All Shore Hospitals Linked for ICU Monitoring by UMD eCare

From a central operations hub on the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) campus in Baltimore, telemedicine technology allows intensivists and critical care nurses to oversee patient care in off-site ICUs during the night and weekend hours, providing a virtual safety net for smaller facilities when the local physician staffing levels are lower. The local staff can also get immediate consultation from a critical care expert who is able to see the patient and their real-time medical data through cameras and live feeds of data.

“University of Maryland eCare exemplifies one of our core strategies in the University of Maryland Medical System — to make sure we have the right patient in the right place at the right time,” says Robert A. Chrencik, president and chief executive officer of UMMS. “University of Maryland eCare allows us to extend our expertise in time-sensitive critical care medicine to rural areas, without bringing the patient to Baltimore unless absolutely necessary, easing the burden on patients and their families, and potentially lowering healthcare costs.”

University of Maryland eCare uses special cameras in patient rooms along with continual electronic feeds of information such as patients’ vital signs, laboratory and pharmaceutical data, to pick up even slight changes in a patient’s physical condition. An “eLert” button in each patient room also allows local ICU staff to request eCare assistance or a consultation.

“UMMS is at the forefront of medical care evolution with its leadership in the tele-ICU world,” says said Marc. T. Zubrow, MD, vice president of telemedicine for UMMS and medical director of University of Maryland eCare. “Approximately 12 percent of ICU beds across the country are under such a program, marking an important advancement in patient care at rural hospitals,” says Zubrow, who is also an associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Hospitals with ICUs in Maryland monitored by University of Maryland eCare include:

• -Calvert Memorial Hospital – Prince Frederick

• -Peninsula Regional Medical Center – Salisbury

• -St. Mary’s Hospital – Leonardtown

• -Atlantic General Hospital – Berlin

• -Union Hospital of Cecil County – Elkton

• -Meritus Medical Center – Hagerstown

• -University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown

• -University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Dorchester

• -University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton

If you would like more information about the University of Maryland eCARE program, please contact Mary at [email protected] or 410-328-6776.

Best regards,

Mary Lynn Carver, ABC
Senior Vice President
Communications & Public Affairs
University of Maryland Medical System/Center
110 S. Paca Street, 9th floor
Baltimore, MD  21201
Office:  (410) 328-6776  Mobile: (410) 443-1853