A recent addition to the “staff” at Three Rivers Health is now “on duty” – 24/7 – in the hospital’s emergency department (ED).

BRAD – Bronson’s Robot Assisted Doctor – is a wireless robot that allows ED physicians at Three Rivers Health immediate access to a regional neurological specialist.  Without this technology, stroke consultations and patient evaluations by a specialist would require the patient to be transferred to another facility.

As noted in a Frequently Asked Questions fact sheet, “BRAD, allows regional emergency department (ED) physicians to access neurological specialists who can – in real time – visually and verbally assess the patient as well as talk with the patient, family and physician. Regional telemedicine helps communities gain access to specialists not otherwise available locally.”

BRAD is being made available by Bronson at no cost to Three Rivers Health.

BRAD - Bronson's Robot Assisted Doctor - was a guest at the April meeting of the Three Rivers Health Authority Board. Todd Cole of InTouch Health (inset on screen) demonstrated the Remote Presence (RP) robot. Also shown here are Bill Russell, president and CEO of Three Rivers Health (seated and on the screen) and Chris Schultz, OB and ER manager (standing). (Click on picture to enlarge)

The Three Rivers Health Authority Board was introduced to BRAD during the group’s April meeting Thursday morning (April 29th).  Via a wireless Internet connection, Todd Cole of InTouch Health® demonstrated BRAD, a Remote Presence RP-7 ® Robot produced by the Santa Barbara, California company.

The following passage from the InTouch Health website offers a helpful description of what BRAD is all about:

“The RP-7 Robot enables a physician to ‘be in two places at once,’ allowing them to be at the point of care at the time of need by projecting themselves from their current location to a remote location. The 5′5″ Robot displays the physician’s face on a 15-inch screen and is guided by the physician with a joystick from a ControlStation, emulating an on-site experience. With 2-way cameras, microphones and wireless technology, the Robot provides high-quality, real-time audio and video with complete mobility around the hospital environment.”

During a post-meeting interview with the River Country Journal, Bill Russell, president and CEO of Three Rivers Health, said, “BRAD’s kind of cool, actually.  It is the growing environment/world of tele-health.  It allows initially for a neurologist to be in our emergency room 24 hours, seven days a week through the use of BRAD – robotic technology that communicates over the Internet to a neurologist literally anywhere in the world.  It happens that these neurologists will be in Kalamazoo.  They, in fact, are active members of our medical staff now.”

Russell said, “Our emergency room physicians, when they believe they have a stroke, will be able to quickly make a phone call and in seven to nine minutes they’ll have a neurologist on the other end of this system.  The neurologist will be able to visually and verbally communicate with the emergency room physician.  The neurologist will be able to visually and verbally communicate with the patient concurrently with the emergency room physician.  The neurologist can, in fact, that a look at the CT studies that were done while the patient was in the emergency room and also visualize any laboratory testing that was done.  In real time, we can have a consultation between the neurologist and the emergency room physician to determine a treatment plan and facilitate improved care and specialty care to our patient population.”

BRAD will be used in the emergency room initially for serving stroke victims, but Russell envisions many other uses as time goes by.  He said, “In the long run, I actually see us engaging BRAD for a whole continuum of care so that we have better care, better access to care, better consultative care here in Three Rivers.  I’m really excited about this technology.  I think it’s pretty neat.”

For additional information about BRAD and Three Rivers Health, click on the following link to hear the interview with Bill Russell, conducted by Bruce Snook of the River Country Journal:  Bill_Russell_interview (5:26 – 4.98 MB).