WakeMed Offers Advanced Technology to Enhance Care for Critically Ill Patients

Sept. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Beginning today, critically ill adults at WakeMed Health & Hospitals are the first in the area to benefit from the state-of-the-art WakeMed eICU® Service – a solution employing critical care experts to monitor data in real time to identify trends that may indicate a change in a patient’s condition.   The WakeMed eICU Service will reduce complications, shorten hospital stays and save lives.  

“Many clinical decisions are based on data, including the patient’s vital signs, medications and test results.  WakeMed is investing in the eICU technology because of its potential to enhance quality of care, patient safety and cost savings,” commented Dr. Bill Atkinson, WakeMed president and CEO.  “WakeMed is a leading provider of critical care in the region, and this advancement is all about leveraging data and specialized medical providers to deliver the right treatment at the right time to maximize outcomes and patient safety.”

The WakeMed eICU Service will use advanced software and continuous remote monitoring technology from Philips Healthcare to connect the bedside care team with critical care nurses and physicians at an off-site location whose primary purpose is to analyze patient data and track trends from a central monitoring station 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  This added layer of protection will help bedside staff identify and respond to adverse condition changes immediately, before they become emergencies.   Cameras and microphones integrated into each critical care room will allow the eICU physicians and nurses to interact and serve as a resource for the bedside care team, the patient and the patient’s family as they make important, timely decisions.

“The service offers families extra peace of mind, knowing their loved one is being cared for and monitored by two expert critical care teams,” said Vicki Block, MHA, senior vice president and administrator, WakeMed Raleigh Campus, who is also leading the eICU Service implementation.  

The service will be led by an experienced team of critical care experts, including nurses who have been instrumental in getting the service up and running and working with physicians to ensure it meets the needs of patients as well as staff.  

On the physician side, the eICU Service medical director is Bill Lane, MD, who recently joined WakeMed after working for the past three years with similar technology at Cone Health’s LeBauer Critical Care Medicine in Greensboro, N.C.  Dr. Lane earned his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine and completed a fellowship in critical care medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  Dr. Lane is board certified in critical care medicine.

Initially, the eICU Service will enhance the care of patients in the 88 adult critical care beds at WakeMed Raleigh Campus and Cary Hospital.  In the future, the WakeMed eICU Service may be expanded and offered for use in other regional hospitals.