Portland, MAINE (July 5, 2011) – Mercy Hospital announces the launch of its e-ICU program with MaineHealth VitalNetwork that will provide added care for its ICU patients by enabling 24 hour patient observation via secure phone line monitors and in-room cameras. The system tracks changes in vital signs and other health information.
The computerized VitalNetwork system in each ICU room is constantly monitored by health professionals at the MaineHealth VitalNetwork command center and allows health care personnel to detect even slight changes with the patient, alert on-site staff in the event of a problem, and communicate with the patient and bedside staff. The system adds another layer of monitoring to existing protocols employed by on-site medical personnel.
left to right – Carlene Stevens, Mary Fink, Pat Purcell, Deb Couture. 2nd row – left to right – Tony Otis, RN, Steve Welsch, Jennifer Healy, Project Manager, Greg Otterbein, Dr. Frank Altman, 3rd row – left to right – Scott Edgecomb, Chip Dobos, Dr. Thomas Van der Kloot, Dr. Donald Cvitkovich.
“This technology allows health care professionals to monitor critical patients at all times and has been proven to cut down on ICU mortality and to shorten patient stays in the ICU,” said Thomas E. Van der Kloot, M.D. who specializes in working with VitalNetwork systems.
“We are always striving to deliver the highest level of quality, compassionate care for our patients, and this technology will allow advanced monitoring for our most critical patients while also maintaining the highest standard of privacy and security,” said Dr. Scott Rusk, Vice President of Medical Administration at Mercy Hospital. “It is a wonderful new tool for Mercy’s intensive care unit.”
About Mercy Health System of Maine
Mercy Health System of Maine includes Mercy Hospital, Gary’s House, McAuley Residence, Mercy Recovery Center, and VNA Home Health & Hospice. Together, our campuses throughout southern Maine offer a broad range of medical and surgical services, as well as primary and specialty care to provide a continuum of care for our patients. For more information on Mercy, please call (207) 879-3486.
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