TeleHealth Services, Banyan Virtual Nurse System Help Hospitals Respond to COVID-19

TeleHealth Services and Banyan Medical Systems have launched a new partnership to jointly provide audiovisual telenursing solutions at no cost to TeleHealth Services client hospitals for COVID-19 patients in furtherance of Banyan’s TAP4H program.

Through Banyan’s tech-enabled staffing solutions, nursing staff can conduct virtual care visits through centralized workstations within their hospitals or in remote locations to reduce the risk of spreading the disease and augment care for more patients. The AV technology provided by TeleHealth enables virtual care for isolation room patients using a networked TV, mounted camera and an integrated pillow speaker for patient and nurse interaction.

In addition to providing the Telehealth Aid Program for Hospitals program, Banyan is partnering with TeleHealth to offer the solution to select TeleHealth Services hospitals, equipping up to five isolation rooms at no cost as part of a rapid response program to help hospitals deliver needed care while addressing potential nurse shortages in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The new partnership enables Banyan to offer a joint solution to additional hospitals including TeleHealth Services’ interactive software, AV integration, services and support.

The virtual care system can be configured to operate with fully trained and appropriate managed staff within 14 days. By conducting certain clinical assessments from a remote workstation, nurses who also may be at risk for the virus are better protected. The telenursing solution also conserves personal protective equipment for hospitals. Remote staff can supplement existing patient care professionals with admissions, education, patient requests, safety companionship and discharge planning. The system can be also used to support safe visitation from other medical professionals (hospitalists, specialists, etc.) and pastoral care.

The TeleHealth Services Client Outcomes Team responded to the initial COVID-19 outbreak in early February. A coronavirus video message campaign was produced to help hospitals quickly inform patients and visitors using their Tigr Interactive Patient Education and Engagement System. Approximately 40 U.S. hospitals are now broadcasting the video on patient televisions and other public areas about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The brief two-minute video (www.telehealth.com/responding-covid-19-outbreak) uses federal “plain language” and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for clarity.