A New Relationship

As a hospitalist at Northern Light Mercy Hospital, Daniel Goodman, DO, typically starts his day reviewing patient charts and determining which patients he should visit and in which priority. But one day last fall Dr. Goodman was interrupted on his daily rounds by his medical student.

“He told me that one of my patients who had come into the hospital with a serious infection had a concerning facial droop and a level of lethargy that was worrisome,” explains Dr. Goodman. Upon seeing the patient, he agreed with his medical student’s assessment and immediately ordered a CT scan to make sure there wasn’t any bleeding in the brain. “If it had been a bleed it would’ve been an acute emergency and neurosurgery would’ve been notified immediately. For this patient, once I learned he was not bleeding, I needed to get more information,” says Dr. Goodman.

Because this patient had several underlying medical conditions, Dr. Goodman decided to consult with one of the neurologists at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a resource at his disposal thanks to a full spectrum of TeleNeurology services available to Mercy through MGH. “Within a relatively short amount of time of reaching out to them I was on the phone with the neurologist from MGH, and she was brilliant,” he says. “I had told her all my neurological findings, and she gave me some tremendous recommendations.” An MRI would reveal the patient indeed had an acute stroke but would end up with no lasting neurological deficits. “And for all intents and purposes, he received the treatment he required. He received it in a timely fashion, and a lot of that is because I was able to get in touch with MGH as quickly as I could and I think that’s the big takeaway,” explains Dr. Goodman.

The TeleNeurology program between Mercy and MGH has been in place for several years. It allows providers from both institutions to communicate via phone or video conferencing, share images and clinical information, and provide seamless patient care on routine, urgent, and acute cases. The success of this program is one reason for a newly-expanded relationship with MGH—beyond Mercy Hospital—to the entire Northern Light Health system.

“We’ve enjoyed a strong affiliation with Mercy Hospital for a number of years, and have seen a very successful TeleNeurology program,” says Peter Slavin, MD, president of MGH. “I think the program points to the potential for this broader agreement with Northern Light Health.”

In April of 2018, Northern Light Health signed its expanded clinical affiliation agreement with MGH. The agreement centers on advancing care models through technology and greater coordination of care for patients who use services offered through both health systems, with an overall goal of lowering costs. While the areas of specialty included in the clinical affiliation may evolve over time, the current agreement establishes the foundation for collaboration in the following areas: cardiovascular, pediatric subspecialties, neurosciences, transplant, telemedicine, orthopedics, behavioral health, and cancer.

“This relationship is new for us and one we’re excited about partly in terms of patient care but also in research and academics. We think it can improve the care that we deliver,” explains James Clarke, MD, senior vice president, and senior physician executive at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. Dr. Clarke is part of the leadership team of clinicians that has been meeting with counterparts at Mass General to work out the details of the clinical affiliation.

“Our collective focus remains on providing patients with exceptional access to the top experts,” says Dr. Slavin. And now, with advances in technology and telemedicine, we can overcome any physical distance between places like Boston and Bangor.”

In most circumstances, patients of Northern Light Health can receive convenient, close-to-home care via traditional appointments with providers in Maine or through telemedicine with providers at Mass General. For any procedure or sub-specialty care that can’t be delivered in Maine, care would be transferred to MGH.

“Whether they live in Presque Isle or whether they live in Ellsworth or whether they live in Lincoln, we’d like to treat people as close to their home as we can and would like to connect them through technology, through relationships, through expertise to the highest level of care in a timely fashion,” Dr. Clarke states.

The relationship is still in its early stages, but it promises to make healthcare work for the people of Maine by making connections with world-class centers like MGH.