VA Loma Linda Launches TeleCritical Care Capability

On January 30, VA Loma Linda went live with TeleCritical Care services in its intensive care unit at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Loma Linda, California. The Tele-ICU bolsters localized care with access to advanced technology and clinical collaboration with highly experienced critical care nurses and intensivists 24/7/365.

“VA is focused on quality and safety, and VA Loma Linda is a bright spot,” said Dr. Ayyasamy Panneer Selvam, VA Desert Pacific Health Care Network (VISN 22) Chief Medical Officer. “I’m especially proud of VA Loma Linda for implementing this Tele-ICU. Even though they are a large facility with excellent intensivists and nurses on staff, they took initiative with great effort to implement a Tele-ICU that provides an extra layer of quality and safety for Veterans. This effort speaks volumes of VA Loma Linda’s commitment to constantly improving and providing the best possible care for Veterans.”

Consistent Connected Care: The Whole VA Healthcare Team

The VA healthcare system is an integrated network of highly experienced medical professionals. Veterans who choose VA will have access to TeleCritical Care (TeleCC) intensivists and nurses who are continuously available for patient care consultation and collaboration.

TeleCC is a National VA program that uses real-time audiovisual communications between healthcare facilities. Working in partnership with the VA Midwest Health Care Network’s Regional Tele-ICU System in Minneapolis, this new capability provides local medical staff with round-the-clock bedside access to expert intensivists who are specially trained in the care of critically ill patients.

The program increases ICU resiliency as the TeleCritical Care staff provide an added layer of support to the quality care provided by VA Loma Linda’s dedicated bedside physicians, nurses, and medical technicians.

“The Tele-ICU at VA Loma Linda is a transformational initiative brought into existence by an outstanding multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals,” said Dr. V. Franklin Sechriest, VALLHS Chief of Staff. “VA Loma Linda already has state-of-the-art critical care, and now we've added a very powerful, proactive, patient-centered platform that will tremendously enhance our ability to deliver critical care to Veterans.”

Collaborative Technology: A TeleCritical Care Hub On Site

VA Loma Linda created a technological hub equipped with computer monitors and specialized software that display patient charts and real-time vital signs, connecting VALLHS ICU information systems to VA TeleCC hubs all over the country. TeleCC providers are linked to ICU rooms through high-resolution cameras, video displays, microphones, and speakers that allow collaborative patient assessment and discussions with bedside staff, patients and families.

At VA Loma Linda’s Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, 30 rooms are equipped with the Tele-ICU capability. Each room has an eLert (911) button, which sends an alert to the screens of TeleCC staff. Sophisticated computer algorithms enhance the ability to identify and expedite therapeutic interventions and enable simultaneous monitoring of a patient’s health status with collaborative care support. TeleCC staff are alerted to specific trends in vital signs, significant lab values and other critical data from bedside monitors and electronic medical records.

Telehealth enhances access to quality care by providing continuous ICU patient care at VA Loma Linda. TeleCC providers can monitor patients to assess new admissions, explore changes in patient conditions, or contact bed-side staff for ongoing nursing rounding and reporting. This interconnected technology is especially useful for looking at trends, compliance, and advancement opportunities.

Expansion: Vision for the Future

As VA continues to expand telehealth services, the technology could be used in other areas such as emergency departments and acute care rooms. In addition to receiving 24/7 care collaboration, as a TeleCC hub VA Loma Linda physicians and nurses are equipped to provide clinical expertise to VA facilities nationwide.

VA Loma Linda Healthcare System is honored to care for Veterans across California’s Inland Empire, offering healthcare and support services at nine world-class facilities including the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Loma Linda; the Ambulatory Care Center and Women’s Health Center in Redlands; and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Blythe, Corona, Murrieta, Rancho Cucamonga, Palm Desert and Victorville, with plans to open a CBOC in Hemet in 2024. To learn more, visit https://www.va.gov/loma-linda-health-care/.