New technology gives residents at long-term care Facilities virtual access to specialists

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Sept. 19, 2016 - PRLog -- Brandix i3, a technology company specializing in innovations for hospitals and health systems, announced the completion of the first phase of its collaboration with Avera eCARE to provide video-assisted visits to residents at long-term care facilities. Avera eCARE uses high-definition video and voice technology to connect caregivers at long-term care facilities with geriatric medicine experts who may be located hundreds or thousands of miles away. These virtual visits can eliminate the need for costly emergency room visits while providing patients access to expert care.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded an $8.8 million grant to Avera eCARE to extend its virtual care delivery program, known as eLongTermCare (eLTC), to more than 30 long-term care facilities. Avera, in turn, partnered with Brandix i3 to address the complex challenge of documenting telemedicine visits and integrating clinical information within multiple E.H.R. systems.

To address the challenge, Brandix i3 developed an encounter documentation system that records the patients' virtual visits. The successful launch of the encounter documentation system marks the completion of the project's first phase. Phases 2 and 3 will focus on integrating the eLTC with two EHRs widely used at long-term care facilities throughout the nation.

"When long-term care residents become ill, transfer to an emergency or critical care setting can be costly, both physically and financially. By partnering with Brandix i3, we will be able to integrate our eLTC service into dozens of long-term care facilities, which will ultimately avoid hundreds or thousands of medically unnecessary transfers to hospitals and trips to the ER," said Joshua Hofmeyer, Senior Care Officer at Avera eCARE.

In addition to providing virtual visits for urgent care and specialty care, eLTC delivers training and education to long-term care facility staff, assisting them with the management of care transitions.

"Through this partnership with Avera, we are revolutionizing long-term care," said Aaron Epps, associate vice president for healthcare innovation at Brandix i3. "Avera's geriatric clinicians worked closely with our team of engineers to develop a truly unique solution, and they're helping us achieve our goal of improving long-term care in the United States."

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About Brandix i3

Brandix i3 partners with leading healthcare providers to design, develop, and deploy industry-leading software applications. Brandix i3 technology improves patient safety, healthcare outcomes and care processes. More information at http://healthcare.brandixi3.com.

About Avera eCARE

Avera eCARE uses interactive video and technology to create a virtual health center based in Sioux Falls, SD, which reaches across a 600,000-square-mile area and covers 12 states. Avera eCARE's virtual health system is able to partner with local health centers, long-term care facilities, schools and prisons to provide 24-hour access to specialized services, such as pharmaceutical oversight, intensive care analysis, geriatric services, and specialized emergency care. To learn more, visit AveraeCARE.org.