Allina deploys Vocera to expand communication capabilities

In other implementations, Missouri CAH goes with Cerner for EHR, revenue cycle systems.

Here is Health Data Management’s weekly roundup of health IT contract wins and go-lives.

* Allina Health in Minnesota and Wisconsin is deploying Vocera interoperability software to connect nurse call systems and patient monitors with the organization’s communication infrastructure with the goal to simplify clinical workflows, improve staff response times and reduce alert fatigue. The new work marks a large expansion of the vendor’s technology across the 12-hospital delivery system.

* Pershing Health System, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Brookfield, Mo., has selected Cerner to implement electronic health record and revenue cycle management software across the facility and three clinics. “We thought Cerner offered us an excellent option moving forward to help provide not only better care but better information to our patients and between our clinics and hospital,” says Scott Tomlinson, IT director and information security officer. “The ability for us to more efficiently connect patient information across our health system and share data with nearby providers will help our doctors make more informed care decisions and improve our patients’ experiences.”

* Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, Conn., has extended its existing use of Simplifi 797, which is software from Wolters Kluwer for compounding hazardous drugs, and also has picked IVX Workflow software from Omnicell to automate the nearly 300-bed hospital’s sterile compounding operations. “Having Simplifi 797 with the new IVX Workflow solution gives us more assurance on patient safety,” says Ann Marie Calamari, director of pharmacy at Middlesex Hospital. “And as an existing Simplifi client, there is a comfort level using a solution we know while having access to the new cleanroom features.”



* Ocean Healthcare, which offers skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers in New Jersey, is expanding an existing relationship with telemedicine vendor TripleCare by launching services at Atlantic Coast Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Lakewood. TripleCare provides teleconsultation services in skilled nursing facilities when physicians are not available, such as in the evening, with a skilled nurse in the facility on-site to assist. The telemedicine services help keep patients on site, allowing them and families to be more comfortable in a less stressful environment and avoiding having to transport a patient to the hospital.

* Halifax Health in Florida and Owensboro Health in Kentucky are two early adopters of CDE One clinical documentation software from Nuance Communications. The product is a cloud-based workflow management and collaboration system for clinical documentation improvement teams. An analytics package supports insights into staff, physician and program performance. The cloud platform also reduces health system resources spent on technical support.