FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — A connection between General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital's Intensive Care Unit and the electronic ICU at Arkansas' Baptist Health hospital continues to virtually change the course of Army Medicine. 

On Jan. 7, 2014, officials from Baptist Health hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, battled the final throws of a bitterly cold winter storm, driving through snow and ice on winding, isolated back roads for hours to attend the initial virtual connection ceremony of the GLWACH eICU with the Arkansas' Baptist Health eICU.  

As flurries swirled outside, the touch of a button spun up a warm, high-resolution smile from Dr. Jack Griebel, Baptist Health's eICU medical director, who greeted the team of GLWACH staff and Little Rock travellers in GLWACH's ICU.  

Since then, GLWACH's ICU staff has simply pushed the big red button in each eICU-equipped room here to meet with Baptist Health's board certified physicians and critical care nurses. No more battling dangerous storms – and this first-of-its-kind military-civilian eICU partnership pilot program continues to save lives. 

"The eICU has definitely increased our capability for retaining patients within our hospital system. It has definitely increased the ability of our staff to care for those patients by providing collaboration with additional board certified physicians and critical care nurses located at Baptist Health in Little Rock," said Shawn Matherly, officer in charge of GLWACH's ICU. 

High-speed data lines connect experienced critical care physicians and nurses more than 200 miles away using real-time video sent by cameras that can zoom in and out with high-definition clarity. Computer monitors at both locations display patients' vital signs, medications, blood test results, X-rays and other diagnostic information.  

"The eICU provides a constant patient monitoring safety net, additional provider and nurse rounding, plus expert second medical opinion consultation," said John Ingersoll, GLWACH's chief of Clinical Operations. "The Baptist Health eICU care team can speak directly into our ICU rooms with nurses and physicians here." 

"The eICU is a very safe, highly integrated and choreographed system that establishes a long-distance, high-functioning and secure telemedicine connection with our critical care partners at Baptist Health," Ingersoll said.  

In addition to its value to patients and staff here, the eICU demonstrates highly effective healthcare at a great value to the taxpayer, Ingersoll said. "This service is truly value added for our patients and in line with Army Medicine's patient-centered care and team-based protocols.” 

Family members and patients in an ICU want to be together and GLWACH's eICU capability allows family members to go home at night and sleep in their own bed. If something happens they can drive back to the hospital in just a few minutes instead of making a two-and-a-half hour drive to Columbia, Missouri, for example. 

This cutting edge technology translates new meaning from Army Medicine's "System for Health" and "patient-centered" care concepts. It brings new life and understanding to terms like "Army Medical Home," "Community-Based Medical Home," and "Soldier-Centered Medical Home."

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