Modernize staff assignment. Let your unit secretaries and charge nurses pre-assign patients to caregivers, but keep accountability high by using bar code readers during system login (pairing ID badges to wireless handsets). And with HL-7 integration in the patient discharge system, you'll be able to check archived assignments to see where people went and what they did.

Once they're logged in, your staff can visually monitor patients, assets and workflow in real time. Nurses report completed tasks to networked PCs, triage desks and master stations, and automated messages back to their wireless devices keep them up on necessary rounding, turning and pain reassessment. In the admit beds, two-button stations notify housekeeping whenever rooms need to be cleaned, and bed management systems lighten nurses' workloads. Instant notification of open and clean beds eliminates patient pileup, increasing throughput and keeping over-capacity issues from diverting your ambulances.