St. Joseph Mercy Oakland First In Michigan To Install New Communication Tech
PONTIAC -- St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is the first hospital in Michigan to adopt the latest generation iPhone customized for health care by Sarasota, Fla.-based Voalte Inc. to improve clinical communication at the point of care.
The iPhones, which will be used by nurses and clinicians, use Voalte's platform, which combines high definition voice call, alarms and text messaging on one device designed to improve clinical communications.
With a simple tap, SJMO nurses will be able to communicate instantly with each other from anywhere in the hospital, allowing for faster response time to patient needs.
Jack Weiner, SJMO president and CEO, said the implementation of the new technology "is one of several initiatives St. Joe's has undertaken to improve patient safety and quality. We believe that this new technology will result in better clinical outcomes and enhance the quality of care for our patients, for which we are continually recognized."
SJMO has received many awards and honors for patient care and safety, including national recognition as a Truven Health Analytics Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital and a Top Hospital designation for patient safety and quality of care by The Leapfrog Group.
"St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a leading-edge hospital when it comes using cutting-edge technology to provide quality care," said Voalte vice president of innovation Trey Lauderdale. "Implementing the Voalte solution is another example of St. Joe's using a 21st century solution in its state-of-the-art hospital."
As part of the installation, Voalte will be integrated with multiple systems within the hospital, including Spacelab Patient Monitors and Hill-Rom Navicare through Cerner Alertlink. These integrations will enable nurses and clinicians to receive critical information and alerts through the Voalte phones.
"After much evaluation, we determined Voalte was the best system for both clinical communication and our facility," said SJMO director of IT Robert Jones. "The new system will improve our workflow and allow our nurses to spend more time with patients."
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a 443-bed comprehensive, community, teaching hospital and a long-time leader in health care in Oakland County. Founded in 1927 by the Sisters of Mercy, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland has won numerous local and national awards for patient safety, quality and performance, and consistently ranks in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide.
More at www.stjoesoakland.org.
St. Joseph Mercy Health System is a health care organization serving six counties in southeast Michigan, including Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy in Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy in Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, 119-bed St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron and 113-bed Chelsea Community Hospital. Combined, the six hospitals are licensed for 1,726 beds, have six outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 14,000 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians.
A member of Trinity Health, the nation's fourth largest Catholic health care organization, SJMHS is committed to improving the health of its communities by reinvesting its profits back into the community through new technologies, vital health services and access for all. The hospitals of SJMHS provide approximately $100 million in community benefit to the communities it serves each year.
For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit stjoeshealth.org.
Voalte is the only company to provide a fully integrated and dependable clinical communications system that health care professionals want, enjoy and effectively use. Voalte products are designed to be intuitive, high value, mission critical applications running on the latest generation of touch-based smartphones. For more information, visit www.Voalte.com or call (941) 312-2830.
