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February 13, 2006
Sprint Partners With Global Care Quest to Provide Physicians With Mobile Access to Patient Data
TMCnet Communications and Broadband Columnist
Sprint and Global Care Quest Inc. have announced an agreement to offer the Integrated Clinical Information System Mobile (ICIS Mobile) solution to healthcare providers. Critical real-time patient information will be available on select Sprint handheld devices and smart phones. The secure remote solution is designed to assist physicians specializing in the tending of intensive care patients both inside and outside the hospital.
The ICIS Mobile solution enables a physician attending his or her child’s soccer game to respond instantly to emergencies by assessing complete patient data on their handheld device. This enables the physician to advise the right care, right away.
Bill Montgomery, director of healthcare for Sprint, noted that Sprint is committed to improving the quality and safety of patient care by providing cutting edge wireless mobility solutions in healthcare and extending the workplace outside of hospitals, enabling physicians to address patient needs instantly.
Montgomery added that the relationship with Global Care Quest represents the next generation of wireless medical communication. Sprint will continue to work with key partners to address the multiple challenges faced by the healthcare industry.
Traditionally, physicians have had to rely on multiple sources to retrieve patient information, which proved to be time consuming. Under this agreement, ICIS Mobile, available on select Sprint phones, including the Sprint PCS Vision(SM) Smart Device PPC-6700, will provide physicians with instant access to comprehensive patient information, securely and remotely, on their handheld devices.
The Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) functionality, available on the Sprint PCS Vision(SM) Smart Device PPC-6700, provides for faster downloads of data while leveraging mobile applications. The information is presented in a series of clinical windows that include diagnostic images, real-time vital signs, lab results, trend data, patient demographic data, live video feeds, clinical notes, rounding lists and remote bedside monitoring.
According to Cleve Adams, CEO, Global Care Quest, access to real-time patient information at anytime is the key to high-quality and cost-effective patient care. Global Care Quest is proud to work with Sprint, an industry leader in providing mobility solutions to the healthcare industry. Global Care Quest’s mobile solutions increase patient safety, improve physician mobility and workflow as well as substantially reduce the time spent gathering patient information.
The Global Care Quest mobile solution integrates into a hospital’s existing clinical information system through wireless networks as well as MS Windows-based desktop and tablet computers. Patient privacy is guarded through the use of authentication codes and data encryption that meets the standards set but the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
The need for physicians’ to be able to access patient information regardless of location can certainly be acknowledged. In the event that a life can be saved because diagnostic time was significantly reduced while a physician was out of the hospital is also a key advantage. An item of concern, however, is how much face time will the patient lose because the doctor does not need to be physically present to ascertain the patient’s condition?
While this technology can prove to be life saving and a benefit for physicians who are trying to regain some personal time, certain protocols should be in place to ensure that the technology is not so used as to replace total presence of the physician. There are some things that technology should not replace as it has a very cold bedside manner.
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