Tech Talk

It looks like any other office but the people working on computers there could save lives

Registered nurse, Margaret Maruska spends some workdays in the ICU and others monitoring critically ill patients through Alegent Health's eFocus.

Computers and private high-speed phone lines bring cardiac monitors, patient histories and other critical information to her. If Maruska has any questions or concerns, she can camera in.

"I can go and look in and see if the clinical picture, what she actually looks like in bed, is matching what the data tells us," she says.

Clear cameras that can point and zoom cover almost an entire hospital room. Not only can eFocus nurses and doctors see what's going on, the two-way system allows patients, their families, and medical staff to have a conversation with them.

Linda Cuyler's mother is a patient and Linda loves having the extra sets of eyes on her mom.

Cuyler says, "The EICU has allowed everyone to focus on coordination of care and they've been very aware of involving family in all decision making."

Dr. Bill Huerta is the medical director of eFocus. He says the care doesn't replace what doctors and nurses do in hospitals -- it complements it.

We spoke with Dr. Huerta on a day when he and his team were monitoring 54 ICU patients throughout the Alegent system.

He says, "One of our doctors may be at Lakeside and the patient he just took care of a couple of hours ago at Bergan may be unstable and require intervention. Well, while he's finishing up here I can be at the bedside in seconds and intervene."

Privacy concerns are addressed by using private phone lines, encrypting information, and assuring patients that nothing is recorded. By the end of the month, all Alegent hospitals with have eFocus monitoring.

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Bergan Mercy Medical Center	Immanuel Medical Center
Lakeside Hospital	Midlands Hospital
Mercy Hospital	Alegent Health Clinic