Topic: Patient Safety
New Technology at KGH Is Improving Patient Safety, Health Authority Says
Kelowna General Hospital is now using AvaSure TeleSitter®, a remote patient video monitoring system that aims to improve patient safety by preventing falls and injuries.
“Our health-care teams strive for continuous improvement in the care we provide, and it’s exciting to see our team at KGH use this new technology to increase patient safety,” said Susan Brown, Interior Health’s president and CEO.
Brown said that they have already seen early success with the pilot project.
“In just two months, there have been more than 2,000 interactions with patients using the TeleSitter which helped prevent falls thanks to the ability to virtually monitor patients,” she noted. TeleSitter is an IV-like pole in a patient’s room that provides live video and two-way audio feeds to a trained staff member who is monitoring from a central screen. In the case that a patient tries to get out of bed unattended, the care aide monitoring the video can ensure the patient gets the assistance they need.
According to IH, up to 10 patients can be monitored at the same time.
KGH’s executive director of clinical operations, Jaymi Chernoff said she’s pleased with how the roll-out of TeleSitter has gone at KGH.
Within 10 hours of monitoring patients, she explained, a care aide was able to provide assistance to a patient and prevent a potential fall from happening.
“Having the ability to virtually monitor patients who may be at risk of falling, means the caregivers who sit bedside and don’t want to leave their loved one unattended, can go home and get some rest,” Chernoff explained.
“The feedback from caregivers has been so positive so far; they are grateful and appreciative of the technology.”
Since initially launching with two devices in January, ten TeleSitters have now been deployed to help monitor patients at the hospital and there are plans to expand the service to additional units. IH said that KGH is the first hospital in the region to implement this technology and the health authority will continue to review the success of the project before expanding to other hospitals.
Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation Unveils New Inpatient Hospital Aimed at Providing Comprehensive Coordinated Care in White Oak
SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Adventist HealthCare cut the ribbon to its new Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation center on December 14. The new inpatient rehabilitation 42-bed facility is located on the campus of White Oak Medical Center, which is the health system’s newest constructed acute care hospital.
“I am immensely proud of what we continue to accomplish while also working through a pandemic that remains extremely unpredictable,” said Terry Forde, President & CEO of Adventist Health Care. Terry adds that strength and achievement run deep in our health system, which serve as models for patients so that they may grow strong in their recoveries.
The celebration included a ribbon cutting, blessing of the new space, and remarks by Marc Elrich; County Executive; Brent Reitz, President of Adventist HealthCare Post-Acute Care Services; Rob Grange, Rehabilitation White Oak Administrator, Also in attendance were Delegates Lorig Charkoudian and Jheanelle Wilkins, District 20.
Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation White Oak offers all private patient rooms, two therapy gyms equipped with innovative technologies, onsite dialysis, two dayrooms, in-room ceiling track lifts and Avasys telemonitoring (the AvaSure TeleSitter® Solution) for optimal patient safety, functional bathrooms and walk-in showers and an Activities of Daily Living (ADL) simulated home environment.
AvaSure in Partnership with Sierra7 Awarded IDIQ Contract to Provide TeleCare Solution for Veteran’s Affairs
MUSKEGON, Mich., Nov. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — AvaSure and its partner Sierra7 today announced they have been named an awardee of a $65 million, 10-year contract to provide TeleCare Companion solutions across the U.S. Veteran’s Affairs (VA) national healthcare system.
The Veterans Affairs Health Administration (VHA) Office of Health Informatics (OHI) awarded the contract, which enables the teaming partners to deliver and support TeleCare Companion solutions in VA patient environments. Under the agreement, AvaSure’s TeleSitter® Solution can be deployed as a safe and cost-effective patient observation, communication, and analytic solution for the VHA TeleCare Companion initiative.
Read the full press release to learn more.
Standing up to the surge: virtual nurses help a health system manage COVID
AvaSure Recognizes OHSU Hospital’s Megan Fitzsimmons for Measuring Success and Upholding Effective Use of Technology
BELMONT, Mich. – AvaSure, a leading provider of advanced audiovisual monitoring systems used to care for patients and protect caregivers, honored Megan Fitzsimmons from Oregon Health and Science University Hospital with the Super Star Monitor Staff Member Award as part of AvaPrize, its prestigious annual healthcare awards program
The AvaPrize program honors individuals and organizations who have advanced patient and staff safety, eased the working lives of nurses and achieved new efficiencies in care delivery. Winners demonstrate the ever-evolving role of continuous video monitoring as it becomes a vital tool in patient care and staff development throughout a healthcare organization.
