Mobile Heartbeat

Critical Alert Systems Makes Equity Investment in Mobile Heartbeat

scottstephensmith — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 23:49:24 +0000

Critical Alert Systems (CAS) and Mobile Heartbeat today announced an equity investment and new marketing agreement that expands and strengthens the integrated healthcare communications offering for both companies and their customers. CAS provides critical messaging services to more than 500 hospitals nationwide through its software-based CommonPath nurse call system and its network of paging subsidiaries. Mobile Heartbeat is a mobile application suite that provides clinicians instant access to critical patient information, alerts and notifications via standard smartphones.

The partnership allows CAS to sell and service Mobile Heartbeat as well as to integrate Mobile Heartbeat with CommonPath, providing functionality not available in any other nurse call solution. CAS will also launch a Mobilert+ app, powered by Mobile Heartbeat technology, enabling two-way encrypted, HIPAA-compliant text messaging for smartphones and iPads.

“CommonPath and Mobile Heartbeat represent the next generation in nurse call and clinician mobility, and we are excited to bring the combined strengths of these technologies to hospitals,” said Critical Alert Systems CEO Ed Meyercord. “This partnership positions Critical Alert Systems as a single source for hospitals seeking innovative, integrated communication solutions that can improve patient care, increase workflow efficiency and impact HCAHPS scores.”

The integration of Mobile Heartbeat with CommonPath nurse call will strengthen the ability of caregivers to provide appropriate and immediate patient care. Nurse call alerts can be sent directly to clinicians via the Mobile Heartbeat app. If their availability status is set as “Busy – With Patient,” for example, the CommonPath system will automatically trigger an alert escalation. Mobile Heartbeat can also integrate with CommonPath’s real time locating system, making patient data available on a caregiver’s smartphone as soon as they walk into the patient’s room.

“We’re impressed by the power of the CommonPath nurse call system and Critical Alert Systems’ vision for how a partnership with Mobile Heartbeat will create unique and powerful healthcare communication technology solutions for hospitals,” said Mobile Heartbeat Founder Jack Mark. “Both companies share a focus on technology that’s both innovative and easy to use and that can make a profound impact on improving patient care and staff efficiency.”

In addition to pushing lab results through instant alerts, Mobile Heartbeat lets clinicians quickly find and contact other caregivers in and out of the hospital. The system allows real time telemetry and nurse call alarms, as well as pharmacy requests and doctors’ orders, to be received on a designated hand-held device. The Mobile Heartbeat solution connects seamlessly with hospital information systems, nurse call, telemetry and other third party systems through readily available interfaces. All that’s required is a Mobile Heartbeat server, software and custom docking station for mobile devices. The system utilizes standard iPhone, iPad and Android devices and allows clinicians to make VOIP calls using existing WiFi networks.

“Mobile Heartbeat has been getting enthusiastic support from the hospitals that already have it in place, and we are looking forward to expanding its reach through our established network,” said CAS President Ted McNaught. “We believe that Mobile Heartbeat is a game changer for how hospitals and clinicians communicate patient information, and it becomes an even more powerful tool when integrated into CommonPath nurse call.

About Critical Alert Systems

Critical Alert Systems (CAS) provides healthcare communications technology solutions that help save lives and deliver faster, more efficient patient care to more than 500 hospitals nationwide. The company’s software-driven CommonPathTM is the next generation of nurse call systems – a patient-centered, simple-to-use system that is highly configurable and scalable and offers measureable improvement in patient satisfaction and staff efficiency. Through its subsidiaries UCOM Paging and Teletouch Paging, CAS provides fast and reliable critical messaging for emergency medical and disaster response teams. CAS also is an equity partner with Mobile Heartbeat, smartphone technology that provides clinicians instant access to critical patient information. More information is available at www.criticalalertsystems.com, www.nursecall.com and www.mobileheartbeat.com.

Full article here: http://www.mhimss.org/press-release/critical-alert-systems-makes-equity-investment-mobile-heartbeat

Tips for Mobile Device Management – Handhelds in Healthcare

scottstephensmith — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:26:34 +0000

This case study with Mobile Heartbeat explores the ventures and success of mobile applications and iOS deployment within the healthcare industry. It is followed by a short informational Q&A with Mobile Heartbeat’s Project Manager, Myles Lutheran.

