Bridgemark Healthcare Is First Skilled Nursing Provider to Use Leaf Wireless Monitors to Prevent Pressure Ulcers

PLEASANTON, Calif., Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois' Bridgemark Healthcare, which operates 10 long-term care facilities and four short-term rehabilitation centers, is the nation's first skilled nursing and rehabilitation company to change its safety protocols to include the use of the wearable Leaf Patient Monitoring system. The cutting-edge wireless system helps prevent pressure ulcers for at-risk patients.

Bridgemark recently began using the wireless Leaf monitors at Willowcreek Rehabilitation & Nursing and Four Fountains, the company's two facilities in Belleville, Ill.

Studies have shown the Leaf system dramatically improves compliance with institutional turn protocols, the standard of care to prevent pressure ulcers.  At-risk patients must be turned and repositioned on a regular schedule to alleviate pressure that slows blood flow to susceptible parts of the body, leading to the formation of pressure ulcers.  Leaf's lightweight, wireless, wearable sensor tracks patient movements and notifies clinicians when patients must be turned. It can also be used to verify whether a turn has been effective.

Leaf monitors can be used with bed-ridden patients, but are equally effective in detecting the movements of those who are wheelchair-bound and susceptible to pressure ulcers. 

"We are excited to be the first skilled nursing company to adopt Leaf wireless technology to improve the quality of care and provide extra protection for our patients," said Bridgemark President Steve Miller. "Pressure ulcers are a serious threat to both our short- and long-term care patients.  And Leaf's leading-edge technology optimizes our medical staff's efforts to protect both our short-stay guests and our facility residents."

Bridgemark is the third healthcare institution to rewrite its patient safety protocols to include the use of Leaf's wireless patient monitors. Chino Valley Medical Center in Chino, Calif., and the Boise Veterans Administration Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, adapted their patient turn protocols when they deployed Leaf systems earlier this year.

This is the first use of wireless Leaf monitors in the large and growing long-term care market.  About 16,000 nursing homes operate in the U.S. today.  To date, Leaf has operated in the acute care market.  The nation has about 5,000 acute care hospitals.

It is also the first installation in which the Leaf Patient Monitor aggregates local patient data in a remote, central data center that serves multiple facilities within the single healthcare system.  The implementation demonstrates that the Leaf technology is capable of monitoring and managing the turn protocols of patients at an enterprise scale while — sending patient status and alert messages from the central data center to the clinical staff of the appropriate care facility in the healthcare system.  The convenience and cost-savings of administering the system from a single, central location is attractive to large healthcare organizations.

"The search for innovative ways to reduce pressure ulcers is not limited to hospitals. Bridgemark's pioneering use of our technology demonstrates the importance of preventing this painful and potentially deadly condition," said Mark Weckwerth, chief executive officer at Leaf Healthcare. "We are thrilled that caregivers recognize the value of Leaf technology."

The Leaf system is comprised of a small, lightweight, wearable sensor that electronically monitors a patient's position and movements.  Data collected by the sensor is communicated wirelessly to central monitoring stations or mobile devices so that caregivers can check on patient position and movement.  The system provides alerts when necessary to ensure that all patients wearing a Leaf Sensor are repositioned according to their prescribed turning schedules to reduce incidence of pressure ulcers.  The device has been cleared for sale by FDA 510(k).   

Institution-acquired pressure ulcers are a leading threat to modern quality healthcare. Research by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shows that pressure ulcers cost the nation's healthcare system more than $11 billion a year.   The condition is both excruciatingly painful for patients and costly for providers since it is considered preventable and, therefore, does not qualify for reimbursement by government and other payers.

About Bridgemark Healthcare

Bridgemark Healthcare operates 10 skilled nursing facilities and four premier rehabilitation centers in Illinois. The company provides compassionate care, an unwavering commitment to customer service and a superior level of clinical capability to its residents and guests.

About Leaf Healthcare, Inc.

Leaf Healthcare creates wireless patient monitoring solutions for health care providers seeking more efficient, cost effective ways to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes.  The Leaf Patient Monitoring System wirelessly monitors a patient's position and movement and uses that data to automate and document the management of prescribed turn protocols for patients at risk for hospital acquired pressure ulcers.  The company continually seeks to incorporate more patient monitoring features and capabilities into its technology platform, enabling ever-broader improvements to patient safety, clinical efficiency and patient outcomes. To learn more, visit www.leafhealthcare.com

Leaf Healthcare is a proud supporter of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP).  The NPUAP is an independent organization and does not endorse or promote the products or services of any of its supporters.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bridgemark-healthcare-is-first-skilled-nursing-provider-to-use-leaf-wireless-monitors-to-prevent-pressure-ulcers-300007340.html

SOURCE Leaf Healthcare, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.leafhealthcare.com