InTouch Health Enables World's First Statewide Stroke Network Using Remote Presence Robotics
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Stroke Team to Provide Instant Medical Consults into Emergency Rooms across Michigan
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--InTouch Technologies(TM), Inc. (d.b.a. InTouch Health®), the leader in Remote Presence solutions for healthcare providers, today announced that St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital has selected the RP-7(TM) Remote Presence System to enable doctors to provide rapid assessment of stroke patients in emergency rooms across the state of Michigan.
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland hospital (whose parent company is Trinity Health) is Michigan's first certified primary stroke center. St. Joseph Mercy Oakland will launch the Michigan Stroke Network program on November 1, which will connect a network of hospitals to provide innovative stroke care. Immediate treatment of stroke is essential and can mean the difference between life and death. By using Remote Presence Robotics, neuroendovascular (stroke) doctors are able to consult 24-7 to hospitals across Michigan, providing patients with the most progressive and immediate stroke care available.
Yulun Wang, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of InTouch Technologies, commented, "We are excited that St. Joseph Mercy Oakland has chosen our technology to leverage their expert clinical resources to provide better healthcare for the people of Michigan. We look forward to working closely with the Michigan Stroke Network to maximize the benefit of their 30-robot network to patients and affiliated hospitals."
Within moments of a request for consultation, a stroke doctor, seated at a computer ControlStation(TM), connects via the Internet to an RP-7 Robot located in any emergency room within the Michigan Stroke Network. Through the Robot, which stands 5 feet 6 inches tall, a doctor can interact (see and hear) with a patient or nurse through live, two-way audio and video. Using a joystick, a doctor can maneuver the Robot through the hospital to a patient's bedside and move the Robot's head to view vital signs on monitors and charts.
"Remote Presence has given us the ability to deliver the most comprehensive level of stroke care to any hospital regardless of its location, size or resources in the state of Michigan," stated Jack Weiner, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph Mercy Oakland. "InTouch Health provided us with a validation period to understand the technology and imagine the possibilities. Through this process we became very comfortable with the system and its capabilities - we are very pleased with our selection of Remote Presence for the Michigan Stroke Network."
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland (SJMO), a member of Trinity Health, is a 428-bed comprehensive community hospital and a long-time leader in health care in Oakland County. The hospital is located on the west side of Woodward, just north of Square Lake Road in Pontiac, Mich. For more information on St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and Trinity Health, visit www.stjoesoakland.org and www.trinity-health.org, respectively.
About InTouch Technologies
InTouch Technologies, Inc. (d.b.a. InTouch Health) is a privately held company based in Santa Barbara, Calif. The company is pioneering Remote Presence technology and clinical solutions for hospital providers. Through a proprietary communications and mobile robotic platform, the RP-7 Remote Presence System, doctors are able to consult with hospital-based patients and staff more easily and frequently. The InTouch Health solution leverages the time and expertise of health care professionals across multiple care facilities, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery. Detroit, Mich.-based private equity firm Beringea, LLC (www.beringea.com) is a primary investor in InTouch Health. For more information about the company, please visit www.intouchhealth.com.
Contacts
InTouch Technologies, Inc.
Jennifer Neisse, Marketing Communications Manager
805-562-8686, ext. 235
jneisse@intouchtechnologies.com
or
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland
Jennifer Munro
248-858-6662
munrojl@trinity-health.org
