LEWISBURG - Critically ill patients at Evangelical Community Hospital will now have access to an enhanced level of care from a newly established eICU program, offered through a partnership with Geisinger Health System.
Geisinger announced Wednesday that, by utilizing Philips VISICU technology, the program's team of Geisinger critical care physicians and nurses will remotely analyze patient data from monitors, life support systems, electronic health records, medical orders and other sources of information, and assist the critical care staff at Evangelical when a patient is trending toward a serious health event.
"The new eICU program will offer advanced care for our most critically ill patients," said Dr. Doyle Ashburn, medical director of critical care, Evangelical Community Hospital. "By using this new technology, many patients who may have previously required transfers to tertiary hospitals, can continue to receive their care at Evangelical."
The program will complement care delivered by critical care physicians at the bedside, according to Dr. John McIlwaine, director of the eICU at Geisinger Health System. Real-time voice and video communications, as well as data, will be utilized to ensure continuous remote monitoring of intensive care patients at Evangelical Community Hospital.
"Patients in the intensive care unit are at the highest risk because of their illness' complexity. The vision of this program is to enhance patient safety, and the efficiency of care that is delivered," said McIlwaine. "We are extremely pleased in our partnership with Evangelical Community Hospital in offering this advanced technology to those in the region who need these very critical services."
Data suggests hospitals with eICU programs realize reduced mortality rates and patient lengths of stay.