Hand Trauma Communication Center Available 24/7
| The UAMS Department of Orthopaedics staffs four fellowship-trained hand, wrist and elbow surgeons who are part of a statewide program to provide telemedicine consults for hand trauma 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
UAMS hand surgeons provide real-time consults on hand trauma cases through the Hand Telemedicine Program in the UAMS Center for Distance Health.
Through the Hand Telemedicine Program in the UAMS Center for Distance Health, hospitals throughout Arkansas can consult with hand trauma surgeons via a high-definition broadband video connection.
The real-time telemedicine consultations provide the best possible treatment for hand injuries.
Under the program, when a patient goes to a local hospital with a hand injury, the emergency department staff connects to a virtual hand trauma room along with staff at the Arkansas Trauma Communications Center and the hand surgeon. The hand surgeon evaluates the patient’s injury and makes recommendations for treatment. If the hand surgeon recommends the patient be transported to a different hospital for further treatment, Arkansas Trauma Communications Center coordinates the transfer, confirming that the right specialist is available.
When the program launched in 2014 with a partnership between the Center for Distance Health, Arkansas Trauma Communications Center and Arkansas Department of Health, it was the first hand trauma telemedicine program in the nation.
Standing: John W. Bracey, M.D. and Mark Tait, M.D.
Seated: Theresa Wyrick-Glover, M.D. and Tom Frazier, M.D.
UAMS hand and upper extremity surgeon Theresa Wyrick-Glover, M.D., was part of the original hand trauma consultant team, which now includes her colleagues, John Bracey, M.D., Tom Frazier, M.D., and Mark Tait, M.D. They make up the only hand trauma team in the region. UAMS Medical Center is the only provider in the state that performs hand reattachment surgery.
“These are injuries where time is key,” Wyrick-Glover said. “Telemedicine allows us to quickly and efficiently provide the expertise that can make all the difference.”
To contact the Arkansas Trauma Communications Center, call 1-866-940-1409. Accepting new patients. To make a referral, call 501-526-1046.