Emergency Department On-Call Physician Management System Developed with John C. Lincoln Health

(SANEPR.com) June 2, 2009 -- OREM, Utah

DigitalBridge?, the leading provider of protected information sharing solutions for digital ecosystems, today announced John C. Lincoln Health Network, Phoenix, has successfully launched an innovative new software as a service (SaaS) for streamlined emergency department on-call management called the DigitalBridge Digital On-Call System™ (DBDOCS™). Developed as a joint concept by Dr. Peter Aiello, head of the Arizona Ophthalmology Trauma Services (AzOTS) and DigitalBridge and beta-tested at John C. Lincoln Hospitals, the first-in-the-nation system has proven to be an overwhelming success since it was activated on January 6, 2009, at John C. Lincoln’s North Mountain Hospital location.

According to a study released late last year by University of Maryland’s Center for Health Information and Decisions, “US Hospitals waste $12b annually due to poor communication among care providers”. To read the full study, visit http://www.smith.umd.edu/chids. The DBDOCS management system was developed to address this critical gap in the care delivery process. The DBDOCS solution simplifies hospital emergency department on-call management by enabling the Instant Care Communication™ process between the hospital and on-call physicians using the physician’s preferred communication method. When a change in scheduling or an emergency requiring a particular specialist’s attention occurs, authorized personnel can quickly determine and notify the appropriate physician. With one touch of a button the on call physician can be contacted and respond quickly and efficiently. If one physician can’t be located back-up physicians are contacted automatically. DBDOCS improves productivity for the physician and hospital staff, increases through-put, reduces wait times and length of stay and improves quality and safety. The expected benefits of the DBDOCS solution were proven at John C. Lincoln: over just the last three months, physician on-call response time has varied from 1 to 18 minutes, with an average of 6 minutes and a median of 10 minutes. These figures represent a 200% to 300% improvement over the prior process, providing an instant value proposition for hospitals. In addition, DBDOCS can typically be implemented in 30 to 60 days. DBDOCS can also support the Instant Care Communication™ process between the health system and any call physician or other type of consulting physician in all care settings – inpatient or outpatient.

“Typically, IT departments witness a bit of skepticism about new software. I have to say it has been a long time since I’ve has seen so much end-user enthusiasm and support for an IT-related project,” said Cathy Lindstrom, vice president of Patient Care Services at John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital. “DBDOCS is a no-brainer from a productivity improvement perspective,” Lindstrom added.

“In adding the DBDOCS on-call management system, John C. Lincoln has taken a true nationwide leadership position for both of its Phoenix-area hospitals by providing significant improvements in responsiveness for patient care,” said Reese Gomez, General Manager of DigitalBridge Healthcare. “Between 20% and 40% of all emergency department visits require care from an on-call sub-specialist to treat heart attacks, shattered hips, and the like. Instant communication with these key specialists speeds the care process, reduces wait times, improves throughput, and results in happier on-call physicians. I think we can safely say that in partnership with our customers, we are transforming the on-call experience for five hospitals, 800 to 1,000 on-call physicians and tens of thousands of patients in the metropolitan Phoenix area,” added Gomez.

“This truly has been a perfect collaborative effort. From initial concept to execution and result, the DBDOCS system is an example of the great strides to be made in healthcare through the application of innovative technology,” said Terry Pitts, CEO of DigitalBridge. “John C. Lincoln’s willingness to test a new technology concept moves them further to the forefront of clinical leadership and provides a partnership model for healthcare systems and technology companies nationwide,” said Pitts.

The DBDOCS system solves one of the most persistent problems plaguing the healthcare industry: the ability to help physicians respond to emergency situations in a timely, efficient manner, thereby contributing to improved patient outcomes. Clinically, the DBDOCS system can reduce the possibility of human error in stressful circumstances, while also providing administrators with a complete audit trail so any failures in process can be thoroughly and accurately examined. Administratively, hospitals can use the DBDOCS solution to increase emergency department efficiency while improving patient care quality and safety. The system can help hospitals increase Press Ganey scores and JCAHO core measures, both outpatient and inpatient revenue, and help reduces the risk of EMTALA violations.

About John C. Lincoln Health Network
John C. Lincoln Health Network is an acclaimed health system in Phoenix that includes two hospitals, physician practices, community outreach programs and the John C. Lincoln Health Foundation. Our physicians and staff use state-of-the-art medical technology and innovative approaches to achieve superior clinical outcomes and patient experiences. We have provided comprehensive healthcare and community services to the people of North Phoenix for more than 80 years.

About DigitalBridge
DigitalBridge was founded in 2004, in Orem, Utah, by industry-leading executives from the technology, education, healthcare, justice, and legal industries. The company’s mission is to build solutions that bridge the information gap that exists between organizations involved in complex ecosystems. DigitalBridge’s revolutionary, patent-pending DigitalFusion™ Platform is a completely new architecture for managing information in motion. Our solutions provide protected information sharing to the education, justice, and healthcare markets by leveraging existing technology investments and eliminating barriers to critical information sharing and management while protecting the security, privacy, and integrity of the information. Our unique solutions reside on top of existing legacy systems without requiring rip and replace, allowing authorized users to access the right information, at the right time, in the right context, in a secure and timely manner, 24/7/365, from any Web-enabled device.

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