February 29, 2008 - The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati entered into an agreement with VISICU Inc. this week to implement its eICU telemedicine and ICU patient monitoring program.
Using early-warning software and remote monitoring tools, eICU technology enables off-site critical care physicians and nurses to monitor critically ill patients around the clock. The voice, video and data technology has been proven to reduce unnecessary complications, improve mortality rates and shorten hospital length of stay, Visicu officials said.
A total of 48 Christ Hospital ICU beds will be monitored with the eICU technology when it is implemented in the fall of 2008 at a cost of $3.4 million. Following this implementation, The Christ Hospital hopes to expand the program to surrounding communities, to provide enhanced critical care coverage for ICU patients in other hospitals. Through the eICU Program, such patients will have access to around-the-clock, advanced critical care expertise located in The Christ Hospital-based eICU Center, without having to leave their local hospital.
“The Christ Hospital's decision to implement the eICU program demonstrates our commitment to providing greater Cincinnati and its surrounding communities with the most advanced technology available,” said Susan Croushore, president and CEO, The Christ Hospital. “The eICU care model has been proven to reduce complications, ICU mortality rates and length of stay, thus, improving patient outcomes. Additionally, this advanced technology can be utilized at remote ICU locations throughout our region.”
For more information: www.thechristhospital.com, www.VISICU.com