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VISICU's Integrated Critical Care Solution Saves LivesIn 1999, the Institute of Medicine reported that as many as 98,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical mistakes. The Institute of Medicine reports that as many as 98,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical mistakes. Stories of medical errors can fill volumes. In a new era of reform, hospitals are feeling pressure to reduce the incidence of errors. The problem, however, is not carelessness; it's systemic. Qualified healthcare personnel are working under more stress in a setting that presents increasingly complex problems. The key to preventing the majority of medical errors lies in redesigning the process. "Health care has safety and quality problems because it relies on outmoded systems of work. If we want safer, higher-quality care, we will need to have redesigned systems of care". -The Institute of Medicine Report, Crossing the Quality Chasm, 2001 The ICU is considered the highest impact area for saving lives and costs. According to the Leapfrog Group, an association of Fortune 500 companies leading the reform movement, "Intensivists, physicians specially trained to care for critically ill patients, should staff intensive care units (ICUs). Almost 5 million patients are admitted to ICUs each year in the U.S., and more than 500,000 of these patients die. Studies reveal that at least one in ten patients who die in ICUs every day would survive if dedicated intensivists were present in the ICU and managing their care." Unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of intensivists. Less than 6,000 are actively practicing in the United States, leaving less than 15% of ICUs receiving dedicated intensivist care. With our aging population we can expect to experience a greater shortage in the future. The eICU® Program, an innovative, remote-care strategy available
from VISICU, was designed to improve ICU care processes while leveraging
scarce intensivist resources. The results are dramatic. Through a proactive
care model that reduces clinical complications, the eICU solution has
been proved effective at reducing mortality by more than 25%. The eICU Program is powered by the VISICU eCareManager™; technology, which combines
advanced software systems and telemedicine to create a unique approach
for off-site hospital personnel to deliver critical care. |
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