University of Maryland Medical System Expands Telehealth Network to Rural Hospitals

The University of Maryland Medical System is expanding its telehealth specialist network to six additional rural hospitals across the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland, giving smaller community hospitals remote access to specialists in cardiology, neurology, and infectious disease that they cannot staff on-site.

The expansion builds on a smaller pilot program launched several years ago at a handful of Eastern Shore facilities, which UMMS officials said reduced unnecessary patient transfers to Baltimore-area hospitals by allowing local physicians to consult with specialists in real time during emergency cases.

"A lot of rural hospitals simply can't justify hiring a full-time neurologist for the patient volume they see, but that doesn't mean their patients should get worse stroke care because of geography," said a UMMS vice president overseeing the telehealth program. "This lets a small hospital in Western Maryland have the same stroke consult available as one of our Baltimore facilities."

The expanded network will connect rural emergency departments to UMMS specialists via secure video consultation around the clock, with a particular focus on stroke evaluation, where rapid specialist input can significantly affect treatment decisions. UMMS said participating hospitals will also gain access to remote intensive care monitoring support for critically ill patients awaiting transfer.

Rural hospital administrators have welcomed the expansion, noting that staffing specialists in low-population areas has become increasingly difficult as physician shortages worsen nationally. UMMS said it plans to add several more rural hospital partners to the network over the next two years if the current expansion performs as expected.