As in all industries, the efficiency and speed of internal communication is imperative for companies in the healthcare sector. As hospitals integrate iOS technology into their ecosystem, providing simple and effective solutions for mobile device management has become vital.

Mobile Heartbeat is at the forefront of developing mobile IT solutions for hospitals and views the gradual movement toward iOS devices as a necessary improvement over the current mobile options that are more expensive and lack versatility.

To take advantage of this, Mobile Heartbeat has developed an application that combines the features of an electronic health record (EHR) database with the communication capabilities of a smartphone. Users have the power to send and receive alerts, text individuals or groups within the hospital, and share pertinent information – all in the palm of their hand. Solutions like this have become increasingly popular among healthcare providers across the nation because of their ability to increase and monitor response time efficiency, provide reliable and secure means of information exchange, and simplify current methods of communication.

While Mobile Heartbeat has given physicians the software solution they seek, successful iOS implementation must also include compatible hardware. For that reason, Mobile Heartbeat looked to PARAT Solutions for a reliable hardware platform to complement their software application. PARAT offers organizations deploying large quantities of iOS devices a simple and effective way to charge and sync the devices. The PARASYNC Dock serves as the iPhone hub in hospitals utilizing Mobile Heartbeat software. Each dock can charge and sync up to twenty devices at a time. PARASYNC technology is used by Mobile Heartbeat in their Quicklaunch system. Quicklaunch gives users the ability to scan their ID card and choose any phone from the PARASYNC dock, at which point that user is automatically logged into the phone and their individual data is loaded.

The combination of cutting edge software and dependable, streamlined hardware has paved the way for successful implementation of iOS technology across various industries. The healthcare sector will continue to benefit from companies such as Mobile Heartbeat and PARAT Solutions who create innovative complementary solutions that allow users to quickly and cost-effectively integrate new technology.

Q&A with Mobile Heartbeat

In what capacity have you incorporated iOS technology in your organization?

iOS technology is at the core of our organization. We have chosen to implement our smartphone-based solution for shared devices via the iOS operating system due to its stability and consistency across iOS devices. Apps developed for iOS consistently transfer from one iOS device to another without too much additional development requirements.

What advantages do you feel using iOS devices has given your organization?

The consistency and stability in working with iOS devices has given our organization the ability to focus on the development of the features and enhancements to our smartphone software rather than the compatibility across devices. Our product and development teams can focus on our customers’ issues and ways to improve their clinical workflow in ways we would not be able to if more capacity was required to further support additional platforms.

Why did you choose iOS devices over other mobile technology (Android, Windows, etc.)?

Even though we deploy our shared devices on iOS, we currently support both Android and iOS since they are the most popular smartphone operating systems for our hospital clientele. Some of the factors that we weigh in on when deciding what mobile technology to develop and deploy on include: popularity, stability, and usability across different hardware. At this current state in the world of mobile technology we believe that iOS is the best choice give these factors.

How many devices do you support? How many users do you support?

Installations vary greatly with regards to devices supported depending on hospital unit size, staff on shift, and shift rotation schedules, but a typical unit deploying Mobile Heartbeat would have two PARASYNC Docks and anywhere from 30 to 40 devices supporting approximately 100 users. However, deploying shared devices via the PARASYNC solution has allowed us to support as many as 150 users per hospital unit.

In addition to iTunes, do you use mobile device management (MDM) software to manage the devices and protect the content on them? If yes, please specify.

Mobile Heartbeat has, and continues to enhance its product by adding, built-in deployment and security features common to popular MDM software in order to maintain high security and encryption standards (i.e. HIPAA). Additionally, we have built our solution in such a way that we can cooperate and effectively implement our technology with hospitals whose policies on mobile devices require all devices are provisioned using an MDM type tool. Working in clinical environments, device and data security are extremely important to us. We recommend that hospitals use an MDM tool to deploy mobile technologies, including Mobile Heartbeat.

