Army Telemedicine Pilot Aims to Reduce Traffic in the ED

Telemedicine will be at the center of a pilot program the U.S. Army launched this month, aiming to keep nonemergent cases from clogging up the emergency room. Patients who need immediate—but not emergency—care will be redirected virtually from the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH) in Fort Campbell KY to an army medical center some 445 miles away. Once screened at BACH, patients will be either see an emergency physician or be directed to an onsite area to undergo a video exam with a clinician at a primary care facility some 445 miles away. The new program follows a Department of Defense memorandum issued earlier this year announcing expanded telemedicine access for military members and their families. Data from the 6-month long pilot could be valuable to urgent care operators seeking to make a case for referral relationships with local hospitals.