Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital (EBCH), in partnership with Essentia Health, announced the launch of a new tele-hospitalist program at EBCH. This program is designed to fill gaps when coverage by one of the local Essentia Health – Ely Clinic providers is unavailable.
Using secure digital health technology, hospitalized patients at EBCH will now have access to board-certified hospitalists who appear via real-time video.
These providers specialize in caring for patients in the hospital setting and work collaboratively with EBCH’s on-site nursing team to ensure a seamless care experience.
During a tele-hospitalist visit, hospital inpatients meet with their hospitalist via a video screen, with support from local on-site staff, who set up the appropriate technology and facilitate the meeting.
Patients don’t need any prior personal device or technical experience. Providers will discuss symptoms and care needs just as they would during an in-person visit with members of the hospitalist team available around the clock.
“We are grateful for this partnership to allow for continuous care of our inpatients,” said Patti Banks, CEO at EBCH, “This added level of coverage will allow for much needed downtime for the Ely Clinic providers.”
“Our Duluth based hospital medicine physicians look forward to partnering with the Ely based team to help provide consistent, excellent care for patients hospitalized at EBCH. Our tele-hospitalist work has been vital for the resilience of multiple rural northern Minnesota hospitals. This collaboration to help serve Ely patients when needed, is a privilege,” said Dr. Gunnar Wagoner, Hospitalist Associate Division Chair at Essentia Health.
Tele-hospitalist services have been used effectively across Essentia Health hospitals for years, especially for overnight coverage. Coverage at EBCH will start at the beginning of February.
Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital is a 21bed critical access hospital located on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Serving the communities of Ely, Winton, Isabella, Babbitt, Tower, and Soudan, EBCH is committed to caring for and enhancing the health and well-being of the communities it serves. EBCH is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality care to patients in a region where access to healthcare can be challenging. The hospital is a leader in community health, offering a wide range of services, including emergency care, surgery, therapy programs, and much more.