Tell us about your usage patterns. How many times per day are devices used? How many individuals use a single device throughout the day?

After an implementation, the incorporation of Mobile Heartbeat smartphones into a clinician’s workflow typically occurs overnight. They use our Quicklaunch system to log into a device from the PARASYNC when they first come in for their shift and come back to the PARASYNC at the end of their shift to return their device. Based on the shift pattern of the hospital staff, a single iOS device may be used 2-3 times (each time by a new user) in a typical day.

How do you store and secure your devices/docks?

We have implemented Mobile Heartbeat at hospitals by simply leaving the Quicklaunch system and PARASYNC on a common area table-top, as well as enclosing them in a secure locked box such as PARAT’s Security Enclosure. We see this variation in implementations since hospitals, and individual units within hospitals, have different needs and security concerns for their Mobile Heartbeat devices.

What attracted you to our PARASYNC Dock relative to other available options?

Mobile Heartbeat chose to implement with PARASYNC Docks due to their ‘table-top’ design that complements the efficiencies of deploying mobile devices that our Quicklaunch system provides, the protective cases that pair with the dock, availability, and customer service. After much research and due diligence, we decided that PARAT would be a great partner in our effort to minimize the stress and confusion of deploying large quantities of shared, smartphone-based technologies to hospitals.

Would you recommend this product? If so, why?

Yes. We have had nothing but positive experiences with the products and customer service provided by PARAT throughout our time as a company,taking Mobile Heartbeat from beta install at a pilot site hospital toafull product ready to be deployed across large facilities.

About Mobile Heartbeat

Mobile Heartbeat improves the quality of patient care by enhancing communications among clinicians and providing instant access to critical patient information, alerts, and notifications via standard smartphones. Leveraging all of the familiar smartphone text messaging and voice features and functionality, hospital clinicians can achieve a new level of mobility and communication efficiency, keeping the team connected, informed and patient focused. For more information, please visit: www.mobileheartbeat.com

About PARAT Solutions

PARAT Solutions develops and manufactures “smart products for mobile computing” which secure, store, transport, protect, charge and synchronize multiple iOS devices.

For more information, please visit: www.paratsolutions.com

Dell Inside Perspective: Improve your HCAHPS with Mobile Heartbeat

scottstephensmith — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:18:52 +0000

Due to government incentives to improve patient experience IT departments will have an opportunity to contribute to their hospital’s bottom line. Starting on October 1st, 2012 the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will adjust funding to hospitals based on their patient satisfaction (HCAHPS) survey scores. Hospitals will have to compete with one another to receive a percentage of their reimbursement back, and the ones who take advantage of cutting-edge technology may have a big advantage.

The HCAHPS survey, which is a nationally distributed survey to analyze patients’ perceived quality of care through a series of questions about their stay, has historically existed to let hospitals know where they stand and give patients an avenue for comparing hospitals over the web (at hospitalcompare.com). Hospitals focused on improving their HCAHPS scores have been emphasizing additional training regimens for their already overworked staff. The problem is these training sessions typically ignore two key aspects of the HCAHPS survey: “Staff Responsiveness to Callbell” and “Quietness at Night.” Both of these factors are easily addressed with the right communication and coordination technology.

Mobile Heartbeat application deployed on smartphones in hospital environments have proven to cut response time to callbell by significant amounts. No longer does the Nurse Call have to ring overhead at the central station before the right careteam member can be found and then asked to attend to the patient’s room before the call is responded to. Instead, the caregivers assigned to that patient can be instantly altered on their Mobile smartphone and have the ability to call back directly from their mobile device or escalate the call to other available caregivers on the floor. Pilot site testing of Mobile Heartbeat has shown to be noticed by patients in their HCAHPS results.

Additionally, Mobile Heartbeat can decrease noise in a unit by increasing the ease and efficiency of communication. Rather than pacing around units in search of others or using noisy overhead paging to find and communicate with other clinicians, staff can use HIPAA-secured group or individual text messages to quietly and effectively communicate. Because of this technology’s capabilities hospitals can also enjoy productivity increases in conjunction with their noise decreases. With features such as pressing two buttons in a smartphone app to let the correct staff on shift know about a code blue is no longer a nice to have – it is the new standard of communication

To learn more about what Mobile Heartbeat and smartphone technology can do to improve your HCAHPS scores contact Kerri Hickey at kerri.hickey@mobileheartbeat.com.

