New SAH system allows surgical patients, medical staff to connect remotely

A new remote system is now in place at Sault Area Hospital (SAH) to assist surgical patients with recovery and limit in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

in a news release issued today, SAH stated that SeamlessMD, a surgical remote monitoring platform, allows patients to share vital health information with medical staff, including self-reported pain levels, mobility, images, and symptoms.

“SeamlessMD helps our patients stay connected to us and empowers our team to identify any risks sooner and provide better support remotely," said SAH chief of orthopaedics Dr. Graham Elder in the release. "It provides guidance for our patients both before and after the surgical procedure. The technology is intuitive for patients and insightful for our team, as it collects valuable patient-reported outcomes data for continuous quality improvement.”

Full text of the SAH news release follows:

Sault Area Hospital (SAH) is now digitally supporting patients with SeamlessMD, a surgical remote monitoring platform that is keeping patients safe and connected while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. SAH is one of the first hospitals in Northeastern Ontario to use SeamlessMD as part of Ontario Health’s latest Remote Patient Monitoring initiative to empower patients at home and minimize in-person surgery related visits during the pandemic and beyond.

Using SeamlessMD, patients undergoing surgery at Sault Area Hospital can receive personalized education, progress-tracking, and post-op symptom monitoring with any device (e.g. smartphone, tablet, computer) while providing self-reported data such as pain score, symptoms, range-of-motion, and wound photos for the surgical care team to stay connected remotely, enabling quicker intervention if necessary.

Sault Area Hospital is already using the technology to accommodate Total Hip & Knee Replacement Surgery patients and plans to implement SeamlessMD over the coming months in many other surgical areas including, programs within General Surgery and Women’s Health. The technology has been shown to reduce ED visits, hospital length of stay and readmissions.

Dr. Graham Elder, chief of orthopaedics at Sault Area Hospital, commented, “SeamlessMD helps our patients stay connected to us and empowers our team to identify any risks sooner and provide better support remotely. It provides guidance for our patients both before and after the surgical procedure. The technology is intuitive for patients and insightful for our team, as it collects valuable patient-reported outcomes data for continuous quality improvement.”

Dr. James Chan, director of innovation at Sault Area Hospital, concurs, “With the many unknowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for effective remote monitoring solutions is of utmost importance. SeamlessMD allows our hospital to engage patients outside the hospital when they need it most. It’s a remarkable technology that aligns well with our mission to provide outstanding care for every patient.”

“We are thrilled for Sault Area Hospital to join the network of hospitals across Ontario that are delivering safer surgical care remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic,” shares Dr. Joshua Liu, CEO at SeamlesssMD. “In an increasingly virtual world, we are grateful for the support provided by Ontario Health to protect our communities and empower surgical patients at home through remote care.”