“A tipping point is the event of a previously rare phenomenon becoming rapidly and dramatically more common.”

Last year it happened – I can’t put my finger on when it happened – and I am not sure if there was a specific day, week, or month when it occurred, but in 2012, we hit a tipping point.

The tipping point we experienced was the exponential growth of smartphones being used as a communication device at the point-of-care. Nurses, doctors, and hospital administrators have unilaterally proclaimed that legacy VoIP wireless phones, pagers, and voice badges are devices of the past; our caregivers deserve a better communications experience.

We are constantly amazed at what our customers have been able to achieve in the past four years and we are blessed to partner with such an innovative group of healthcare leaders.

So what is in store for 2013– the year past the tipping point? What is the future of smartphones at the point-of-care?

Come check us out at HIMSS13 in New Orleans to see what Voalte has planned for the new year. If you think Voalte was busy last year, just wait and see what we have in store for you in 2013!

As I travel from hospital to hospital as a User Experience Manager for Voalte, caregivers I train frequently ask me, how Voalte will be useful in their particular unit?  Depending on the type of communication device the caregivers have previously been using or the lack thereof, many caregivers just cannot visualize how Voalte could benefit their unit. 

I often respond with a question… "With whom do you communicate on a regular basis?"  The responses from the caregivers vary depending on their unit workflow from Pharmacy to Respiratory to Physicians, Care Techs, etc.  Then I ask, "How have you been communicating with them?"  Their responses are amazing!  Some have been using pagers, which have been obsolete for individuals outside the hospital setting for quite some time.  Others say they have phones that they can use to call the intended party on.  The trouble with this is that both parties must stop what they are doing to speak to one another by phone.  In this scenario, both caregivers must be available at the same moment and caregivers don’t consistently have the same phone number, resulting in the caregiver dialing 4 or 5 extensions before they find someone to answer.  Lastly, many caregivers respond to my question by saying, "We just yell down the hall or go find the person."

When I explain how the Voalte One solution will allow them to text and call other caregivers by tapping on the desired individuals name or unit, they are thrilled!  Being able to text caregivers and other units throughout the hospital excites them, realizing how this form of communication will help them to better manage their requests from other individuals more effectively.  They are relieved when they learn that they will now be able to see which caregivers are at work on a particular shift, thus eliminating the dialing of multiple extensions to find someone to answer their call. 

I am excited to report that it does not take much convincing for Voalte’s caregivers to agree that we have transformed how they do business!

During the past few months, it has been my pleasure to join in on various alarm workflow discussions and brainstorm sessions at hospitals. There are a number of systems that can be integrated to iPhones to improve clinical efficiency and patient care: nurse call, physiological monitoring, critical lab results, smartpumps, and smartbeds – are just a start.

These exchanges resulted in the following alarm management observations that are worth sharing:

1. There is no “easy” alarm integration. I have heard hospital executives say in the past, “We’ll just go with an easy alarm integration, like nurse call.” Unfortunately, there is no simple alarm integration. Even routine patient call bell notifications need thorough planning. For example, does the call bell alarm go to a PCA or the RN? Should there be a unit secretary triaging alarms at the central station? Is there a difference between day shift and night shift? What is the escalation path of these alarms? All of these questions need to be answered before an “easy” alarm integration can be done properly.

2. Start simple, and then expand based on end-user feedback. It can be tempting to integrate multiple systems at the start of a project. It is our recommendation to start small, and then grow based off of end-user feedback. This feedback allows you to determine which alarms add value to their day-to-day activity. Alarm fatigue can be mitigated by implementing a “crawl, walk, run” strategy compared to a “big-bang” alarm management approach.

3. Having the right partners makes all the difference. Most hospitals do not have the knowledgeable resources or the time to implement an alarm management strategy. Having the right partners that can give advice from past installations is critical to the success of the project. Any vendor can tie together the technology and backend systems, but a true partner delves beyond the backend “plumbing” to make sure the technology is performing in order to truly assist our clinicians, not just bombarding them with alarms.

Is your organization looking to improve clinical efficiency through an alarm management strategy? When you are ready to give your clinicians the right tool to improve clinical communications, give Voalte a call!

