NEW CORE INFRASTRUCTURE STREAMLINES CARE

Transcription

1 NEW CORE INFRASTRUCTURE STREAMLINES CARE Highlights Patient-centric technology is a game-changer for Sauk Prairie Healthcare Designed and implemented IT infrastructure for new hospital building in only 16 months Extensive planning ensured implementation was completed on time, on budget and with little or no interruption to patient care services Unified communications technology that integrated nurse call system with mobile IP phones improved communication and enhanced ability to provide responsive, quality patient care Completely redesigned and built a new data center to accommodate growth and capitalize on new technology

2 2 THE CHALLENGE Sought to leverage technology to enhance the patient experience in new hospital building Inability to integrate the legacy nurse call system with the communication system created inefficiency and frustration Existing data center lacked adequate power, cooling and capacity to support desired infrastructure and applications THE SOLUTION Partnered with CDW Healthcare to design, configure and implement a new data center and core infrastructure, including unified communications with an integrated nurse call system Relied on CDW Healthcare to serve as project manager to coordinate technology implementation with multiple vendors Planned extensively and meticulously to keep project on track THE RESULTS Completed implementation on time and on budget, despite building construction hurdles Unified communications technology with integrated nurse call system improved patient-clinician communication as well as clinicianclinician communication Substantially increased patient and clinician satisfaction, as well as clinician efficiency Keeping the focus on the patient When Sauk Prairie Healthcare decided to replace its aging hospital with a state-of-the-art building, the primary goal was to design an environment that promoted patient healing, safety and quality care. Given the growing role healthcare technology plays in improving the patient experience and outcomes, updating Sauk Prairie s current systems and implementing a robust new data center that could support future growth ranked as top priorities. Exploring ideas to continuously improve patient care is always at the forefront of what we do as a healthcare organization, and, in particular, what I do with technology, says Marybeth Bay, IT Director/CIO at Sauk Prairie. Everything we think about on a daily basis, operations project-wise, is about the patient. In the old hospital, for example, the legacy nurse call system could not be integrated with the communication system, often making it challenging and chaotic to respond to patient needs and safety and security codes. Under that system, patients rang their call buttons and the secretary at the nurse s station answered, then contacted the nurse or certified nurse assistant (CNA). We desperately needed to do something different, explains Jill Baxter, RN, Director of Acute Care/ICU at Sauk Prairie. It was really inefficient. There were two or three steps to that triage call before it was clear what the patient needed, she says. We wanted a very linear, very clean communication between the patient and appropriate caregiver. We wanted it integrated so the call would go to the right person the first time. Preparing to meet the challenge The construction of the new hospital provided both an opportunity and a challenge for Bay and her nine-person team. Integrating the nurse call system was only one piece of building an entirely new core infrastructure, including unified communications (UC), wireless networking, server virtualization, storage and security. A new data center was also an essential element, since the existing one lacked adequate power and capacity to support the infrastructure and applications Bay knew Sauk Prairie required to meet its current and future patient care goals. The project involved the whole gamut design, configuration, implementation, project management, knowledge transfer and support, she says. Due to the scope of the project, Bay recognized she needed additional help and expertise from a trusted partner. She turned to CDW Healthcare Advanced Technology Account Executive Tom Cousland, with whom she had worked closely for several years.

3 3 Tom understands what our needs are and looks out for our best interests, she says. Being a small rural hospital, one of our constraints is finances, so CDW Healthcare is always trying to help us leverage new technologies, yet keep costs contained. To launch the project, Tom brought in a team of CDW Healthcare experts to identify Sauk Prairie s needs and goals. These requirement-gathering sessions helped solidify our budget, number one, which was very important and number two, to create statements of work in all the key areas, Bay says. Once those were approved, CDW Healthcare moved forward with the complete design sessions and configuration, testing and implementation. But early on in the process, Bay recognized a gaping need someone to manage the vendors of all the different clinical systems, from the operating room to imaging to nurse call. She and Cousland brought CDW Healthcare Technology Services Field Orientation Senior Project Manager Bill Spilman on board to coordinate all the moving pieces. Bill put together a plan and worked with the vendors to make sure they all understood what our core infrastructure looked like and could plan accordingly. In turn, they provided Bill with what they needed to implement their systems, Bay says. Although it was an unbudgeted item, I really do believe that we would have spent a lot more trying to reconfigure things that would have been incorrectly put in place without this coordinated, controlled approach. Being a small rural hospital, one of our constraints is finances, so CDW Healthcare is always trying to help us leverage new technologies, yet keep costs contained. Marybeth Bay, IT Director/CIO, Sauk Prairie Healthcare

