Around-the-clock medical and behavioral health coverage delivered right at the patient’s bedside
May 1, 2019 – Tapestry Telehealth has launched a new program that provides skilled nursing facilities with virtual access to on-site, multi-specialty medical team coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using advanced telemedicine technology.
Tapestry Telehealth’s existing program features a primary care team that includes nurse practitioners who integrate seamlessly with a facility’s attending physicians and staff to help patients on weekdays and/or on scheduled daily rounds.
Now, with its expanded TapestryCare™ program, those same services are available on weeknights, from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., and on weekends, guaranteeing around-the-clock medical and behavioral health coverage --- with all of it being delivered right at the patient’s bedside.
“Medical issues aren’t confined to a 9-to-5 shift,” said Dr. David Chess, founder, president and chief medical officer of Tapestry Telehealth. “Conditions can change quickly, and response times are essential to outcomes. Residents and patients deserve the same level of care no matter when their issue arises, and there’s no reason we can’t deliver that care professionally in a modern world with advanced technology.”
TapestryCare ™ gives patients direct access to a team of physicians, specialists and behavioral health services who are available on demand via telemedicine --- a computer-like Skype or FaceTime platform with a stethoscope, otoscope and high-definition camera.
Tapestry Telehealth launched its expanded program in six nursing homes in remote portions of northcentral and southeastern Iowa managed by ABCM Corp. in Hampton, Iowa. ABCM recently won the Innovator Bronze Award through McKnight’s competition for its use of Tapestry Telehealth’s original cutting-edge telemedicine platform in its rural facilities.
With the TapestryCare ™ 24/7 care model, the primary care team, including the nurse practitioner, serves as the eyes and ears for facility doctors and can treat patients immediately, avoiding delays when there is a concern or change of condition.
Specialty services include wound care, cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, neurology, pain control, palliative care, pulmonology, renal-nephrology and physiatry.
Patients also have access to daily behavioral services, including both scheduled and 24/7 emergency mental health care and family communication and support.
Having 24/7 virtual access to an on-site medical team is essential to improved medical outcomes and cost savings. Findings of a study reported in August 2018 in The American Journal of Managed Care show that using telemedicine at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) can reduce hospitalizations and produce savings for Medicare. The study was led by Dr. Chess.
Tapestry Telehealth’s programs are designed to helps facilities improve and maintain Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality and rating measures.
For more information about Tapestry Telehealth’s program, visit: www.tapestrytelehealth.com.
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