Ministry Health Care, part of Ascension Wisconsin, has won the Catholic Health Association and Global Lab for Health innovation challenge for its nurse practitioner hospitalist-telemedicine project at Ministry Eagle River Memorial Hospital and Ministry Our Lady of Victory Hospital. The project is a new and innovative approach to providing rural healthcare in an era of primary care provider shortages and reduced budgets.
The challenge was designed to find and share high-value innovations that can help CHA members and other healthcare organizations accelerate the transformation of healthcare.
"Ours is one of four projects chosen for this award. That's impressive, since many submissions were presented from throughout the entire country," said John Almquist, MD, FHM, Director of Hospitalist Services, Ministry Medical Group.
Through the program, specially trained nurse practitioners serve as hospitalists at the rural hospitals, with remote oversight by physician hospitalists using telemedicine.
"I want to thank and congratulate everyone who has contributed to the success of this project thus far," said Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension. "I'm enthusiastic about the future as the concept spreads further across Ministry, with the help of telemedicine systems supported by Ascension Virtual Care, as together we continue our work to transform healthcare."
On June 8, Dr. Almquist traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept the award and participate on a panel discussion with representatives from health systems around the country.
"I want to thank everyone that has helped work on this project to make it successful, especially the nurse practitioner hospitalists at Ministry Eagle River and Ministry Our Lady of Victory, the supporting physician hospitalists at Ministry Saint Mary's, Laura Magstadt (Director of Patient Care Services at Ministry Eagle River and Howard Young Medical Center) and Dr. Bob Sookochoff (Regional Vice President, Ministry Medical Group – Northern Region)," Dr. Almquist said.
"I think the program is proving itself to be a credible way to provide rural healthcare," he said. "I was at the American Telemedicine Association meeting in Los Angeles recently, and there was significant interest from rural providers in other states."