4 4 The benefits of a better infrastructure Over the next 16 months, a CDW Healthcare team of engineers and technical experts worked closely with Sauk Prairie s team to build the new data center and implement the new infrastructure in time for the hospital s grand opening. They succeeded with little or no interruption to patient care services and without any issues beyond the occasional printer not working. That s really wonderful, considering everything we did, Bay says. The data center and the clinical system integration are where CDW Healthcare was especially instrumental in providing resources and expertise to create a perfect design. I wanted to have a completely redesigned data center that could accommodate growth and allow Sauk Prairie the opportunity to take advantage of current technology such as Windows Server CDW Healthcare brought in experts to see how we could make this become a reality and also do it at a cost savings. As Bay envisioned, the new technology promotes patient-centric care. For example, the new nurse call system integrates with Cisco IP handheld devices, vastly improving communication both between nurses and between patients and nurses. Now, if a Code Blue signal goes out indicating a medical emergency, the system sends it directly to the mobile phones of the clinicians who need to address the patient, ensuring immediate treatment. When patients with more routine needs require assistance, their calls go directly to the nurse or CNA assigned to their care, depending on the type of request. The nurse or CNA can immediately respond to the patient about how quickly she can be there to assist. That expectation setting is a huge difference, Baxter says. That s been a big satisfier for both patients and staff. If a patient is feeling ill, two minutes can feel like 20. To know somebody is going to be there shortly makes the wait manageable. At a glance Founded in 1956, Sauk Prairie Healthcare includes a 36-bed acute care hospital and two surgical specialty practices in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, as well as four primary care clinics in surrounding rural communities. Sauk Prairie serves more than 40,000 residents in this 700-square-mile area. The hospital has been named one of the nation s 100 Top Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics, and was recently ranked in the top 5 percent for patient satisfaction by Press Ganey.

5 5 The call system had to be simple for the patient to use, and simple for our staff to use. It also had to be customizable to our workflow. Jill Baxter, RN, Director of Acute Care/ICU It also streamlines workflow, eliminating both the middleman and the uncertainty about what patients needs are. In addition, nurses no longer have to track whether the call light outside a patient s room is lit, and recall whether or not they ve been able to address the request. The new technology meets Baxter s two primary goals: simplicity and customization. It had to be simple for the patient to use, and simple for our staff to use. Nobody has time to stand in the hallway and figure out what their phone is trying to tell them. It also had to be customizable to our workflow, she says. Bay has been so pleased with the entire new infrastructure that she is working with CDW Healthcare to expand it into a satellite medical office building and clinic, connecting both to the hospital. Having an organization like CDW to help with some serious heavy lifting was really critical to our success. They have their processes in place that all their staff follow, so you have consistency, and then you also have accountability. Marybeth Bay, IT Director/CIO, Sauk Prairie Healthcare Learning to love clinically integrated technology Obviously, the introduction of multiple new enterprisewide technologies involved a significant learning curve for clinicians. CDW Healthcare led intensive training sessions for every department on the unified communications system. And for the new nurse call system, Sauk Prairie provided classroom training, helpful cheat sheets and hands-on practice with simulated scenarios before going live, all to Plan for success Designing, configuring and implementing infrastructure for a new hospital requires substantial time and effort, presenting major challenges for a small IT staff. Sauk Prairie s Marybeth Bay and Jill Baxter offer some practical tips for maximizing resources and results. Plan ahead. It takes a lot of time, but it helps you identify a budget and a timeline and gives you the ability to secure resources in advance. Marybeth Bay Involve end users throughout the process. All the team players need to be at the table sooner rather than later so they understand the capabilities of the technology products in a detailed way. Jill Baxter Consider all your options. Keep an open mind when you look at selecting systems and integrating them. It s amazing how much potential they have. Jill Baxter Put a solid go-live support plan in place. Make sure on day 1 you know exactly what you need to do, where you need to be the same thing for day 7 and day 14. Marybeth Bay Work with a trusted IT partner. Organizations like CDW Healthcare have their hands on all the new technologies. They can point out the pros and cons, support your migration efforts and look out for your best interests. Marybeth Bay

6 CDW.com/communIT ease the transition. The nurses adapted quickly and couldn t be happier. With the handheld phones, they can talk to their patients, to one another and to other departments, Baxter says. They re extremely dependable and the nurses like the nonverbal code notification system. There was also a learning curve for Bay s staff. The extensive knowledge transfer process to the network engineers involved reviewing configuration changes for each of the new components, identifying potential concerns and how to resolve them, and sharing troubleshooting tricks. I think it s wonderful we can leverage these systems and do things we haven t been able to do before. But I expect it to take anywhere from a year to 18 months for staff to truly get comfortable with all the systems we put in place, Bay says. It s important not to expect your staff to be able to support these technologies out of the gate. You have to surround yourself with experts like CDW Healthcare and have a support plan in place to help resolve issues while your staff is getting up to speed. She adds, Having an organization like CDW to help with some serious heavy lifting was really critical to our success. They have their processes in place that all their staff follow, so you have consistency, and then you also have accountability. Their commitment to seeing things through is top-notch. CDW Healthcare: Leveraging technology to improve the patient experience Whether you re building a new facility, expanding an existing one or upgrading a legacy environment, CDW Healthcare s knowledgeable experts, strategic partnerships, and broad choice of solutions and services can help you identify and implement the comprehensive technology necessary for the highest-quality patient-centric care. Contact your CDW Healthcare account manager today, call or visit CDW.com/communIT CONNECT WITH US Call CDW-Healthcare CDW.com/view CDW.com/communIT This content is provided for informational purposes. It is believed to be accurate but could contain errors. CDW does not intend to make any warranties, express or implied, about the products, services, or information that is discussed. CDW, CDW G and The Right Technology. Right Away are registered trademarks of CDW LLC. PEOPLE WHO GET IT is a trademark of CDW LLC. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners