Monday, November 1, 2004

Wireless

Hospitals cut the cord, boost wireless trials

By Dyke Hendrickson

Two wireless companies focusing on patient care recently launched pilot programs at New England medical centers, and a state health-care association is studying the feasibility of importing prescription information wirelessly into emergency rooms.

The first company, Radianse Inc. of Lawrence, is linking with Massachusetts General Hospital on that hospital's "operating room of the future."

And Exavera Technologies Inc. of Portsmouth, N.H. recently finalized a deal with Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, Vt. to provide wireless patient identification services.

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium has started a program to gather and disseminate the prescription history for incoming ER patients, some of whom might be comatose.

Indoor GPS test

Radianse has signed a deal with MGH to test its Interior Positioning System, one goal of which is to measure interactions among patients and clinicians.

The test program is part of a second phase of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. NIH is providing $1.5 million over an 18-month period to validate data about surgical patients as they move through the various stages of surgical care.

Radianse will deploy its system at five MGH buildings where pre-operative care takes place.

Michael Dempsey, president of Radianse, said, "Our competitors have overpromised and underperformed, but we have proceeded slowly in order to develop a product that works for the customer.

"Our technology has been validated by tests like those we've done with Mass General."

At MGH, Radianse RFID tags are worn by patients and surgical staff and attached to medical equipment.

Radio signals are sent from the tags to Radianse receivers connected to the hospital's LAN and then to web-based location software, which analyzes the transmission to determine the location of people and equipment.

The technology is "like bringing a global positioning system indoors," according to company literature.

The data can be used to trigger notifications. Such information as a message to the surgical team that the patient is prepped can be sent, or an alert that the wrong patient is in the wrong procedure room.

The company has raised $9 million.

The operating room of the future, which opened in August 2002, is a collaboration among MGH's departments of surgery, anesthesia and nursing, the Center for Integration of Medicine and Technology (CIMIT) and several industry partners.

Radianse officials say that other customers include Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston; Philadelphia's University of Pennsylvania Hospital; and Baptist Health Center in Jackson, Miss.

Tracking in Vermont

In Vermont, Mt. Ascutney will be using Exavera's eShepherd solution in a trial at its 99-bed facility.

The program is designed to give caregivers wireless access to patients' medical information, including identification, bed management and asset tracking.

Exavera officials say their broadband wireless information-delivery product minimizes patient identification errors that can compromise patient safety and increase hospital operating costs.

Industry analysts say close to 98,000 patients die in U.S. hospitals annually as a result of mistakes or incorrect identification.

The trial is also designed to improve asset management, such as charting the location of medical equipment like wheelchairs or infusion pumps.

Developers say the system combines a high-speed wi-fi network with a family of intelligent bracelets, staff badges and asset tags based on wireless RFID technology.

"Our technology is designed to help health-care professionals save money," said Eric Bontemps, CEO of the New Hampshire company. "One feature is that when a physician approaches a patient, the patient's record pops up automatically in the doctor's PDA or wireless device.

"The system also helps to identify where hardware is at a given time, so a nurse doesn't have to go looking for, say, an infusion pump at the last minute."

Exavera has 12 employees. It has raised $1.5 million, and officials say they expect to be generating revenue once their pilot programs are completed - and target sites begin paying for the technology.

ER Rx

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium, a group funded by large healthcare organizations, has launched a new "patient safety tool" called MedsInfo-ED, which is designed to deliver prescription history in the emergency department.

The goal of the project is to use Internet technology to make patient prescription history more accessible in emergency departments.

Hospitals involved include Emerson Hospital in Concord, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Boston Medical Center. Combined, the three hospitals have 14,000 emergency patients per month.

"I am very encouraged by what we've developed," said Elliot Stone, CEO of the consortium. "Our program for accessing the medical history of patients could save $23 to $24 million a year in Massachusetts.

"It will be of great help for medical personnel to access a patient's medical history quickly and accurately. It will increase safety and save much money."