Technology

E-ICU Programs Expand Thanks to New Business Partnerships

By Genevieve P. Charet

Larger health systems are selling their extra capacity to small, rural facilities

From computer monitors hundreds of miles away, today's electronic intensive care unit programs track patient vitals 24/7 and alert doctors before complications occur. Health networks with people and infrastructure to spare are now reselling the sophisticated ICU monitoring systems to small or rural hospitals. These relationships are helping to address rising health care costs and staff shortages while expanding access to critical care services.

For hospitals that offer the service, startup costs are determined by new staffing requirements and the number of ICU hubs, satellite connections and beds being supported. Facilities that pass these costs on with a profit margin can cushion their budgets in other areas, but even those who sell ICU monitoring at cost win big.

Avera Health, Sioux Falls, S.D., has sold its e-ICU CARE to more than 20 hospitals, paving the way for other service line business.

"Health systems are leveraging their e-ICU programs as telehealth centers of excellence to drive quality improvements even outside of the ICU. These include sepsis programs that encompass the ED, clinical pharmacy consultations or case management," says Greg Rathmell, director of product marketing at Philips VISICU, a monitoring technology provider.

Small or rural hospitals that buy into these services are also seeing benefits. Since contracting for monitoring from St. Luke's Health System in Kansas City, Mo., Hays (Kan.) Medical Center has experienced decreased length of stay, increased protocol compliance and a drop in ICU complications. Patients who would have been transferred from Hays in the past can now stay, thanks partially to specialists Hays has recruited and retained with the technology.

"Our intensivists would not have been able to continue to provide 24/7 coverage with only two of them to share the load," says Terry Siek, R.N., Hays' chief nursing officer. "This service has allowed them to sleep through the night and be better prepared to work with patients to move them back to their homes faster. That's given us a competitive edge."

Siek remembers the outrage of Hays' staff when it was suggested that the program be discontinued to cut costs.

"The overwhelming response was that this service has increased the quality of care for the patients, staff satisfaction and patient safety," Siek says. "These factors tell us that the system has been worth the money."

This article 1st appeared in the July 2010 issue of HHN Magazine.

To respond to this article, please click here.