As a young, fast growing company, trade shows can provide a wealth of knowledge, and lead to an overwhelming amount of success. Two weeks ago, Voalte had the chance to participate in the Cerner Health Conference out in Kansas City, Missouri. We had a booth setup, ready to demonstrate our Voalte One Nursing Communication Solution where we were able to speak face-to-face with current customers in addition to potential customers. Our booth screamed pink and green and our “pink pants crew” triggered lots of attention across the show floor driving more traffic towards our location.   

What made CHC different from other shows I had attended in the past is that it was a user conference. In other words, only Cerner customers were able to attend. In addition, Voalte and Cerner were able to join forces to enhance communication at the point-of-care, by integrating with Cerner on a few different levels at the conference. We showed Voalte One integration at the CareAware Connect station as well as the Alert Link Alarm Management Station. Cerner showcased these products and others in their Solutions Gallery. This Solutions Gallery was an amazing resource of EMR knowledge. We were able to learn as much as possible about their EMR and Middleware platforms, iBus and Alert Link, as well as new up-and-coming Cerner products!   

Looking back, I can’t help but think of CHC’s tagline, “Because it’s personal”. At the end of the conference, I was able to meet face-to-face with hundreds of potential customers, some of which I had been speaking with for seven months or more. Which goes to show you, building relationships before hand is key, but being able to interact face-to-face can make all the difference. And when you stop and think about it, the same is true in healthcare.

Healthcare is personal, shouldn’t clinical communication be personal too? 

There is no question that the iPhone is the king of smartphones when it comes to clinical communication. No other device has been so widely adopted by nurses, doctors, and other caregivers.

In celebration of the iPhone 5 release, the five improvements listed below ensure that Apple’s latest iPhone continues to be the king of communication devices in the enterprise healthcare space:

1. Larger display with 44% more color saturation. As more applications provide medical document and imaging features, the richer and better display continues the iPhone’s dominance as the essential medical device for accessing patient information.

2. 802.11N support. The iPhone 5 supports 802.11 a/b/g/n on 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. This is a HUGE, HUGE win for future VoIP support on the iPhone. It also supports secure information downloading on an enterprise’s wireless network.

3. 4G LTE connectivity. The future of mHealth depends on ultra fast connectivity in locations outside the walls of the hospital. Furthermore, 4G LTE support from iPhone promotes video and other telehealth focused applications.

4. A6 CPU – faster performance, better battery life. Having the iPhone survive through a 12-15 hour shift is critical for point-of-care communication. The iPhone 4S was easily able to make this mark – with a new and improved battery, we can expect the iPhone 5 to last even longer at the point-of-care.

5. 20% lighter, 18% thinner. Caregivers have to carry around many tools to do their job. A lighter, thinner iPhone is just icing on the cake.

Apple continues to amaze and dominate the smartphone market with the design and functionality of their products. It’s incredible to see the improvement from the first iPhone 3 to the new iPhone 5. One can only imagine what the iPhone 10 will look like in 5 years…

Long live the king of mHealth!

When I joined Voalte six months ago, I was already a fan of the iPhone. I had read about this fantastic company providing a revolutionary healthcare communication solution via the iPhone. Needless to say, I was eager to join the team. I love providing excellent customer service and I love the iPhone, but providing support to those who care for others is especially rewarding. 

As a Voalte BFF, I provide Voalte support to caregivers at the point-of-care in real time. I’m there with our users throughout the course of a busy day to answer questions or provide other assistance that enables them to get back to their patients quickly. At any moment users can reach out to me by sending feedback at the touch of a button and I am able to respond just as quickly.  We BFFs do this all day, every day. It’s really all we think about.

Now caregivers are smart people. They’re well trained professionals and the work they do is complex and demanding. They’re dealing with changes in healthcare and responding to those who are in their care. They’re really amazing people. On top of everything they have to do, they’re navigating a technology leap from a patchwork of communication methods (personal pagers, overhead paging, call lights, patient monitoring systems, landline phones, and etc.) to Voalte, the one solution that allows for comprehensive communication from the palm of their hand. Suddenly, communication can travel effortlessly to and from your handheld smartphone at the tap of the screen. Voalte is an amazing and powerful solution for critical hospital communications.

