At Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, the Telestroke Program allows patients to be seen by doctors 24 hours a day. At night, when a doctor is not available in person, Telestroke uses video teleconferencing to connect local doctors with leading stroke care specialists. This program connects California Pacific Medical Center's stroke-care specialists with local doctors and community hospitals throughout Northern California. By video-teleconferencing, local doctors can consult with stroke experts in real time and also share diagnostic images. The Telestroke Program also provides telephone consultations.

24/7 Access to Stroke Experts

Many community hospitals don’t have 24-hour-access to interventional neuroradiologists or neurologists who specialize in stroke medicine. The Telestroke Program fills a critical gap, which is especially important for timely appropriate treatment of critically ill stroke patients.

Through the program, community hospital emergency departments have around-the-clock access to highly experienced board-certified stroke specialists and neurosurgeons. When a local doctor dials the stroke hotline, the doctor is connected to the on-call stroke neurologist within minutes.

The neurologist reviews the case and diagnostic images and, if needed, performs a video consultation with the local doctor and patient. The program can also provide consultations with the on-call interventional neuroradiologist or neurosurgeon to determine the best course of treatment.  If the patient requires rapid advanced care not available locally, the program includes a high-priority transfer plan.