Original article posted here.

Critical Alert Systems Signs Agreement With Mobile Heartbeat

scottstephensmith — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:51:18 +0000

Westbrook, Maine (September 19, 2012) Critical Alert Systems (CAS), parent company of UCOM Paging, Teletouch Paging and Intego® Software, has become an exclusive reseller for Mobile HeartbeatTM. The agreement gives CAS reseller exclusivity in the paging market. The Mobile Heartbeat suite consists of three components integrated into a single, intuitive smartphone application and data server designed to deliver up-to-the minute, personalized patient information to designated smartphones.

“Mobile Heartbeat is a natural fit with our CommonPathTM nurse call and critical messaging technology, and we’re excited to share it with our existing and new healthcare customers,” said Critical Alert Systems President Ted McNaught. “Mobile Heartbeat’s ability to deliver a live feed of patient data and test results directly to a clinician’s mobile device, while maintaining HIPAA standards, is a game-changer for hospitals looking to measureably improve the quality and efficiency of care.” In addition to pushing lab results through instant alerts, Mobile Heartbeat lets clinicians quickly find and contact other caregivers in and out of the hospital. The system allows real time telemetry and nurse call alarms, as well as pharmacy requests and doctors’ orders, to be received on a designated hand-held device.

The Mobile Heartbeat solution connects seamlessly with Hospital Information Systems, nurse call, telemetry and other third party systems through readily available interfaces. And all that’s required is a Mobile Heartbeat server, software and custom docking station for mobile devices. The system can deploy on standard iPhone, iPad and Android devices, and using existing WiFi networks, allows clinicians to make VOIP calls. More information is available at www.mobileheartbeat.com.

About Critical Alert Systems Critical Alert Systems provides communication and workflow systems and technology that help healthcare organizations save lives and deliver faster, more efficient patient care. The company’s services include fast and reliable critical messaging for emergency medical and disaster response teams as well as software-driven patient-to-caregiver communication systems that provide measureable improvement in patient satisfaction and staff efficiency. Critical Alert Systems delivers services to more than 500 healthcare facilities nationwide through its subsidiaries Intego® Software LLC, UCOM Paging and Teletouch Paging. More information is available at www.criticalalertsystems.com.

Article Link: http://www.mobilitytechzone.com/news/2012/09/19/6594501.htm

Event Name

scottstephensmith — Sun, 20 May 2012 21:50:55 +0000

CEO Interview with John Haffty

scottstephensmith — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:06:24 +0000

A couple of months ago we reconnected with Sal Lanuto, former CEO of JJWild. He is now running a company called Mobile Heartbeat. We had an opportunity to meet with him and get a demo of his new product which improves coordination and communication among clinicians pushing them critical clinical information while they are on the move. The following are excerpts from a recent interview with him.

John Haffty: You left JJWild at the end of 2008. What have you been doing since you left and what brings you back to healthcare?

Sal Lanuto: When JJWild was acquired I committed to the employees as well as Perot that I would stay on for 18 months to see us through the transition into our new company. With that accomplished I pursued early retirement where I did some consulting and a lot of golfing but I had no intentions of getting back into an operating role with a new organization.

John Haffty: What caused you to get back involved on a day to day basis?

Sal Lanuto: I never thought I’d take on a day to day role again however I was introduced to an entrepreneur who had experience with smartphone applications and thought he could deliver something to healthcare that could make a difference. The combination of a mobile solution and the fact that it could benefit many of the former customers we worked with when I was with JJWild was very intriguing to me. I liked the idea of re-engaging with people I’d known for several years. It’s like renewing old relationships. I thought it would be exciting and challenging but enjoyable at the same time. If I did not think we had a game changing product, I wouldn’t have done it.

John Haffty: What makes it a game changer?

