WACHTER HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS: Enhancing Patient Safety

Given the unpredictable nature ofrecovery, healthcare facilities usually employ costly 1:1 patient sitters to monitor patients against fall prevention, behavioral health risk, and tampering with medical devices.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare leaders to realize the immediaterisks and underlying costsrelated to this policy,adding to the industry’s challenges. In addition to prioritizingpatient safety, risk management, andshrinking bottom linesdue to a decrease in elective surgeries, healthcare workers across the globe are fighting to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. 

Leading these efforts from the frontlines, Wachter Healthcare Solutions emerges as the best betthanks to its innovative virtual patient observation solutions that can enhance patient safety.

Carrying over nine decades of expertise on the cutting edge of business technology,“Wachter is positioned to provide the best solutions to healthcare facilities during this pandemic and beyond,” beginsAshley Kuruvilla, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, NOVA Business Development Manager.

Serving customers acrosshealthcare as Wachter Healthcare Solutions, its’ parent company Wachter, Inc. is a leading nationwide solutions integrator serving retail, education, data center, logistics, and several other markets.Leveraging many years of yielded knowledge and experience,Wachter Healthcare Solutions offers NOVA (Nursing Observation and Virtual Assistant), a reliable, scalable, end-to-end audioand video monitoring solution, which is built to operate on emerging platforms.

The company performs configurable EMR integration that enables the NOVA platform to operate within pre-defined technology and clinical workflows,plus minimizing the training cost for the hospital. NOVA provides a complete virtual window into patient condition and status, and thus empowers healthcare givers to monitor multiple patient environments. Healthcare facilities can remotely observe offline devices and providers can conduct virtual rounds, continuously monitor critically ill patients. They can receive frequent updates from onsite healthcare givers regarding the statuses of patients.

“Through the use of our virtual patient observation system, NOVA, a reduction in PPE use, staff exposure, and the spread of infection is possible,” Kuruvilla adds.

Getting into the specifics, Kuruvillashared that NOVA uses HD cameras with two-way audio and video communication, multi-language support, night vision, and pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities.

“For patients, it can also be reassuring to speak with their care team ‘face-to-face’ through NOVA’s 2-way audio and video, rather than always seeing a faceless caregiver hidden behind layers of PPE,” explains Kuruvilla.

Its in-built stat alarm can be used to alert staff in the event of a medical emergency. NOVA’s arsenal also includesreporting and auditing tools that facilitate the study of what happened during an event. The built-in Intervention Event Tracker provides definable acuity thresholds, at-a-glance color and quantity indicator of alarms and redirects. In addition, it allows a quick summary of time and type of redirects performed. Live data and automatic notifications help in identifying patient risk and utilizing patient acuity tracking.

The HIPAA certified NOVA health team plays a pivotal role in secure health information management. The company has a team of clinical support specialists, who are nurses serving as subject-matter experts when working with the clinical teams at hospitals. Wachter’s 24/7/365 support and NOC help desk services ensure successful patient observation.

“As a solutions integrator, we regularly consult with our customers to understand their needs and requirements, and also provide education on available solutions, vendor products, and the latest requirements and trends for their business sector,” adds Kuruvilla.

With NOVA, Wachter Healthcare Solutions has enabled numerous healthcare facilities to achieve their operational and business goals. For instance, the Bedford Veterans Affairs Medical Center sought a solution becauseits 1:1 sitter program had proved ineffective to both patients and the nursing staff. Some of the prominent challenges faced by the organization were higher operational costs, tied up resources, and increased patient falls.

NOVA stood out as the one-stop-shop solution that could single-handedly alleviate these concerns. Soon after NOVA’s deployment, the medical center authorities could not only reduce patient falls, but also staff for 1:1 sitter program and the expenditure on this program. Eventually, the medical center witnessed a significantly better return on investment (ROI) than previously.

Maintaining its dominance in the healthcare space, Wachter has also partnered with industry leaders to deploy TempWatch and ContactWatch that can be used for temperature monitoring and contact tracing efforts during this pandemic. In the coming years, the leadership of the company aims to create an unparalleled user experience as NOVA’s disruptive capabilities leads this expedition.

“Knowing the needs of healthcare professionals and the challenges that are faced within the healthcare industry I can unequivocally vouch for the benefits of utilizing NOVA,” concludes Kuruvilla.

“Through the use of our virtual patient observation system, NOVA, a reduction in PPE use, staff exposure, and the spread of infection is possible”

Wachter Healthcare Solutions
W

Brian Sloan
Management
CEO
Website
www.wachterhealth.com

Magazine