ECLS VIRTUAL ADVISORS
Supporting The ECLS Community to Provide the Best in Patient Care and Sustainable Program Operations
10989 E Scopa Trail
Scottsdale, AZ 85262
Over the past 25 years, the incorporation of ECLS into patient care has grown exponentially as technology has advanced and successful use has grown. The recent COVID pandemic, however, highlighted how the lack of available ECMO beds, personnel and expertise limited this potentially life-saving technology to fewer patients than could have been eligible.
Because of the rapidly evolving use of this life saving technology, there is an urgent need for an expert resource to clinicians, hospitals and industry to have immediate access to professional, experienced consultant services for the bedside provision of ECLS care, to promote clinical effectiveness, evaluate operational management, enhance technology to make ECMO safer and more efficient and to maintain profitability.
Our mission at EVA is to “Support the ECLS community to provide the best patient care, consistent clinical practice, innovative development and prudent use of healthcare resources”
More than just “phone a friend”, we provide ongoing, immediate, virtual assistance for bedside care, program development and education.
Our Experience
- Over 100 combined years in providing bedside patient care and leadership in all aspects of ECMO and related services.
- Experience in building programs from the ground up.
- Experience in expanding ECMO services to enhance center visibility, revenue production, and enhance interactions with other programs such as heart transplant, lung transplant, trauma, OB, pediatrics, and others
- Providing advancement to the field via leadership in ECMO to professional societies (SCCM, ELSO, ATS, PALISI and other) .
- Peer-reviewed research to improve ECMO outcomes; help in clinical guideline development; establishing training initiatives and educational forums, both domestic and internationally.
- Experienced tele-medicine program development, oversight, regulatory issues, and ongoing services.
What We Do
Bedside Assistance:
- We provide immediate access to experienced personnel to help with clinical concerns
- We can assist in decision making of the appropriate use of ECMO for individual patients and to develop algorithms for selection and support.
- Ongoing bedside training and review of case progression to provide the highest quality care
- To provide objective insight into ethical decision making, especially with complex and difficult cases.
Strategic And Planning And Programmatic Development:
- Evaluate current ECMO service lines to improve patient quality and safety while maintaining optimal healthcare resource use and financial viability
- Provide advice and project development for institutions wishing to start or expand ECMO services, from children through adults, mobile ECMO, transport services and other.
Optimal Resource Utilization And Reimbursement Strategies
- work with third party payers to optimize use of healthcare resources, develop preferred center status
- maximize the provision of ECMO by providing good cost/value principles
Optimize Research Provision And Research Development
Our Experts
Heidi J. Dalton, MD, MCCM, FELSO
Founder and CEO
Dr. Heidi Dalton is a pediatric intensivist with over 25 years of experience with extracorporeal life support in children and adults.
She has developed training and educational programs related to ECLS for groups such as the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Thoracic Society, and others.
She provides expert guidance and program reviews and is a frequently invited speaker for clinicians and groups worldwide.
She is a Master of Critical Care Medicine, a Fellow of ELSO, and has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles on ECLS, anticoagulation, and critical care.
Her goal is to improve the care and outcome of patients receiving ECLS and to continue to research ways to limit or eliminate the need for anticoagulation to reduce bleeding and thrombotic events during ECLS.
Gregory J. Schears, MD
CO-Founder
Dr. Gregory J. Schears, M.D. is a Professor of Anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
He is a pediatric intensivist and anesthesiologist by training and cares for both adult and pediatric patients in his ICU and OR practice.
He has a long-standing interest in reducing patient complicationsand improving patient safety.
Dr. Schears completed his pediatric residency at St. Louis Children‘s Hospital, his anesthesia residency, pediatric anesthesia fellowship and pediatric critical care fellowship at John’s Hopkins hospital and worked at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for 5 years until he was recruited to the Mayo Clinic in 2001 to initiate and lead the ECMO Service.
He serves as a Consultant of Department of Anesthesiology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and former Medical Director of the ECMO Service for 16 years and Co-Director of the Congenital Heart Unit.
He is very active with medical device development to help reduce complications and has given hundreds of presentations locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
Wendy Hasson, MD, FAAP
Media Director
Dr. Wendy Hasson is double boarded in both pediatrics and pediatric critical care medicine and currently practices as the PICU medical director for Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, OR.
Dr. Hasson completed both her undergraduate and medical school education at the University of Maryland. She went on to complete her pediatrics residency at Johns Hopkins University and her pediatric critical care fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she performed research surrounding the use of direct thrombin inhibitors and heparin resistance. In her current role, she continues to provide ECMO education with a particular passion for ECLS hematology and anticoagulation.
Beyond her clinical practice, Dr. Hasson is a passionate advocate for children and serves as a national media spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is an active member of the Oregon Pediatric Society’s Advocacy Committee and has been featured in numerous Op-Eds and national media stories.
Dr. Hasson recognizes the power of social media for medical education, advocacy, and information sharing. She actively engages with the medical community and public through her presence on #MedTwitter where she has garnered nearly 4k followers. Additionally, she serves as the cofounder of the Pediatric Critical Care Physician Network and an active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
