St. Clare Memorial Hospital Services Emergency Care and Urgent Care Emergency Care and Telemedicine Services
St. Clare Emergency Care and Telemedicine

Emergency Care and Telemedicine Services

At HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, we make every effort to ensure that people who live and work in Oconto County, as well as those who travel through or vacation in our county, get the best emergency care possible.

For emergency department patients at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, the expertise of emergency department physicians at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay are available 24 hours a day through the use of telemedicine. Telemedicine is the use of technology to electronically exchange medical information and provide medical services to patients.

About Our Telemedicine Program

 

Our emergency department telemedicine program brings board-certified emergency department physicians to our local emergency department through real-time videoconferencing. When a doctor or advanced practice provider would like to discuss a case with another emergency room physician, a consultation is seconds away. Emergency telemedicine connects patients and emergency providers from two or more locations and is used to evaluate and treat patients. Our board-certified emergency physicians at HSHS St. Vincent and St. Mary’s Hospitals in Green Bay provide:

  • Trauma evaluations and specialized assessments for patients
  • Assistance with triage decisions
  • Help identifying patients for admission to HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, eliminating unnecessary transfers to another hospital

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital utilizes advanced practice providers (physician assistants and advanced registered nurse practitioners) experienced in emergency medicine to provide care within our emergency department. Advanced practice providers work to the full extent of their education and function independently with minimal oversight. They make clinical decisions and develop a plan of care for patients and may collaborate with emergency department physicians via telemedicine.

Benefits of Telemedicine Services

 

We’re here to provide patients with timely emergency care close to home. Through our telemedicine program, we can provide more accurate and efficient decisions about your care. This real-time video evaluation enhances the ability of trauma specialists at HSHS St. Vincent and St. Mary’s Hospitals to render timely and effective treatment.

Both patients and health care providers benefit greatly from telemedicine. 

For patients, our emergency telemedicine program provides:

  • Timely treatment close to home

  • Reduced travel time

  • Access to board-certified emergency physicians

  • Improved quality of care


For our emergency department providers, the emergency telemedicine program provides:

  • Specialty consults to help make decisions about your care

  • Input from board-certified emergency physicians without having to send patients to Green Bay

  • Educational opportunities and mentoring

  • Increased efficiency

  • Improved patient outcomes

Frequently Asked Questions about Telemedicine

 

What is telemedicine?

Telemedicine is the use of technology to electronically exchange medical information and provide medical services to patients by board-certified emergency physicians.

How is telemedicine different from telehealth?

Telehealth often encompasses a broader definition of remote health care that doesn’t always involve clinical services such as providing you with patient education and access to your personal medical information through patient portals.

How does telemedicine work? 

You will always have an emergency room provider with you during the telemedicine consult. Telemedicine can involve many different methods for providing care remotely. Some examples of emergency telemedicine at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital include:

  • Videoconferencing between patients and health care providers

  • Transmitting still images electronically for interpretation by a physician at a remote location.

  • Remote monitoring of vital signs


Is telehealth confidential?

Similar to any interaction with your medical professional, a telehealth physician has the same duty to safeguard your medical records and keep your treatments confidential under The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. All patient data, including electronic files, images, audio/video tapes, etc. are handled with the utmost confidentiality.

Will I still need to see a specialist in person?

Possibly, but the goal of emergency telemedicine is to allow you to receive care close to home, rather than care that requires unnecessary travel.