US Acute Care Solutions Acquires MIDEO: A Video-Based Advance Care Directive Platform
Press Release
Nov 7, 2022
CANTON, Ohio, November 7, 2022—US Acute Care Solutions (USACS) has acquired MIDEO, My Informed Decision on VidEO, a video based advance care planning platform that provides individuals with the ability to visually and verbally communicate their wishes in any medical circumstance.
MIDEO, a patented patient safety solution, was developed based off research from The Realistic Interpretation of Advance Directives (TRIAD) which was conducted by founder and CEO, Ferdinando Mirarchi, DO. Through his research and work as an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Mirarchi discovered a persistent nationwide patient safety risk present in various scenarios including those with living wills, physician orders for life sustaining treatment, and those who are critically ill. This is where his idea of incorporating video into the framework of care came into action.
Individuals utilizing MIDEO have two options available to complete their profile. They may either elect to use the self-service option, which provides step-by-step clinical decision tools, or they may elect to work with a clinician through the clinician led consult where they undergo a full medical evaluation and review of potential scenarios in which important medical decisions must be made. Together, the patient and clinician create a clear, short, and customized script that conveys the individual’s unique desires regarding medical treatment and intervention. This script is then recorded and saved in video format, empowering the patient to accurately describe their wishes utilizing proper medical terminology. Not only does this provide explicit clarity regarding patient desires in times of medical intervention, but it also equips future clinicians with an easily accessible and understood explanation of those wishes, especially in times of medical emergencies when there is no room to guess.
After learning about MIDEO, USACS Executive Chairman, Dominic Bagnoli, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, knew the platform was invaluable to not only incorporate into the innovation strategies being explored by USACS, but also to deploy as a resource for all USACS employees.
“We are continually striving to enhance patient safety in our operations, and MIDEO is a resource at the forefront of those endeavors,” said Dr. Bagnoli. “The value we see in this resource is something we are very much looking forward to sharing at no cost with our 6,000+ employees.”
As the MIDEO platform is incorporated into USACS offerings, the goal will be to increase the visibility of the resource throughout the network and expand the technological capabilities of the programming.
“I am thrilled to be joining forces with the USACS team to propel the MIDEO platform forward and into the hands of even more patients nationwide,” said Dr. Mirarchi. “My goal in creating MIDEO was to give patients the ability to clearly and effectively communicate their wishes so that clinicians and families could avoid facing the decision paralysis that often arises in medical situations. In return, families and clinicians can then focus on providing the right care at the right time, whether that be through aggressive life-saving care or through the provision of resources to support end of life care, the focus remains on providing the appropriate medical interventions.”
Amer Aldeen, MD, FACEP, chief medical officer of USACS, is also looking forward to bringing the MIDEO platform into the USACS offerings as patient safety is a top priority in his role.
“It has been shown there is an 80% rate of misinterpretation of living wills and DNR documentation,” noted Dr. Aldeen. “We are optimistic we can decrease this rate significantly while ensuring a higher level of patient safety through the deployment of leading technological advances such as MIDEO.”
About USACS
Founded by emergency medicine and inpatient physicians across the country, USACS is solely owned by its physicians and hospital system partners. The group is a national leader in integrated acute care, including emergency medicine, hospitalist and critical care services. USACS provides high-quality care to approximately nine million patients annually across more than 500 programs and is aligned with many of the leading health systems in the country. Visit usacs.com for more.
###
Media Contact
Marty Richmond
Corporate Communications Department
US Acute Care Solutions
330.493.4443 x1406
Related News
Press Release
Mar 28, 2023
US Acute Care Solutions Names Dr. Trisha Anest a Regional Vice President of its South Division
CANTON, Ohio, March 29, 2023 – US Acute Care Solutions (USACS) today named Trisha Anest, MD, MBA, MPH, FACEP, a Regional Vice President of its South Division. Prior to this role, Dr. Anest most recently served as System Medical Director for the Bon Secours Mercy Health System in Virginia, where she led 10 emergency departments and five hospitalist programs. As Regional Vice President, Dr. Anest will lead and support, both clinically and administratively, the site medical directors within USACS’ southern division. “Dr. Anest has an exceptional clinical acumen and is skilled at building relationships between peer departments as well as hospital and practice administrators,” said Jennifer Bradstreet, MD, FACEP, President of USACS’ South Division. “She is an accomplished physician leader, and I am excited to have her join our division in this elevated capacity.” “I am honored to step into this new role,” shared Dr. Anest. “I look forward to working with our exceptional team of clinicians and support staff to continue providing high-quality, patient-centered care to our communities.” Dr. Anest is a board-certified physician leader with a track record of spearheading successful performance improvement initiatives and surpassing all metrics including goals for throughput, patient satisfaction, and clinical quality. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio and pursued her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio while simultaneously achieving her master’s degree in public health at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She completed her emergency medicine residency at Johns Hopkins University and earned her physician executive MBA at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Anest was named Medical Director of the Year by Alteon Health prior to the group’s 2022 acquisition by USACS. She currently serves as President-Elect of the Virginia Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. About USACS Founded by emergency medicine and hospitalist physicians across the country, USACS is solely owned by its physicians and hospital system partners. The group is a national leader in integrated acute care, including emergency medicine, hospitalist and critical care services. USACS provides high-quality care to approximately nine million patients annually across more than 500 programs and is aligned with many of the leading health systems in the country. Visit usacs.com for more. ###
