New system at St. Luke's monitors intensive care patients May 8th, 2003 St. Luke's Health System has begun implementing a telemedicine system that will monitor intensive care unit patients. The system will use electronic monitoring equipment and early warning software to report on patient data such as heart rhythms and blood pressure. The data will be fed to off-site critical care physician specialists known as intensivists. The system is called the "eICU® solution" and is being obtained from Visicu Inc., a Baltimore-based company. St. Luke's said the system will help prevent complications and lead to significant improvement in patient outcomes. "St. Luke's Health System is already a leader in the region in outstanding patient outcomes, but the new eICU® system will add an extra layer of care and safety," said G. Richard Hastings, St. Luke's president and chief executive officer. St. Luke's said on-site physicians and critical care nurses will continue to provide intensive bedside care. St. Luke's expects to implement the system by December at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, St. Luke's Northland Hospital and St. Luke's South in Overland Park. It eventually will implement the system at Anderson County Hospital in Garnett, Kan.; Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton, Mo.; and Cushing Memorial Hospital in Leavenworth. Financial details were not released, but St. Luke's officials said the contract for the system was valued at several million dollars. By JULIUS A. KARASH The Kansas City Star Related Links Kansas City Star