Since its outset in 1880, York Hospital devoted itself to providing quality healthcare service. The constant self-improvement of more than 3,400 employees shaped it into a modern, effective 466-bed teaching hospital. In 2005, Solucient placed York for the seventh time in the country's top hundred hospitals. York was one of only four Pennsylvania institutions to achieve the honor that year.

The new six-story patient care tower demonstrates York Hospital's dedication to its patients and the commitment of its staff. This state-of-the-art facility boasts some of the most advanced integrated healthcare technologies available today. During a multi-phase installation schedule, SAGE designed and executed these solutions to improve nurse and patient satisfaction, workflow efficiency, and HIPPA and JCAHO compliance. The patient care tower sets communications standards for Pennsylvanian health care facilities, and York Hospital continues to realize the benefits of its investment.

SAGE Delivers:

In partnership with Rauland-Borg, SAGE installed a Responder IV Nurse Call system. One of the most significant communications systems on the market today, this code-driven life safety technology is a reliable, non-PC based platform. SAGE streamlined the new system with Ascom and Versus devices to simplify nurses' workloads.

Responder IV's layers of integrated technologies reduce patient response times and increase the level of delivered care.

LAN-based Responder NET software allows the managers to assign each of their patients to individual caregivers. Those nurses are linked to their assigned patients by text messages and wireless telephones. This frees them from the Nurse's Station, allowing them to give personal care to their patients without the fear of missing a high-priority call. At any time, and without making a trip, nurses can call back into patients' rooms, determine each patient's needs, and even set service requests for other level nurses.

Responder NET Integrated Functions:

A Day in the Life of a Nurse at York Hospital:

This is a brief glimpse into a typical call received by the nurses at York Hospital:

Nancy Jones, RN, arrives at the hospital to begin her shift.  Her nurse manager or charge nurse has already pre-assigned her patients in the Responder NET System.  Nancy puts on her Staff Locator tag and heads to the Nurse’s Station on her floor.  There, she selects a wireless phone, scans it and her ID badge with the barcode reader, and clicks “Update” on the RNET PC.  She is ready to begin accepting patient calls.

Rupert Henderson in T410 presses the nurse button on his pillow speaker to request his pain medication.  The White LED light outside of Mr. Henderson’s room lights up.  Nancy receives a text message on her phone: “T410:1 Normal.”  She presses the “Talk” button on her handset and speaks directly to Mr. Smith.  She walks to the Med Room while assuring Mr. Smith that she is on her way, arriving in his room with his medication a few moments later. 

As Nancy walks into the room, the IR receiver senses her Locator tag, automatically cancels the call and lights a green LED outside of the room to indicate the presence of an RN.

Meanwhile, the information from this process is displayed in real-time on the RNET information display at the unit secretaries' station and archived in the database.

Equipment Highlights :

Rauland-Borg Responder IV Nurse Call communications system 6-Bulb LED corridor lights with separate Code Blue indication 37-pin feature bed interface Responder NET LAN-based management software with HL-7 Integration Staff scheduler and sign-on application with barcode reader Information display with patient whiteboard Versus IR/RFID staff/asset-locating system Ascom wireless telephone system with impact- and water-resistant handsets Emergin Communications Gateway Standard 5-Year Manufacturer's Warranty on all Rauland products Enhanced Professional Services (EPS) Custom Training and Implementation

EPS Training and Implementation:

As part of the construction and installation process, York Hospital contracted SAGE for the Rauland Enhanced Professional Services program (EPS). EPS implementation and training proved essential. EPS trainers met with nurse managers from each department to conduct a needs assessment and to establish the Responder IV system's best possible execution. After gathering department information, the EPS team and SAGE technicians programmed the Responder IV/NET to suit the needs of everyone.

In-service training classes were then conducted for every shift change. They included custom training handouts for continued reference, ensuring that the hospital’s investment is protected.