PHOENIX – American Telemedicine Association (ATA) recognized Deborah Dahl, Patient Care Innovation Vice President at Banner Health, with the ATA Industry Leader Award during the annual telemedicine meeting and trade show. The Industry Leader Award recognizes individual leadership and championship for promoting and advocating for telemedicine.
The transformation of care at Banner Health began with the implementation of a pilot TeleICU program in 2006. Over the past 10 years, the program has expanded to provide services in 26 entities throughout the organization.
“Innovation is challenging. It took a commitment from each member of the team to keep us coming back another day to make a difference in people’s lives,” Dahl said. “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and the honor received.”
From 2006 through 2015, more than 206,000 intensive care unit patients have been cared for in partnership with the TeleICU team. In addition, Banner has been one of the top performers in the nation for lowest mortality rate and lowest length of stay for ICU patients.
Two years ago, Banner began the redesign of care delivery for the complex chronic population with Banner iCare™. The program, first of its kind in the nation, leverages a dedicated telehealth team of physicians, pharmacists, Social Workers, Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, RNs and Health Coaches through a partnership with Philips for technology and process design.
“We’ve seen a 49.5 percent reduction in the rate of hospitalization and a 34.5 percent reduction in total cost of care,” Dahl said. “We’re improving the quality of life for these people while reducing the cost of healthcare. A win for everyone.”
About Banner Health
Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 29 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University Medicine, Banner Medical Group, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services, including family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in seven states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming