Philips eICU program helped Avera Health enhance care quality and efficiency

Philips eICU program helped Avera Health enhance care quality and efficiency

Health system has reduced costs by USD 62 million, reduced nearly 11,000 bed days in the ICU, with more than 260 lives saved in past 12 months

AMSTERDAM, 27-Feb-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — Ahead of the 2018 Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference, Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced the Philips eICU program has helped Avera Health, a South Dakota-based integrated health system, enhance care quality and efficiency by partnering to deliver significant clinical and financial outcomes through the ICU division of their telemedicine program, Avera eCARE®. The Avera eCARE ICU program results achieved in the last 12 months demonstrate the benefits of leveraging innovative, decision-support technology to help deliver high quality care across rural populations, while minimizing gaps in care. Avera eCARE ICU currently monitors 36 hospitals in nine states across the country.

As the nation’s clinician shortage continues to grow [1], rural areas are increasingly struggling to provide patients with quality access to the personalized care they need in a timely manner. In widely dispersed communities, clinical teams have limited access to the expertise from intensivists, specialists and critical care nurses. Patients can be transferred to tertiary care centers in the nearest city, but this option requires expensive and lengthy air transfers. Leveraging telehealth technology can help rural hospitals increase access to quality care by providing the bedside team with expert guidance and 24/7 monitoring of critically ill patients.

Since implementing Philips’ eICU program, Avera eCARE, which serves 13 percent of the nation’s critical access hospitals, has reduced length of ICU stay, mortality, cost of care and clinician burnout. Over the last 12-month period alone, Avera Health has saved:

• USD 62 million in healthcare costs by reducing ICU and hospital length of stay;
• Nearly 11,000 ICU bed days through faster response times to complications; and
• 260 lives.

“Avera implemented eCARE ICU to support providers in rural communities by reducing physician isolation and improving the collaboration of providers,” said Deanna Larson, CEO, Avera eCARE. “Implementing Philips’ eICU program helped our organization transform how we provide critical care while simultaneously reducing healthcare costs. The program ensures the most critical patients are continuously monitored, by leveraging the utilization of telehealth specialists to evaluate and alert bedside providers of the patients’ condition.” 

“With the current shift to value-based care, it’s critical for healthcare organizations to prioritize both quality of care and cost containment. Achieving this double aim can be especially challenging for rural health systems with limited resources and specialty access,” said Christine Storm, Business Leader, eICU, Philips. “The impressive clinical and financial outcomes Avera has achieved through their eCARE ICU program reveal how connected technology and remote monitoring programs can not only improve clinical outcomes, but also help rural populations get the personalized care they need, when they need it.” 

The Philips eICU program combines predictive analytics, data visualization and advanced reporting capabilities with Philips’ expertise to help deliver vital information to bedside caregivers. Receiving this remote support empowers the bedside team to make better informed, more efficient and effective value-based care decisions. Philips eCareManager, the program’s source-agnostic software, provides clinicians with a single integrated view of patient data, allowing care teams to productively manage a large population of patients.  

Philips’ full suite of integrated solutions will be on display in booth #3812 at the 2018 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition taking place March 5-9, 2018 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on Philips’ presence at HIMSS, visit www.usa.philips.com/himss and follow @PhilipsLiveFrom for #HIMSS18 updates throughout the event.  

[1] Mann S. Research Shows Shortage of More than 100,000 Doctors by 2030. Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). https://news.aamc.org/medical-education/article/new-aamc-research-reaffirms-looming-physician-shor/

SOURCE: Koninklijke Philips N.V.

MEDIA CONTACT

Kathy O’Reilly
Philips Group Press Office
Tel.: +1 978-221-8919

Silvie Casanova
Philips North America
Tel: +1 978-657-7467

Jay Gravholt
Director of Media Relations/Avera Health
Tel: +1-605-660-1944
www.AveraeCARE.org