Mercy Medical Center Begins Delivering Coverage to Critically Ill Patients with Support of Tele-ICU Solution
02 / 26 / 2013
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Maria Nelson, Media Relations
Affinity Health System
(920) 720-1752
(920) 554-0686 (pager)
OSHKOSH, Wis.— To provide an extra layer of care that enhances patient safety, Mercy Medical Center recently implemented a tele-ICU solution in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). This tele-ICU solution is one of the most advanced critical care telemedicine programs available in hospital ICUs.
Mercy partnered with Advanced ICU Care®, the nation’s largest provider of tele-ICU services, to deliver monitoring by highly trained intensivist physicians and critical care specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“The Advanced ICU Care team serves as an extra layer of care that reassures doctors that their sickest patients are vigilantly monitored when they are not present,” said Francisco Zornosa, M.D., medical director of tele-ICU, Mercy Medical Center, Affinity Medical Group. “There is a deep sense of relief knowing that emerging issues are dealt with immediately, and patients are receiving the highest recommended level of care at a moment’s notice.”
“We are pleased to partner with the physicians and clinicians at Mercy Medical Center to provide additional clinical support of their critically ill patients,” said Mary Jo Gorman, M.D., M.B.A., chief executive officer for Advanced ICU Care. “This strong alliance of critical care expertise combined with the most advanced telemedicine technology and programs to continually improve care works together seamlessly to benefit and improve the health and safety of these patients.”
Advanced ICU Care’s team of intensivists and critical care nurses work around-the-clock complementing the care provided by the Mercy physicians. The program continuously monitors patient vital signs, medications, labs and trends in patients’ clinical status. Proactive data management tools identify problems before they become urgent, prompting immediate intervention when necessary. Two-way video access in each patient’s room enables face-to-face consultations between physicians and clinicians at the bedside and the Advanced ICU Care team.
About Ministry Health Care
Ministry Health Care is an integrated Catholic health care delivery system serving over 1.1 million people across Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. Ministry operations generate nearly $2.2 billion in annual operating revenue with 15 hospitals, 46 clinics, and nearly 12,000 employees including 650 physicians and advanced practice clinicians. According to Truven Health Analytics (formerly the health care business of Thomson Reuters), Ministry is ranked among the top 20 percent of health care systems in the country.
Ministry Health Care is sponsored by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother who founded hospitals in the United States more than 120 years ago to further the healing ministry of Jesus by continually improving the health and well-being of all people, especially the poor.
About Advanced ICU Care
Advanced ICU Care offers comprehensive tele-ICU programs and consulting services, with a proven track record of improving the clinical, financial and operational performance of its hospital partners. As the nation’s largest tele-ICU provider, Advanced ICU Care has successfully implemented and managed more programs than any other organization. Our tele-ICU programs combine experienced intensivist-led care teams, sophisticated telemedicine technology and a rigorous focus on evidence-based best practices to improve patient care and safety. Our consulting team brings insights gained from decades of nationally recognized ICU leadership and expertise in both bedside ICU and tele-ICU environments. For more information, visit www.icumedicine.com.
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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a faith-based regional health care network, is the Fox Valley’s second-largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry. For the fourth consecutive year, Affinity has been named one of the nation’s top 64 health systems based on clinical performance according to Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. For ten consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent of hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 25 family practice and specialty clinics – 22 of which are recognized as NCQA Level III medical homes, the highest level of recognition – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; and Affinity Occupational Health.