and medical staff to empower them to do their own research into how daily thoughts, choices, and habits can add up to create greater and longer-lasting brain and neurologic health for ourselves and our loved ones. She lives in Florence, South Carolina with her awesome husband of 13 plus years and three beautiful children. She is an avid yogi, astrologer, and lover of food and all things neurology! Dr. Floyd joined the TeleSpecialist family in July 2017.
dr-jessica-floyd-teleneurology
close-link

Nancy Futrell, MD

Dr. Futrell received her medical degree from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also did her neurology residency at the University of Utah as well as a research fellowship in cerebral vascular disease at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. She currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has authored 2 books and 50 peer reviewed papers. 
dr-nancy-futrell-teleneurology
close-link

Rebecca Jimenez-Sanders, MD

Dr. Jimenez Sanders received her undergraduate degree from Emory University, and her medical degree from the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. She completed her neurology residency at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, where she also did a specialized headache medicine and facial pain fellowship. She currently resides in Tampa, Florida with her husband and her two daughters. She is also fluent in Spanish and Italian languages, and enjoys photography, baking, boating, and biking.
dr-rebecca-jiminez-sanders-teleneurology
close-link

Cory Lamar, MD

Dr. Lamar received his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his internship and residency at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Following residency, he completed a clinical fellowship in neurophysiology, with a concentration in epilepsy. He currently resides in Florida and enjoys outdoor activities.
close-link

Clifford Meyers, MD

Dr. Meyers received his medical degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and his MBA from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. He completed his neurology residency at the University of Rochester, where he also did a neurophysiology fellowship. Dr. Meyers resides in Webster, New York with his wife and daughter. When not doing teleneurology, he enjoys playing sports with his wife and daughter.
dr-clifford-meyers-teleneurology
close-link

Tao Tong, MD

Dr. Tong received her medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. She completed her neurology residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, where she also did a neuromuscular/EMG fellowship.  She currently resides in College Station, Texas. Dr. Tong is married with two boys. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and reading.
dr-tao-tong-teleneurology
close-link

Shubhangi Chumble, MD

Dr. Chumble attended BJ Medical School. She is a board certified neurologist with a subspeciality interest in sleep medicine. Dr. Chumble did her residency at Howard University in Washington DC and has practiced neurology since 2001 in private and corporate settings. She lives in Melbourne, Florida and loves the sunshine state. Her hobbies include yoga, meditation, cooking , traveling and meeting new people. She also loves to do stained glass, pottery and painting. She joined TeleSpecialists in June 2019.
close-link