Stroke Telemedicine Network in Arizona

Overview

Mayo Clinic in Arizona is organizing a new network to bring stroke expertise to rural residents through telemedicine consults with hospital-based providers.

The aim of the network — Stroke Telemedicine for Arizona Rural Residents (STARR) — is to give rural Arizona residents who suffer a stroke access to the latest stroke care, including clot-dissolving therapies.

A stroke patient telemedicine consultation

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The program connects rural hospital emergency rooms with stroke specialists at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix via telemedicine. Using a digital video camera and Internet telecommunications, vascular neurologists at Mayo Clinic can quickly perform live, real-time audiovisual consultations on patients who have suffered acute strokes, increasing the likelihood that clot-dissolving therapies (thrombolytics) can be delivered in time to reduce stroke disability.

Stroke Telemedicine Network Map

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STARR operates on a hub-and-spoke system. Mayo Clinic Hospital is a primary stroke center and telemedicine hub serving Copper Queen, Kingman, La Paz, Verde Valley and Yuma regional medical centers. Opportunities are available for additional spoke sites.

STARR is funded in part by Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) through tobacco tax grants.

About Stroke Telemedicine

For more details, see:

• Need for stroke telemedicine
• Hub-and-spoke system
• Treatment teams
• Model telestroke consultation
• History of STARR
• The future of telestroke
• Other stroke telemedicine initiatives