Sal Lanuto: There is a natural gravitation to mobile devices. Who today doesn’t carry around a cell phone? We in healthcare IT have been designing solutions that may improve the quality of care delivery but usually require the clinician to carry another proprietary device, or to spend a lot of time away from the patient entering data in order to achieve the benefit. I thought why not utilize the device that the clinician is already familiar with minimal training, a technology that almost everyone is comfortable with. And the benefits of our solution deliver clear ROI by improving Patient Satisfaction scores, increasing HCAHPS, and possibly reimbursement, while improving clinician coordination and communication so they can function with better team work. I liked what I saw.

John Haffty: So what is the name of the company and what exactly does your product do?

Sal Lanuto: The name of our company is Mobile Heartbeat and we provide a smartphone based application, runs on iPhone, or Android, with both HIPAA compliant text and VOiP calling over the Wifi. It allows clinicians to easily find each other and communicate without the need for expensive cell phone service agreements or pagers. Our patient centric architecture, gives you pushbutton access to the care team for any particular patient. We connect to the Nurse Call, Telemetry, and your EMR systems to name a few, pushing lab results, alerts, alarms and any other types of notification. We also have connection back to get pertinent patient data such as pulse, blood pressure, etc. updated to the device every five minutes. Nurses find the data access very convenient and will save them up to 1 mile of walking per shift. Also, many sites have complained about alarm fatigue. Our built in escalation engine coupled with our staff assignment tool allows nurse call or the telemetry alarm to notify the “right” person and escalate if that person is unavailable. Response time as well as floor noise are both significantly reduced. These are just some of the nifty features and benefits.

John Haffty: Do you have anyone currently using the system? Who are they and what was their experience? Were there any surprises?

Sal Lanuto: We have completed 2 pilots, one at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, CT, and Yale Hospital in New Haven, CT. Both have had very favorable results. A very interesting phenomenon we observed is that text is used over voice by a 30:1 ratio. It wasn’t what we expected but it makes perfect sense. Besides concerns about the confidentiality of patient data, text allows asynchronous communication so the person you are communicating with doesn’t have to be interrupted for you to deliver your message. They can validate many of the claims I am making about the capabilities and results of using the product.

John Haffty: If any of our readers are interested in learning more about your product or your company, what’s the best way to contact you?

Sal Lanuto: You can contact us at sales@mobileheartbeat.com and visit us at MUSE in Orlando from May 29 to June 1- we’ll be at Booth #712. There is also more information on our website:http://mobileheartbeat.com.

Article link here: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/219706/f57b67fcae/112800000/047b4a959c/

TripleTree Announces the 2012 iAwards Finalists

scottstephensmith — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:08:06 +0000

Twelve companies are recognized for their innovative wireless health solutions

Minneapolis, MN – Today, TripleTree announced the 2012 TripleTree iAwards for Wireless Health finalists. Twelve finalists, four in three different categories, were selected from a field of more than 160 nominated companies.

“The number of quality nominations this year is a testament to the growth and maturity of the wireless health industry,” said Chris Hoffmann, Senior Director of Research at TripleTree. “Our judges were challenged in the process of selecting the finalists this year because there were so many exceptional companies and solutions.”

The TripleTree iAwards were created to recognize and reward exceptional companies that are demonstrating insight, innovation, and initiative in the healthcare industry. On an annual basis, nominated companies are judged based upon an evolving set of criteria with a focus on transformative solutions that are shaping the future of healthcare.

The 2012 TripleTree iAwards finalists are:

Each of these companies and their wireless health solutions will be featured at the 7^thannual Wireless Health Convergence Summit, on May 23-24, 2012, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, where winners in three categories will be announced on May 24^th.

Past TripleTree iAward finalists include AirStrip Technologies, BodyMedia, Phreesia, Zeo, CellTrak Technologies, Healthagen, and Epocrates.

About TripleTree

Founded in 1997, TripleTree is an independent, research-driven investment banking firm focused on mergers and acquisitions, financial restructuring, and principal investing advisory services for innovative, high-growth businesses and their investors in the healthcare industry.

Article link: http://www.triple-tree.com/news/tripletree-announces-the-2012-iawards-finalists