REACH was developed to give rural or underserved hospitals the ability to help stroke victims despite a lack of specialized resources. However, there are a number of financial and competitive benefits to REACH – part of the “halo effect” experienced by REACH network spoke hospitals.

Even without a neurologist or other stroke specialist on site, hospitals in Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) can use a REACH-based telestroke solution towards achieving The Joint Commission’s certification as a Primary Stroke Center. This provides a new way to market your advanced care capabilities to your community. The accompanying “halo” effect is that it brings in patients who might normally go to another hospital known for higher levels of care.

By providing remote access to specialists, spoke hospitals may not need to transfer patients who are either less acute or don’t need tertiary care. Retaining patients that would otherwise have been transferred creates more reimbursement opportunities for hospitalization, medications, etc.

The web-based nature of REACH simplifies upgrades and updates. Instead of time-consuming on-site hardware or software installs that necessitate downtime, new features and maintenance are implemented behind the scenes on the REACH Call consult web site.

That means no interruption as REACH’s capabilities continue to expand. New modules for use in other critical care situations are currently in development, so spoke hospitals in the REACH network can work with hub hospitals and specialists to support new areas of telemedicine such as trauma, psychiatry, and severe burn care.