University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center Realizes Major Benefits from Deploying Capsule's SmartLinx Chart Xpress in Med-Surg

ANDOVER, Mass., Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In May 2014, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Medical Center (Little Rock) launched Capsule's SmartLinx Medical Device Information System (MDIS) to automate data collection from medical devices in an effort to streamline patient charting across all patient care areas.  UAMS went live simultaneously with an enterprise-wide, "Big Bang" Epic electronic medical record (EMR) implementation.  The Epic system now receives medical device data from SmartLinx.  After five months of using the SmartLinx Chart Xpress solution in med-surg, the initial results have exceeded expectations by enhancing nurses' efficiency at the bedside, near real-time availability of patient information in the clinical record and the promotion of nursing staff retention.

Capsule's SmartLinx Chart Xpress connects to existing spot check monitors to capture and wirelessly send validated vital signs to the electronic medical record, before the clinician leaves the bedside.  Vitals are reviewed and validated at the point-of-care, so clinicians needn't login to another workstation or carry another handheld device. This reduces the time from vital signs measurement to charting in the EMR from hours to seconds, and ensures the accuracy and rapid delivery of information for clinical decision-making. Intuitive, flexible and easy to use, Chart Xpress can be configured to any clinical workflow and can accept and integrate additional clinical information.

"We needed to maximize the impact of our nursing time, while delivering a more comfortable work environment.  Medical device integration provided a powerful answer," said Amy Hester, PhD(c), BSN, RN, BC, Director of Clinical Informatics and Innovation at UAMS.  "Prior to the implementation (of Chart Xpress), our nurses manually recorded device data and then duplicated it in our EMR—typically at the conclusion of their shifts.  For better and more efficient care, we sought to eliminate that delay in getting data into the patient record and sharing data with the entire clinical team in near real time while it could still impact care. Capsule's automation of device data transmission to the EMR made this a reality. Moreover, it significantly enhanced our nurses' efficiency at the bedside.  As a result, without any increased staffing, we now deliver a high level of care to more patients in less time," Hester concluded.

Hester, who will be discussing her experience at April's HIMSS 2015 Conference in Chicago, also noted specific benefits that included automating time-consuming documentation of safety checks and compliance with treatment protocols, strong system reliability, and defined methods for identifying points of failure.  "We also found benefits in areas we hadn't anticipated due to the user friendliness of the system," added Hester.  "Staff who were unfamiliar with computers found the application intuitive and easy to use, which went a long way in retaining valuable staff who were otherwise considering retirement with the transition to our new EMR."

"The benefits a hospital experiences from automating the transmission of vital sign data in medical surgical areas via Chart Xpress are not unique to UAMS," said Susan Niemeier, RN Chief Nursing Officer at Capsule.  "Hospitals that have implemented Capsule's SmartLinx Chart Xpress, can now point to the many benefits of a product that provides faster and more accurate documentation of patient data in lower acuity care areas."

In a 3-part webinar series that can be accessed on the Capsule website, Capsule chronicles the demands of the medical surgical departments, evaluated current and future solutions and the UAMS success story.  The series featured Neimeier, Hester, and Capsule Product Manager, Andrew Wescott.  To listen to the webinar series and for more information on SmartLinx Chart Xpress and the UAMS success story, please, visit http://www.capsuletech.com/resources/knowledge-center

About University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Medical Center
UAMS is the state's only academic medical and Level I Trauma Center. UAMS is a busy 516-bed facility providing a full range of specialized medical services. Med-surg is by far the largest care area, comprising almost 300 beds in eight central hospital units, plus several in outlying specialized facilities.

About Capsule
Capsule is the leading global provider of medical device integration solutions for hospitals and healthcare organizations. Capsule's SmartLinx Medical Device Information System (MDIS) increases efficiency and improves patient care through the systematic real-time capture of patient vitals at the point-of-care and the delivery of those data to hospital electronic medical records, other information systems and third party mobile solutions. Powerful clinical surveillance and analytical software tools enable alarms and alerts to clinicians of adverse patient conditions, allowing timely patient interventions. Capsule's solutions are flexible and scalable, offering a variety of deployment options to meet the needs of any healthcare delivery organization. Founded in 1997, the Company has established strong partnerships with leading medical device manufacturers and installed enterprise-wide solutions in over 1,715 hospitals in 37 countries. For more information, visit www.capsuletech.com or call +1 978-482-2337 (US), or +33 1 84 17 12 00 (France).

Connect with Capsule:
Capsule's corporate blog http://blog.capsuletech.com/

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