Press Release
Jan 23, 2023
US Acute Care Solutions and Array Behavioral Care Partner to Deliver Virtual Psychiatric Care in Emergency Departments
CANTON, Ohio, Jan 23, 2023– US Acute Care Solutions (USACS), the largest physician-owned acute care practice in the nation, and Array Behavioral Care, the nation’s leading virtual psychiatry and therapy practice, today announced a strategic partnership to offer comprehensive acute medical and psychiatric care services to health systems. With the newly formed Behavioral Emergency Stabilization and Treatment(BEST) model*, USACS and Array will unite their clinical and technological expertise to combat the growing epidemic of acute mental illness that has impacted the nation for decades. Patients with acute psychiatric issues have significantly higher average emergency department (ED) lengths of stay and are more likely to stay in the ED for longer than 12 hours than those with other medical conditions (Simko 2022)[1]. It is not uncommon for EDs around the nation to have psychiatric patients waitingdaysfor specialist care and transfer to appropriate institutions. The burden on psychiatric patients and their families is paralleled by the challenges posed to the health system, especially during this time of staffing and resource shortages. The downstream result of delays in acute psychiatric care has a domino effect on non-psychiatric patient care and throughput. Array’s sophisticated virtual psychiatric care platform and clinical expertise can improve the speed of evaluation, treatment initiation and patient throughput, which improves the quality of care for all patients in the acute care space. Additionally, by using virtual technology, Array and USACS will be able to facilitate quicker access to care and further address social determinants of health. “By combining our strengths in emergency medicine, hospital medicine and critical care with Array’s expertise in behavioral care, we can meet the physical and mental health needs of our patients and support our health system partners with a comprehensive suite of acute care services,” said Chris Hummer, Chief Executive Officer of USACS. “Our mission at Array is to help address the nation’s mental health needs by using technology to bring licensed behavioral health clinicians to patients everywhere. Together with USACS, we can help provide holistic care to more patients in acute care setting,” said Geoffrey Boyce, Chief Executive Officer of Array. “Health systems see the effects of undertreated mental illness in our communities firsthand. Hospitals are continuing to experience massive influxes of psychiatric patients to their emergency departments because of poor access to outpatient mental health services. This affects not just the psychiatric patients but all patients in the emergency department. If we can manage psychiatric patients through early stabilization and treatment, we can improve the quality of care and clinical operations so that all patients can be seen faster and more comprehensively,” said Dr. Matt Patlovany, President and Chief Clinical Officer of USACS. “At Array, we aim to deliver quality and timely behavioral health, using evidence-based tools that meet patients where they are. We’re excited to see how this strategic partnership can help health systems across the nation meet the physical and mental health care needs of their community,” said Dr. Jim Varrell, Executive Chief Medical Officer of Array. “We at USACS have already demonstrated through our Integrated Acute Care model that emergency medicine, hospital medicine and critical care working together can produce better clinical outcomes for our patients and operational outcomes for our health system partners,” added Dr. Amer Aldeen, Chief Medical Officer of USACS. “Now, we are excited to partner with the national leader in virtual psychiatric care to ensure that high-quality care includes both physicalandmental health.” About USACS Founded by emergency medicine and hospitalist physicians across the country, USACS is solely owned by its physicians and hospital system partners. The group is a national leader in integrated acute care, including emergency medicine, hospitalist and critical care services. USACS provides high-quality care to approximately nine million patients annually across more than 500 programs and is aligned with many of the leading health systems in the country. Visit usacs.com for more. About Array Behavioral Care Array Behavioral Care is the nation’s leading clinician-centric virtual psychiatry and therapy practice with a mission to transform access to quality, timely behavioral health care. Array offers telepsychiatry solutions and services across the continuum of care, from hospital to home, through its OnDemand, Scheduled and AtHome divisions. For more than 20 years, Array has partnered with hundreds of hospitals and health systems, community health care organizations and payers of all sizes to expand access to care and improve outcomes for underserved individuals, facilities and communities. As an industry pioneer and established thought leader, Array has helped shape the field, define the standard of care and advocate for improved telepsychiatry-friendly regulations. To learn more, visitwww.arraybc.com. [1] Simko L, Birgisson N E, Pirrotta E A, et al. (June 02, 2022) Waiting for Care: Length of Stay for ED Mental Health Patients by Disposition, Diagnosis, and Region (2009–2015). Cureus 14(6): e25604. DOI 10.7759/cureus.25604 ###