So how do our users make the leap to the next level in communication technology? First, by being a caregiver at one of the best hospitals in the country! And while smartphones may seem to be ubiquitous, they are new to some of our users. The idea of using a smartphone may at first seem intimidating to some, but Voalte is built for comfort! Those who are new to smartphones sometimes need a bit of coaching on the phone itself. I’m the friend they can rely on to help them get over that little bump in the road. I’m their BFF, and our BFF team is there pretty much whenever we’re needed so that caregivers can get back to doing what they do best. Their transition to the Voalte solution is often an exhilarating experience because the user interface is so intuitive that they’re able to enjoy the benefits of improved communication immediately.

For me, it’s all a matter of perspective. You don’t need to know how to rebuild an engine in order to drive a car, and you don’t need to know every detail of how smartphones work in order to use one successfully. The Voalte solution makes it easy! Have a suggestion, comment, or question? Reach out and let us know. You’ll find my team listed under Voalte BFF in the directory.

Better communication means better caregivers.

Better caregivers mean better patient outcomes.

 

Fresh faces and excitement fill the room before each training class begins. Users chitchat amongst themselves thinking “what in the world is this lady going to train us on today?” They discuss what’s going on with their patients, their team dynamics, and their life in general. Often times, people come into class with preconceived notions from past in-service trainings and possible knowledge of iPhone or smartphone use. They may even discuss how Voalte will be perceived among their coworkers.

Now fast forward to the day of the unit’s “go-live”. Users may be a bit nervous about using Voalte. But there will be two major differences between those that attended training and those that did not: adoption and usability.

Users that attended training leave class excited about Voalte and how it will improve communication. Those that did not attend may feel obligated to use something they hardly know anything about. Adoption is key to the success of the Voalte implementation – or any other technology for that matter. Training class attendees know how to “Add to Favorites”, send feedback, find their extension, add contacts to the directory, and so much more. Also during training, users are given a user guide that provides step-by-step instructions on the Voalte application. If you do not attend training you are given a phone and left to ask questions that could have been answered. That person will only be able to use the basic functions of the application and are ultimately left at the mercy of their colleagues.

Attending training allows users to sit down and think about how they will use the application in real time, as they get the opportunity to practice operating the phones in class. As various features are explained, it is amazing seeing the       “ah-ha” moments people have about what the application can do and how Voalte will help with communication among colleagues in their unit, as well as throughout the entire hospital. They will now be able to receive information in a faster and more efficient manner. Training is usually the first point of contact we have with end users and is so critical to the success of the project.

See you in the next training class….

Here at Voalte we’re literally bursting at the seams. Our second floor office that once seemed cavernous is now filled with talented staff, and we’re expanding into the adjacent floor. In a few short months we’re moving to an entirely new location, configured specifically with a Voalte-style layout. The steady flow of new staff has forced us to formalize our on-boarding process, although we still try to not take things too seriously around here. And on a fairly frequent basis, one of our sophomore hires is awarded with their first pair of pink pants – a symbolic gesture to recognize an achievement like delivering exceptional service, landing a new account, or pushing the limits of computing technology. We’ve even moved up to industrial-grade coffee maker, and retired the trusty Keurig that got us all here, one cup at a time.

But employee growth represents more than just new faces; it is a proxy of the success of Voalte in the marketplace. When I first arrived (eons ago -- two years!), many hospitals were simply not ready for Voalte and smartphones at the point-of-care. Common objections revolved around device security, durability, WiFi reliablity, and even the perceived extravagance of using an iPhone at work when many users were still using clam phones.


How things have changed. The majority of our prospects now look at a communication purchase from a completely different perspective: “Are we going commit to a legacy cordless-telephone solution for the next 5 years, or are we finally ready to embrace the undeniable power that Voalte places in the hands of our users?” The answer we’re hearing these days is the latter. And with several new initiatives in our product pipeline, we’re all thrilled to roll out our next set of innovations to this evolved market.


