Ohio State University Medical Center to Expand TeleStroke Technology with REACH Health

COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 12, 2011 – Ohio State University Medical Center announced today that it is doubling telestroke technology capabilities across their hospital network with REACH Health, Inc. REACH’s telestroke technology allows physicians in smaller hospitals to use live video and on demand patient data to consult with OSU Medical Center neurologists in Columbus for rapid diagnosis and treatment. When a stroke patient arrives at a community hospital an OSU Medical Center stroke neurologist can review patient information, examine and talk with the patient, family members and the local clinicians to help determine the best course of treatment.

OSU Medical Center has partnered with REACH Health, Inc., a medical technology company specialized in developing on demand physician access technologies. Their telestroke network bridges time and distance to smaller hospitals to enable significantly improved patient outcomes with rapid diagnosis and treatment by neurologists specializing in stroke care.

“This will dramatically improve the treatment and outcome for stroke patients living outside central Ohio in areas where highly trained stroke experts are often not available,” said Sara Widing, Director of Neurosciences at Ohio State University Medical Center. “Once a patient has a stroke, every second counts. If we can share our expertise in real time to ensure appropriate diagnosis and treatments, we can eliminate unneeded travel time to transfer patients between rural communities and OSU Medical Center.”

Ohio State University Medical Center is the latest in a growing list of healthcare organization and academic medical centers that are implementing REACH’s innovative physician access solutions for treating strokes.  REACH’s easy-to-use, web-based solution provides the information clinicians need to conduct real-time, clinically rich consults. Richard Otto, President and CEO of REACH, said: “We’re pleased to partner with one of the top healthcare providers in the nation to implement REACH’s innovative technology. OSU Medical Center was just named among the top 10 academic medical centers in the nation for quality of care and their selection of REACH as their telestroke provider is a testament to the quality of our clinical software solutions.  We look forward to working with OSU Medical Center to help grow develop and expand their network.”

Michael Racke, M.D., OSU Medical Center’s Chairman of the Department of Neurology, said this life-saving technology allows physicians to quickly review and interact with a patient remotely, while at the same time gives them access to pertinent lab results and CT images.  “A rapid assessment will allow patients to be treated more aggressively and effectively, and, if needed, transferred to OSU Medical Center for more advanced treatment.”

Ohio hospitals that are part of the network include Barnesville Hospital, Coshocton County Memorial Hospital, Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center  in Cambridge, Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Mary Rutan Hospital in Bellefontaine and Lima Memorial Hospital and St. Rita’s Medical Center, also in Lima.

About REACH Health, Inc.

REACH provides robust on demand physician access technology that bridges time and geography for rapid access to specialized care.  REACH makes remote physician consults convenient and easy, enabling specialists to operate in a collaborative care environment with real‐time documentation and reporting.  For more information go to www.reachhealth.com.
About Ohio State University Medical Center

Ohio State University Medical Center’s Department of Neurology specializes in stroke treatment, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, neuro-oncology, and memory disorders. The department is ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report and is the only ranked neurological department in central Ohio.

About REACH Health, Inc.

REACH provides robust on demand physician access technology that bridges time and geography for rapid access to specialized care.  REACH makes remote physician consults convenient and easy, enabling specialists to operate in a collaborative care environment with real‐time documentation and reporting.  For more information go to www.reachhealth.com.
About Ohio State University Medical Center

Ohio State University Medical Center’s Department of Neurology specializes in stroke treatment, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, neuro-oncology, and memory disorders. The department is ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report and is the only ranked neurological department in central Ohio.