MyMichigan Medical Center Sault in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., has launched a telestroke service in partnership with Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health to expand access to stroke specialists for patients in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula.
Through the collaboration, patients presenting with stroke symptoms at the hospital will be connected to University of Michigan Health stroke specialists via telemedicine, according to a Feb. 3 health system news release. Specialists can virtually examine patients, review CT scans and work with on-site clinicians to guide treatment.
The telestroke service is designed to reduce time to ischemic stroke treatment, including faster administration of clot-busting medications and rapid transfer to advanced stroke centers when needed.
The university’s telestroke program has provided remote stroke consultations to hospitals across Michigan since 2016. With this latest addition of, the service is now available at most MyMichigan Medical Centers operated by Midland, Mich.-based MyMichigan Health. The program is slated to expand to MyMichigan Medical Center Standish and MyMichigan Medical Center Tawas later this year.
