MONROE - Patients in a hospital's intensive care unit by definition require rigorous, around-the-clock monitoring. Now, thanks to a partnership between Monroe Clinic and the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, patients in Monroe Clinic's ICU will have extra sets of eyes monitoring their vitals and taking action if anything appears irregular and merits escalation.
Tuesday marked the first time live, two-way video, audio and data feeds flowed between doctors and nurses at UW Health's "e-ICU" command center in Madison and bedside caregivers of ICU patients in Monroe.
Leaders from both organizations who worked on the project gathered in an ICU room at Monroe Clinic for
a demonstration Tuesday. Someone pressed a red
button on the wall to call the e-ICU and a small camera facing the wall rotated 180 degrees, letting clinicians
40 miles to the north see into the room. Moments later, UW Health's Dr. Jeffrey Wells, who is an inpatient hospitalist, a specialist in critical care medicine and one of the physicians who staffs the e-ICU, appeared on a small screen next to the camera and could be heard speaking.
But the e-ICU is more than just an alternative to Skype or Apple's FaceTime.
Wells said providers at the e-ICU can access information in the patient's electronic health record (EHR) - both UW Hospital and Monroe Clinic have been live on EHR software created by Epic Systems in Verona for years - and get live data feeds, such as one from an electrocardiogram machine.
Physical sensors alert workers in the e-ICU if something isn't right, for example a patient's endotracheal tube being removed, said Allison Henke, a nurse and the
manager of UW Health's Management and Education Services for Healthcare.
Setting up the feeds took a significant amount of work from technical staff at both organizations.
The goals of the arrangement are better outcomes for patients, shorter stays in the ICU, where care is extremely costly, and fewer transfers to Madison hospitals.
ICU nurses rarely care for just one patient during a shift. Knowing the e-ICU is there gives them peace of mind and ensures that no patient goes completely ignored for an extended time period time.
Mike Sanders, Monroe Clinic's president and CEO, said another benefit of plugging into the e-ICU is that it should free up time for the in-house hospitalists Monroe Clinic does have, who Sanders said are often spread thin.
The e-ICU is staffed 24/7. Wells said nights and evenings tend to be busier than days.
At all times there are at least three providers on duty: one specialist in critical care, also known as an "intensivist," and two critical care nurses. Care is still run by providers in Monroe; the job of those in the command center is to monitor, and, when appropriate, alert.
UW Health's e-ICU program has been in existence for seven years at places like the Marshfield Clinic in Central Wisconsin. The command center in Madison is currently monitoring 92 patients across seven hospitals.
Patients in the ICU are informed when they're being observed remotely and can opt out of the camera monitoring. The camera does not record anything; it's merely a window into the room. All protected information shared with UW Health is encrypted and travels via a secure connection.
Each quarter, UW Health sends e-ICU users an organization-specific report showing quality metrics and where improvement is possible.
Monroe Clinic and UW Health had previously collaborated on cancer care treatment, among other initiatives.
Sanders said he expects it to be an enduring partnership.
"We're looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship," he said.
Tuesday marked the first time live, two-way video, audio and data feeds flowed between doctors and nurses at UW Health's "e-ICU" command center in Madison and bedside caregivers of ICU patients in Monroe.
Leaders from both organizations who worked on the project gathered in an ICU room at Monroe Clinic for
a demonstration Tuesday. Someone pressed a red
button on the wall to call the e-ICU and a small camera facing the wall rotated 180 degrees, letting clinicians
40 miles to the north see into the room. Moments later, UW Health's Dr. Jeffrey Wells, who is an inpatient hospitalist, a specialist in critical care medicine and one of the physicians who staffs the e-ICU, appeared on a small screen next to the camera and could be heard speaking.
But the e-ICU is more than just an alternative to Skype or Apple's FaceTime.
Wells said providers at the e-ICU can access information in the patient's electronic health record (EHR) - both UW Hospital and Monroe Clinic have been live on EHR software created by Epic Systems in Verona for years - and get live data feeds, such as one from an electrocardiogram machine.
Physical sensors alert workers in the e-ICU if something isn't right, for example a patient's endotracheal tube being removed, said Allison Henke, a nurse and the
manager of UW Health's Management and Education Services for Healthcare.
Setting up the feeds took a significant amount of work from technical staff at both organizations.
The goals of the arrangement are better outcomes for patients, shorter stays in the ICU, where care is extremely costly, and fewer transfers to Madison hospitals.
ICU nurses rarely care for just one patient during a shift. Knowing the e-ICU is there gives them peace of mind and ensures that no patient goes completely ignored for an extended time period time.
Mike Sanders, Monroe Clinic's president and CEO, said another benefit of plugging into the e-ICU is that it should free up time for the in-house hospitalists Monroe Clinic does have, who Sanders said are often spread thin.
The e-ICU is staffed 24/7. Wells said nights and evenings tend to be busier than days.
At all times there are at least three providers on duty: one specialist in critical care, also known as an "intensivist," and two critical care nurses. Care is still run by providers in Monroe; the job of those in the command center is to monitor, and, when appropriate, alert.
UW Health's e-ICU program has been in existence for seven years at places like the Marshfield Clinic in Central Wisconsin. The command center in Madison is currently monitoring 92 patients across seven hospitals.
Patients in the ICU are informed when they're being observed remotely and can opt out of the camera monitoring. The camera does not record anything; it's merely a window into the room. All protected information shared with UW Health is encrypted and travels via a secure connection.
Each quarter, UW Health sends e-ICU users an organization-specific report showing quality metrics and where improvement is possible.
Monroe Clinic and UW Health had previously collaborated on cancer care treatment, among other initiatives.
Sanders said he expects it to be an enduring partnership.
"We're looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship," he said.