Albert Einstein Healthcare Network CMIO To Present Lecture On Automatic Patient Tracking Insights At HIMSS Annual Conference
At this year's Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference in Orlando, Florida, the Chief Medical Informatics Officer of Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, L. Albert Villarin MD, FACEP, will be presenting a lecture on the role for automatic patient and asset tracking systems to impact patient flow within a hospital emergency department. The lecture, titled Managing Patient Flow Better at the Front Door – Your ED!, will share insights from Dr. Villarin's use of automatic tracking software which captures the real time location of patients, medical staff and assets through a wireless sensory network. Dr. Villarin's lecture will be held on Monday, February 25th at 10 am in Room 230-B of the Orange County Convention Center.
Dr. Villarin, in his joint role as Director of Medical Informatics in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center (AEMC) in Philadelphia, oversaw the implementation and ongoing utilization of the automatic tracking system at this 509 bed facility's emergency department. A level 1 trauma center, the 48 bed AEMC emergency department treated over 76,000 patient visits in 2007. AEMC is one of the first hospitals in the nation to implement an automatic patient and asset tracking system in an emergency department. Originally installed in 2003, the tracking system has tracked over a quarter of a million emergency visits to date and has helped the department to improve patient flow and operational efficiencies as patient volumes have continued to increase.
The tracking software, Amelior EDTracker by Patient Care Technology Systems, was implemented with an infrared based real time locating system from Versus Technology, Inc. Wireless personnel and asset tags identify their real time location to an infrared-based sensory network.Amelior EDTracker receives the real-time location information and applies emergency department workflow process rules to recognize patient care milestones as they occur throughout a patient's encounter. Together with interfaces to laboratory and radiology department systems, the software helps caregivers to track the status of their patients without having to manually update information. An integrated reporting module provides extensive historical information on patient flow for further optimization of department efficiency.
In an additional lecture, Dr. Villarin will be sharing an overview of his department's plans to integrate their automatic tracking software with an electronic medical record for the emergency department in the Electronic Health Record Theatre located in booth # 8273 in the HIMSS exhibition hall. The lecture is scheduled for 2:15 pm on Monday, February 25th.
Patient Care Technology Systems will be exhibiting their Amelior suite of workflow automation solutions in booth # 2221 at the HIMSS annual conference.
About Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, is a 1,200 bed integrated delivery network serving the communities of North Philadelphia and Montgomery County, PA. A founding member of the Jefferson Health System, Einstein combines the best of academic medicine and community service, employing nearly 7,000 people, and offering training programs for physician residents and fellows, nurses and other health professionals. The Network provides healthcare services through the Albert Einstein Medical Center and Einstein at Elkins Park hospitals, its MossRehab and Belmont Behavioral Health divisions, Germantown Community Health Services, Willow Terrace (a nursing home), Willowcrest (a center for subacute care), outpatient facilities such as Center One and Einstein Neighborhood Healthcare, network of primary care and specialist practices throughout the community. For more information, visit www.einstein.edu.
About Patient Care Technology Systems
Patient Care Technology Systems, a subsidiary of Consulier Engineering, Inc. supports health care providers with intelligent workflow automation solutions to improve patient flow and to reduce the risk of medical errors. The company's Amelior software suite includes Amelior ED, a comprehensive emergency department information system, and automatic patient and asset tracking software for the emergency department, perioperative suite, and enterprise-wide needs. Amelior automatic tracking software is compatible with all leading locating hardware including ultrasound, infrared, RFID, ultra-wideband, and Wi-Fi. PCTS customers have been recognized nationally for improvements in efficiency and clinical excellence. PCTS was recognized with the prestigious Blue Diamond Award for Best IT Innovation in 2007. For more information, visit www.pcts.com.
SOURCE: Albert Einstein Healthcare Network