“Time is brain” is one of the fundamental rules of stroke treatment. But in community hospitals where neurologists are lacking, it can be a hard rule to follow. Transferring patients as quickly as possible used to be the standard protocol when a patient presented with stroke symptoms. Today, telehealth is helping change that protocol, allowing patients to stay close to home and still be seen by a stroke specialist, who can diagnose and initiate treatment remotely.

The latest annual numbers from the American Hospital Association show that 65 percent of hospitals use telehealth or telemedicine — defined as connecting with patients and consulting clinicians at a distance through the use of video and other technology — in at least one unit. That’s up from 55 percent in 2014.