Friday, August 5, 2022
- Ellen Grass Lecture
- Platform Presentations
- IONM Fundamentals
- Long-Term Monitoring
- Nerve Conduction Studies
- Concentrated Leadership & Management Small-Group Sessions
8:00–9:00 am
Plenary Session: Ellen Grass Lecture
Disparities in Access to Neurodiagnostic Technology
Suzette LaRoche, M.D., FACNS, FAAN
Disparities in access to quality health care is increasingly recognized as a significant contributor to morbidity, mortality, and poor quality of life. The recent pandemic has amplified the impact on underserved minorities as well as rural populations. Utilization of telemedicine has increased availability of traditional outpatient office visits as well as specialty consultations but is limited in ability to deliver ‘hands on’ care and services. Furthermore, little attention has been given to lack of access to diagnostic evaluations, particularly in clinical neurophysiology. As neurodiagnostic testing requires direct patient contact with highly trained technologists, novel solutions need to be considered in order provide neurodiagnostic assessments to underserved populations. Several avenues should be considered including leveraging emerging technologies, innovative staffing models, and development of spoke and hub networks. Most importantly, neurodiagnostic technologists should be at the center of pioneering these strategies and are uniquely positioned to provide the greatest impact on reduction of disparities in clinical neurophysiology. Dr. LaRoche will be joined by her co-worker, Patricia Fair, who will discuss her experiences as a neurodiagnostic technologist providing services in a rural, underserved area.
About Dr. LaRoche: Suzette LaRoche, M.D. is a Professor of Neurology and Vice Chair of Community Partnership at the University of North Carolina and serves as past president of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. She established the ICU EEG monitoring program at Emory University Hospital and more recently, created the Epilepsy and EEG monitoring program at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Dr. LaRoche was a founding member, as well as, past Chair of the Critical Care EEG Monitoring Research Consortium and contributed to the creation of standardized critical care EEG terminology, clinical guidelines and a multicenter database. More recently, Dr. LaRoche has been focusing her career efforts on improving healthcare delivery to patients with seizures and epilepsy in rural areas which includes development of tele-EEG and tele epilepsy resources.
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