What You Should Know:
– Baptist Health, a leading healthcare system in Arkansas, and Caregility, a provider of intelligent telehealth devices, today announced a significant expansion of their partnership. This collaboration aims to transform patient care delivery by leveraging telehealth technology across Baptist Health’s entire network of hospitals.
– Caregility Cloud™ is a trusted platform used by over 1,000 hospitals across the US. It is valued for its high reliability, adaptability to various workflows, and seamless integration with existing clinical platforms like Epic.
Doubling Down on Success: 700 Bedsides Equipped with Telehealth Devices
The partnership will significantly expand Baptist Health’s use of Caregility’s intelligent telehealth devices. More than 700 bedsides system-wide will be equipped with this technology, doubling the footprint of Baptist Health’s inpatient telehealth services. This initiative adds virtual care resources to complement in-person care, aiming to improve patient outcomes.
Building on a Strong Foundation
Baptist Health has already seen success with virtual admissions and discharge programs, supported by over 300 Caregility telehealth devices across 11 hospitals. Since 2021, their partnership with Caregility has resulted in a staggering increase in telehealth sessions, growing from roughly 1,000 per quarter to over 20,000.
Success Breeds Expansion: Virtual Nursing Goes System-Wide
The positive impact of Baptist Health’s initial virtual care programs has led to a system-wide rollout. In early 2023, they launched Arkansas’ first virtual nursing program, providing additional support for bedside nurses, patients, and families. This program, initially implemented at the Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute, has now expanded to hospitals in Stuttgart, Malvern, and Heber Springs. Following positive patient outcomes and feedback, Baptist Health plans to implement virtual care programs on every medical and surgical floor across the organization.
Investing in Technology and Infrastructure
As part of this expansion, Baptist Health will deploy Caregility’s latest telehealth devices and the award-winning Caregility Cloud™ platform in over 500 additional patient rooms at key hospitals:
- Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock (flagship hospital)
- Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock
- Baptist Health-Fort Smith
These advanced devices will support the expansion of virtual nursing services and the upcoming rollout of virtual support staff and providers. Additionally, a centralized hub dedicated to virtual nursing and virtual sitters has been established at Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock.
More Eyes on Patients, Less Pressure on Staff
This partnership significantly increases the support available for patients by adding virtual resources. Virtual nurses and support staff can handle tasks that would typically burden bedside staff, alleviating pressure and allowing them to focus on more complex patient needs. Increased use of telehealth in acute care settings has been shown to improve efficiency, reduce patient wait times, and improve overall throughput (movement of patients through the hospital system).
Improved Patient Satisfaction and Access
The availability of virtual care options at the bedside is not only beneficial for staff but also improves patient satisfaction, as evidenced by early field trials. Caregility Cloud™ allows Baptist Health to centralize and scale various virtual care programs, including virtual nursing, consultations, rounding, and patient observation. This not only improves workflow efficiency and staffing flexibility but also facilitates engagement with remote specialists and interpreters, promoting greater patient access and health equity.
“Embracing virtual support as part of our acute care bedside support and quality strategy signifies a pivotal step forward in how we envision the future of healthcare at Baptist Health. Baptist Health first added virtual care in 2005, and we have continued to advance with the latest technology bringing us to where we are today with our partnership with Caregility. This expansion is more than an initiative; it’s a commitment to providing health equity across our state, setting new standards in patient and provider satisfaction, and furthering our mission to be the employer of choice in Arkansas,” said Kourtney Matlock President of Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute and system post-acute services.
