Transforming Healthcare Through Telemedicine

When you can rapidly connect the hardworking EMS workers in our communities to emergency care, you save lives by offering expertise as they tend to the patient. That not only gives the patient the best attention possible, it keeps EMS teams engaged and reduces burnout.

"Having easy virtual access to emergency room nurses and physicians is a game changer. One of my first times using Avel was with a gunshot patient. The nurse and doctor were waiting on the screen when we got the patient into the ambulance. They provided advice for treatment as well as help with documentation and notifying the hospital. Avel is a huge asset to our ambulance services especially when there is limited staffing (one EMT with an EVOC driver) and long transport times. "

"It's nice to know that with one simple phone call I can get assistance or reassurance that my decisions in the field are what is best for my patient. I have used their services for multiple things such as documentation purposes, confirming EKG's, getting orders beyond my protocols for medication use, and for a second set of eyes to make sure I am not missing anything I could be doing to benefit my patient."

"Having someone to help keep track of critical interventions (EPI, rhythm checks), calculate and advise on drug doses and equipment settings (ventilator) has been an enormous help.  Receiving the documentation after the call helps with both charting and reviewing the call for continuous improvement.  I hope this is a feature that can be rolled out to more of our ambulances and that everyone in rural areas has this option in the future."

This service will SAVE rural EMS Agencies in South Dakota and across the country.

It was really great to know that we had a nurse on-call for us and it alleviated some of the pressure on the staff because we had direct access to a nurse to help us. Avel's program is very user friendly, and it has been a lifesaver for us here at South Heart. A top benefit has been able to have access to a medical expert. For example, if you have a student with a rash, you can bring them on camera and the Avel nurse can evaluate the student and then contact the parents to give them the appropriate advice. This is great for us because we aren't nurses, we're educators and it helps our peace of mind knowing an expert is meeting these health needs.

Sisseton School District has nearly 1,000 enrolled students spread across three buildings. We have had a school nurse since I started working in the district, but what we found is that as our nursing services increased, we needed somebody that could provide additional support when our nurse was in a different building. Avel stepped in to provide this support and help our nurse who was spread thin. We were seeing an increase in our number of students who needed some diabetic care plan maintenance. Our nurse just physically couldn't do that care for students anymore, so Avel eCare helped fill this gap. One of the first interactions we had was Sheila came up to teach all of our diabetic care aids how to administer and provide services to diabetic students. She came onsite, she provided that training, she offered support through that entire process, and it was a great way to formalize our unlicensed diabetic care management plan. One of the things that surprised us was how easy it was to use the service. Our current school nurse and I joke that we should make t-shirts that say 'just push the button' because that is literally all it takes to get high-quality support. Our students and our families have been very appreciative - especially when we were going through COVID - that there was always somebody else they could speak to if our nurse wasn't onsite or in another building, we always had access to a medial professional. Sheila and her team have been a great resource. As we are looking for additional support for our nurse - it is a one-person position on campus. Very few school districts around us have a school nurse, so it was a way for us to have some brainstorming time with another school nurse team.

Avel is a savior for us to make the right decisions regarding type 1 diabetes. We have never questioned their decisions and have always validated our decisions with their experts. We are very appreciative of their partnership.

Avel eCare school health gives me piece of mind that my son gets the care that he requires for his diabetes at school. They help him calculate carbs for his meals and are excellent at communicating with me about how much insulin he will be needing. Since my son is not on a pump yet sometimes dosing is a little tricky. They give my son good care and they try to make it easier for him to be at school and care for his diabetes.

Avel eCare has taken the burden off of our office staff playing "doctor" to assess and determine a student's injuries or illness. It has also been effective with students who are frequently sick. They don't like having to see the nurse, so they are more likely to stay in school!