TPC Systems provides hospital with the hands-free technology and hands-on training to instantly connect doctors, nurses, and hospital staff
Milford, CT -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/27/2006 -- When Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow, New York, was looking for a partner to help it improve communications within the 235-bed acute-care facility, it turned to local healthcare communication solution provider TPC Systems.
In 2005 alone, almost 23,000 patients went through the Emergency Department at Phelps, and one-quarter of them required admission to the hospital as inpatients. Management recognized that in order to reduce the sometimes lengthy time that it took to place these patients in a room, a more efficient communication system was needed.
“We are always looking for tools that will help improve productivity and efficiency,” explains Kerry L. Pisano, Phelps’s vice president of support services, who championed the Vocera implementation. “For us to be successful,” says Pisano, “we’ve got to have a relationship that’s going to be good for the hospital and good for the vendor.”
Having recently deployed a Vocera Wireless Communication System at nearby Greenwich Hospital, TPC Systems was one of the few local companies able and experienced enough to provide Phelps the technology, implementation services, training, and support the hospital required.
TPC worked closely with the hospital to minimize technology issues and sent a team of customer care specialists to work with the doctors, nurses, and technicians who would be using the system, which is accessed through sleek, lightweight black badges worn on a lapel, collar, or lanyard.
“Customers often wind up struggling to get a good return on their technology investment,” says Kenny Schiff, TPC’s chief technology officer. “We understand that our customers need not just the proper tools but the proper project management and support to make each implementation successful, which is why we will be there today, tomorrow, and six months from now.”
After some initial trepidation, the Phelps staff quickly came to appreciate its new hands-free communication system. “People are so comfortable with the system, they call it a stress reliever,” says Pisano.
Indeed, walk down the halls at Phelps Memorial Hospital and you will rarely hear the old overhead paging system. Even beepers have ceased to beep thanks to the efficiency of the Vocera system and its ability to directly connect just about anyone anywhere--even call people on their cell phones when they are outside the hospital.
Phase Two of the Vocera went live in January, bringing the total number of Vocera users at Phelps to 250 (or approximately 2.5 users per badge). And Pisano and his team are eager to continue their work with TPC Systems to get the rest of the clinical staff, some 150 more users, online with Vocera in the not-too-distant future.
About Phelps Memorial Hospital Center
Set on 69 acres overlooking the Hudson River in Sleepy Hollow, New York, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center is a 235-bed not-for-profit acute-care hospital committed to providing outstanding medical and mental healthcare to residents of Westchester and the surrounding communities.
For more information, please contact:
Mary Sernatinger
Director, Marketing/Communications
Voice: 914.366.3109
email: msernatinger@pmhc.us
About TPC Systems
Milford, Connecticut-based TPC Systems, Inc. is a full-service convergence technology and communication solutions provider, providing integrated systems and professional services to healthcare facilities, schools, and businesses. In continuous operation since 1935, TPC prides itself on being a high-tech, high-touch firm.
For more information, please contact:
Kenny Schiff
Chief Technology Officer
Voice: 203.878.1321, x107
email: kschiff@tpcsystems.com
Vocera Wireless Communicators Help Phelps Memorial Hospital Get Patients out of Emergency and into Inpatient Rooms Faster