Teton Valley Health Expands TeleHealth Services Through New TeleBurn Program
Beginning Monday, May 2nd, 2022 Teton Valley Health (TVH) will launch the newest telehealth program (TeleBurn) made available to patients through TVH’s partnership with the Burn & Reconstructive Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC).
Burn injuries can be highly traumatic and require expert care from a team of dedicated burn specialists. The Burn & Reconstructive Center at EIRMC is one of only a few burn centers in the Northwest region of the country and is an affiliate of the Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America, the nation’s largest system for burn care.
The TeleBurn program allows physicians and other clinicians at TVH’s Emergency Room to consult through a secure audio-visual platform directly with a local panel of burn specialists at EIRMC including:
- Dr. Tait Olaveson
- Dr. Michael Lemon
- Dr. James Summers
- Dr. Nick Johnson
The program is available around the clock to offer burn services including consultations and recommendations for treatments performed at TVH, reducing the expense and amount of time spent traveling for distant care.
“Patients presenting to the ER suffering from burns and cold injuries, such as frostbite, are able to receive immediate care from the best burn specialists in the region,” says Dr. Erik Allison, Emergency Room Physician at Teton Valley Health. “This kind of access to specialized care offered through TeleBurn will be a tremendous benefit to our patients here in the valley.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 50,000 burn injuries require hospitalization each year in the United States, with over 10,000 dying from burn-related infections. When it comes to treating burn injuries, immediate care is critical.
“Whether you have a critical burn injury or need ongoing outpatient wound and hyperbaric care, our top priorities are to minimize the lasting impact of burn injuries and to get you home and back to normal as soon as possible,” says Dr. Tait Olaveson, Burn Medical Director at EIRMC. “We know the highly specialized care offered through TeleBurn will be extremely valuable to the local community and the quality care patients receive at Teton Valley Health.”
The TeleBurn program provides comprehensive care for both adults and children affected by a wide range of injuries and conditions including the following:
- Burns (Chemical, electrical, friction/road rash, inhalation and thermal)
- Frostbite
- Skin sloughing, and more
In addition to TeleBurn, TVH also offers TeleStroke and TeleBehavioral Health services to patients. All three telehealth programs at TVH are available 24/7 for patients.
Through TeleStroke, National Practice Neurologists meet with patients and TVH’s Emergency Room to help rapidly and accurately diagnose strokes based on real-time visual exams, assessment of medical imaging and lab results, and consulting with onsite medical personnel. TeleStroke, provided by Blue Sky Neurology, is also utilized by EIRMC, and brings superior levels of neurological care to patients within Teton Valley and across Southeast Idaho.
Through TeleBehavioral Health, mental health professionals from EIRMC work with TVH’s Emergency Room to conduct behavioral health crisis assessments to help determine the appropriate level of care.
As a result of the expanding telehealth services available at TVH, patients can receive integrated care within their own community.
“The right care is closer than you think,” says Keith Gnagey, Chief Executive Officer at Teton Valley Health. “We have an extraordinary team of gifted physicians here at Teton Valley Health and the region’s best telehealth partnerships our patients need for comprehensive care.”