ER-TEMS | Emory School of Medicine

What is the Emory Rural Tele-EMS Network?

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded Emory Rural Tele-EMS Network (ER-TEMS) a $1.2 million grant over four years. With this grant, Georgians in 12 rural counties who need emergency medical care will have access to Emory Emergency Medicine doctors and specialists even before they reach a local hospital. The program kicked-off in Randolph County in April 2021.

Early comprehensive telemedicine assessments using video technology and high-speed internet will reduce unnecessary transports and optimize the utilization of hospital resources to deliver the right care at the right time and the right place.

The patients will be safely transported to local facilities for definitive care after initial stabilization and treatment, in collaboration with guidance from Emory's on-call emergency provider.

A call from the ambulance crew in rural Georgia will initiate the telemedicine encounter with the Emory Emergency Medicine physician. The Emory EM physician will use a video internet hook-up to consult with the ambulance crew helping evaluate and mange the initial patient care. If needed, the EM physician in Atlanta can access the vast network of specialty health services at Emory.

EMS personnel can focus their attention on patient care while the Emory EM provider coordinates with the receiving hospital about the incoming patient's arrival and any treatment plans that have been initiated.

For more information about the ER-TEMS Network, link to their video here and their pdf flyer here.

ER-TEMS Video

Who is participating?

The rural Georgia counties currently participating in the network include: Baldwin, Ben Hill, Brooks. Clay, Cook, Decatur, Hancock, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Seminole, and Worth. Emory is working with 18 partner hospitals in those counties and approximately 30 ambulances stationed within these counties.

Network Leadership

Michael Carr, MD Project Director/Principle Investigator

Ingrid Bloom, MD Co-Investigator

Lekshmi Kumar, MD Co-Investigator

Timothy Moran, Ph.D Co-Investigator

Michael Ross, MD Co-Investigator

Rachael Connor, MBA, PMP Senior Program Coordinator

Email Rachael Connor

Randy Lu Student Researcher

The Emory Rural Tele-EMS Network is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1.2 million with 100 percentage funded by HRSA/HHS and zero percentage funded by non government source(s). The contents are those of Emory University and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.