Fitzsimmons’ honor, the Super Star Monitor Staff Member Award, recognizes an individual who consistently goes above and beyond to help measure success and uphold effective use of the AvaSure TeleSitter.
“Most experts believe the post-pandemic U.S. healthcare system will be fundamentally different, as downward pressure on costs and a need to show value for dollars spent will fuel widespread reforms,” said Lisbeth Votruba, Vice President of Clinical Quality and Innovation at AvaSure. “Megan has played a significant role in making strides toward change with the use of our technology. As has been shown in numerous clinical and economic studies, AvaSure is in tune with the need for cost-effective, quality care.”
AvaSure selected Fitzsimmons for the award because of her work as one of the first to deliver a mobile device to a unit at Oregon Health and Science University Hospital. She has helped shape the program into what it is today and led a survey with data demonstrating how valuable the monitoring technicians are to patient families.
The winners were honored during the company’s symposium Sept. 23-24. The AvaSure national symposium brings together senior leaders, frontline staff and health policy experts to share best practices and new uses for continuous remote patient care. This year’s theme was Leading Through Change.
AvaSure Recognizes Riverside University Health System for Demonstrating the Most Complete Use of its TeleSitter® Program
BELMONT, Mich. – AvaSure, a leading provider of advanced audiovisual monitoring systems used to care for patients and protect caregivers, honored Riverside University Health System Medical Center with the Safety Net Award as part of AvaPrize, its prestigious annual healthcare awards program.
The AvaPrize program honors individuals and organizations who have advanced patient and staff safety, eased the working lives of nurses and achieved new efficiencies in care delivery. Winners demonstrate the ever-evolving role of continuous video monitoring as it becomes a vital tool in patient care and staff development throughout a healthcare organization.
Riverside University Health System Medical Center’s honor, the Safety Net Award, recognizes an organization that demonstrates the most complete AvaSure TeleSitter® program.
“Most experts believe the post-pandemic U.S. healthcare system will be fundamentally different, as downward pressure on costs and a need to show value for dollars spent will fuel widespread reforms,” said Lisbeth Votruba, Vice President of Clinical Quality and Innovation at AvaSure. “Riverside University Health System has played a significant role in making strides toward change with the use of our technology. As has been shown in numerous clinical and economic studies, AvaSure is in tune with the need for cost-effective, quality care.”
AvaSure selected Riverside University Health System for the award because it has used 100% of its devices and recently added in an additional 12 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The monitor staff consistently interacts with patients.
The winners were honored during the company’s symposium Sept. 23-24. The AvaSure national symposium brings together senior leaders, frontline staff and health policy experts to share best practices and new uses for continuous remote patient care. This year’s theme was Leading Through Change.
CMH Uses TeleSitter® Solution and Remote Monitoring To Enhance Patient and Staff Safety
Thanks to technology, nurses and other caregivers at Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Ventura have a new way to monitor and communicate with COVID-19 and other high-risk patients. Now, with help from remote “TeleSitters,” physicians and staff at CMH can observe and care for such patients effectively while also minimizing close staff-patient interactions.
Read the full news release to learn more.
Bill of Health: TeleSitters® Are Entering Hospital Rooms. How Will They Change Patient Care?
In many medical circumstances, clinicians and caregivers may choose to not leave a patient alone. For example, a patient may present a fall risk, experience confusion and agitation, or be at risk of self-harm. In these circumstances, they are in need of 24/7 monitoring. The TeleSitter® is a critical patient supervision tool, particularly for hospitals that are understaffed or cannot afford the number of sitters that their patient load requires. They also present clear and remarkable improvements to hospital operations: they reduce costs, improve staffing allocation, and help the hospital focus costs on improving and scaling access to care.
Midland Health: TeleSitter® Program Offers Increased Patient Safety, Peace of Mind
Being able to protect our patients and offer quality care are of the utmost importance at Midland Health. In always looking at innovative ways to enhance patient safety, we created the TeleSitter® Program, a video monitoring system that gives our patients extra attention and further promotes their safety. The primary staff responsible for monitoring patients with this technology are our behavioral health assistants who are experts in this area.
Read the full article to learn more.