VISICU History
Drs. Michael Breslow and Brian Rosenfeld founded VISICU, Inc., a venture-backed
company headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland in 1998. Together, the two
intensivists managed Adult Critical Care at Johns Hopkins Hospital for
more than twenty-five years. During that time, they actively observed
that critical care delivery could be substantially improved. Their experiences
led them to two hypotheses:
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Continuous, proactive
intensivist management of the ICU could significantly improve patient
outcomes by preventing adverse events.
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This 24/7 standard could be feasibly
and effectively implemented from a remote location, using network
and telemedicine technologies. |
The premise fueling the new company is that a new standard in critical care
delivery can be forged using a combination of advanced software, information
systems, networking, and telemedicine technology. VISICU uses those technologies
to create the equivalent of air traffic control for the ICU, to leverage
scarce intensivists, and to remotely direct patient care. VISICU also develops
sophisticated tools such as early alert technology, which is similar to
on-board pilot alerting systems and enables physicians and nurses to detect
and prevent adverse patient events.
VISICU was incorporated in 1998 and commercialized its eICU® Program in July 2000 with the first implementation at Sentara Healthcare in Norfolk, Virginia. In April 2006, VISICU became a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ National Stock Exchange (symbol eICU®).
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