GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company, which has supplied technology for two all-digital heart hospitals now in operation in the United States, designed Saint Francis Heart Hospital's information system from the ground up, completing implementation in a record-setting nine months.

Saint Francis Heart Hospital features cutting-edge diagnostics, a wide range of cardiovascular services, patient monitoring systems, and electronic medical record systems enabling physicians to quickly and accurately diagnose and treat heart disease, and to expediently track all aspects of patient recovery.

Unlike traditional paper-based hospitals and care centers, Saint Francis Heart Hospital is a completely paperless, wireless, filmless environment.

The standard records room full of patient records charts - as well as all clinical, administrative and financial information - resides on a computer network and flows seamlessly throughout the hospital, from patient registration through discharge.

"In partnership with GE, we're setting a new standard in digitization of healthcare and in cardiac patient care," said Robert S. Dolan, CEO of Saint Francis Heart Hospital.

"Our digital initiative is focused on using IT to help bridge the gap between treating disease and managing information. Integrated, readily accessible patient information that enables us to know each patient's medical history and current status empowers our physicians to make the right care decisions at the right time."

The hospital's successful implementation of GE's clinical information technology system is well ahead of President Bush's recently announced Health Information Technology Plan, which proposes that most Americans' health records be made electronic by 2014 in order to lower costs, prevent errors and ensure consistent, quality health care.

Setting a New Standard in Patient Care

Saint Francis Heart Hospital's infrastructure was designed specifically to enhance the delivery of healthcare and to improve the total patient experience.

For example, every patient room features a workstation that can show patients a moving image of their angiogram, enabling physicians to better engage patients in their care decisions.

In the past, physicians would provide patients with a hand-drawn image or move them to a sterile environment to view generic heart images.

In addition, patient rooms at Saint Francis Heart Hospital are "universal." Instead of taking the patient to five or so separate rooms for different levels of care, patients can stay in one room for the entire duration of their visit, along with their team of care providers and families.

Equipment required to monitor and treat a patient, due to its portability and miniaturization can now be brought to the patient bedside, further minimizing the need to move the patient.

According to Dolan, high-tech systems at Saint Francis Heart Hospital have enabled staff to reduce the patient admissions process to 10 minutes versus the industry average of 30 minutes and lab results are posted approximately 30 minutes from completion, as opposed to the hours it can typically take to view results in a paper record.

Also, physicians at Saint Francis Heart Hospital spend approximately 40 percent less time collecting data, which translates in to more time spent with patients.

"These advantages demonstrate Saint Francis Heart Hospital's intense focus on using technology to improve patient safety as well as the total patient experience," Dolan said.

"As a result, our hospital has a 98 percent patient satisfaction rate, which is well above the 90 percent satisfaction marks that some of the top healthcare facilities achieve."

Saint Francis Heart Hospital's infrastructure also allows physicians to access patient information, including CT scans, lab results and prescription drug information, from any location in the hospital, the physician's home or off-site at any time and in a secure manner.

"For cardiac patients, time is muscle," said Dr. Michael Spain, cardiologist and Saint Francis Heart Hospital board member.

"If I'm at home after hours and get a call that one of my patients is having chest pain, I can call up important, real-time patient information right on my home PC and consult the physician on duty from my cell phone on the way to hospital. If surgery is needed, everything can be arranged en route. This gives our patients an important edge."

State-of-the-Art Technology Infrastructure

"The healthcare industry is under incredible pressure to enhance clinical accuracy and reduce costs. At the same time, hospitals want to create an environment that's more convenient and safer for the patient," said Joe Hogan, president and CEO of GE Healthcare Technologies.

"Our work with Saint Francis Heart Hospital demonstrates that we can effectively leverage IT to usher in a new era of healthcare that is more accurate, efficient, cost effective and patient-focused."

Saint Francis Heart Hospital's digital workflow is built around GE's Centricity Clinical Information System, which integrates patient information from every care area and every procedure into a comprehensive electronic medical record.

The system covers all aspects of care, including cardiology, perioperative, pharmacy and laboratory. GE's computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system and the capability to barcode medication administration at the bedside ensures improved accuracy and improved patient safety.

GE also supplied its advanced Cardiac Cath Lab suite of technology, including the Innova 2000 and Innova 4100 and Mac-Lab hemodynamic monitoring technology.

All diagnostic images, physiological signs and structured clinical data are held within the Centricity Enterprise Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS).

"Bottom line: we have 52 beds, but more than 275 workstations in our hospital," Dolan said. "That ratio demonstrates our investment in ensuring that every patient at Saint Francis Heart Hospital receives comprehensive, state-of-the-art care."

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