The e-Care of Wisconsin doctors and nurses observe and communicate with patients and bedside health care providers through a variety of devices.

 

Patient data such as lab results, medication lists, and vital signs (blood pressure readings and heart rate) are sent from the hospital information systems to the e-Care of Wisconsin center electronically where the information is analyzed by the e-Care doctors and nurses.

 

e-Care doctors and nurses can utilize the in-room camera and microphone to communicate with patients and bedside health care providers to assist in providing the best possible care.

 

To ensure privacy, cameras are turned off and face the wall except when needed to check on the patient's status or deliver care. When a camera is turned on it moves to face the patient, a green light signals it is activated, and the e-Care staff will ring a "doorbell" that will be heard in the room. No audio or video recordings are ever made of the patient.

The e-Care doctors and nurses can also be notified that assistance is needed in the patient's room by the use of the in-room eLert button. When this button is pressed, notification is sent to the e-Care center electronically to notify the e-Care doctors and nurses that assistance is needed.

All data and communications are transferred across secure data lines and use safeguards to meet the federal standards of the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

 

 

The following illustration demonstrates the technological flow of information from the patient room to the e-Care of Wisconsin clinical operations location.