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LEWISTOWN - A new Tele-stroke program is being implemented at Lewistown Hospital through a partnership with Geisinger Health System. The initiative, to enhance stroke care in the Lewistown area, enables the two health care providers to communicate through the Internet.

Jim Pacelli, associate neurologist at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, said the program is designed to provide stroke care in Lewistown Hospital's emergency department. In rural areas, hospitals sometimes aren't staffed with subspecialists, which can put a barrier on care, he said.

With the Tele-stroke program, patients can come into the emergency department and be seen by a neurologist.

The neurologists, employed by Geisinger Medical Center, are contacted by physicians at Lewistown Hospital through a Polycom machine, Pacelli said.

"That allows us to treat the patients sooner and provide a higher level of care," he said.

The Polycom machine is hooked up through an Internet connection, Pacelli said. It is a specialized system that enables audio-video contact between the Lewistown Hospital emergency department and Geisinger stroke specialists, he said. Contact is done in high definition sight and sound, he said.

Lewistown Hospital's emergency department has one Polycom system, and Geisinger Medical Center has one in its neurology offices. Additionally, each Geisinger stroke specialist has a similar system set up in their homes, Pacelli said.

The camera focuses on the patient, Pacelli said, and through audio-visual contact, information can be provided about the patient and treatment can be determined.

"The set-up is streamlined," he said.

The program cuts down the time it takes to make a decision regarding stroke treatment of the patient, Pacelli said, adding that it's the "next best thing" to a specialist being physically there.

The Polycom machine stays on in "sleep mode" at all times, Pacelli said, explaining that if someone calls in, it immediately turns on.

Both Lewistown Hospital and Geisinger can contact each other through the machine, he said.

Pacelli said Lewistown Hospital is the third hospital to have the program, through a partnership with Geisinger, in the Central Pennsylvania region.

The program is set to go to live on Nov. 3, he said.

Kay Hamilton, president and CEO at Lewistown Hospital, said the Tele-stroke program is a great opportunity to treat patients locally.

Small community hospitals often are unable to have subspecialties, she said. Lewistown Hospital was transferring more and more stroke patients out of the emergency department, she said, which is part of what prompted the decision to start the program.

"This is the thing of the future for hospitals like ours," she said.

The Tele-stroke program enables stroke patients to stay local, but also ensures the patient to be transferred efficiently as needed, Hamilton said.

According to an information sheet by Geisinger, "the new Tele-stroke initiative expands the capability of the (Lewistown Hospital) emergency department in caring for patients presenting with stroke, allowing physicians to collaborate with neurologists at Geisinger Medical Cancer in Danville via secure video monitoring for a rapid, accurate diagnosis of stroke."

For more information, visit www.lewistownhospital.org or www.geisinger.org.