Looks like we’d better stay in touch with the company realtor – I think we’re going to need even more space.

In my travels working with customers and partners I have the pleasure of talking with hospital management teams and end users about Voalte. Frequently our conversations gravitate to the lack of modern wireless communication solutions in healthcare and the truly unique capabilities Voalte brings to the market.

1. Convenience – Voalte eliminates the need for the nurse's "tool belt" of multiple devices and applications. Text messaging, alarms/notifications, and voice communications all flow naturally to a single smartphone application.

 

2. Ease of Use – Why is Apple selling 350,000+ iPhones Per DAY? It's intuitive and simple to use. Voalte leverages the advantages of the robust iPhone hardware and a software application that provides all of a caregiver's communications needs on a shared device with a single sign-on.

 

3. Functionality – I tried text messaging on my old Nokia cell phone. Remember pushing each button 1,2, or 3 times to get the letter you wanted? Forget it. The advent of full keyboards made text messaging a mainstay of communication in the modern world. The non-smartphone handsets currently used in most hospitals today provide the same functionality you abandoned 10 years ago in your personal life.

 

4. Efficiency – The workload of nurses and physicians is astounding. Few jobs require keeping multiple "balls in the air" quite like the hospital environment. A study shows that communication with team members, or other departments, accounts for 20.6% of nurse's time. Providing more streamlined communications leads to happier more effective caregivers. The result is more time spent at the bedside with patients and fewer mistakes. Voalte provides better outcomes and happier patients. This all leads to higher reimbursement and lower cost to the hospital and our over burdened healthcare system.

 

5. Flexibility – The typical process for replacing broken wireless phones in the hospital is for the telecom team to order the same proprietary phones they have been using for decades. The "new" handsets may be a different color or shape, but provide the same limited functionality and user interface they've always had. Why replace a dead-end phone with another dead-end phone?

 

Voalte can custom provision iPhones tailored to the hospital system's needs or even customize by department. Voice, alarms, and text are just the beginning. Voalte puts the power of 50,000+ medical applications in your hands at the bedside – drug reference, med math calculators, language translation – the options are endless and growing every day. Shouldn't your wireless hardware and software solution have the flexibility to grow and change with your communication needs?

What can we do to reduce noise? There are many attempts to reduce noise in hospitals. Reducing noise should improve the patient experience and improve HCAHP scores. Just as important and a bi-product of noise is patient anxiety! Patients unexpectedly find themselves in a new setting, away from home, facing the unknown in the form of a health condition, unfamiliar with their surroundings or the routine. Activity going on all around them that they do not understand:

 

What are all these alarms for? Did someone die? Are they for me?

Why does the nurse keep leaving my room to talk on the phone? Is it my doctor? Why don't they want me to hear?

They are always getting calls when they are treating me and leaving the room.

Are they understaffed? If I need assistance, will it be available?

That's a new alarm sound! What does it mean? I don't see any nurses anywhere? What is going on?

Why is this machine attached to me beeping? What does it mean? Am I taking a turn for the worst? Should I call my nurse? Where are they?

I wish my doctor would call. I asked the nurse to notify him I'm having a new pain. The nurse says they can't do anything without the doctor's approval. When will they contact him? Why hasn't he got back to them? Can't they call him again?

Why didn't the nurse answer her phone when she was in my room? Maybe it was my doctor?

 

Too often caregivers and the communication tools they are given only add to the anxiety.

Alarms all sounding the same and difficult to differentiate their urgency are heard throughout every hospital unit. Nurses go home exhausted from alarm fatigue. Patients lay in bed awakened at all hours of the day and night with anxiety at what the cacophony of alarms and other noises mean.

Nurses are provided phones as the main tool to communicate with other caregivers, departments, and doctors. Unfortunately HIPAA requires they do not talk of clinical matters in front of a patient. The phone causes numerous interruptions for nurses treating patients requiring they leave the room. If they do not answer the phone alternate strategies of overhead paging, and attempts to find them take over.

 

Today's technology offers many other solutions:

 

Alarm management tools can make sense of the numerous disjointed devices producing the cacophony of alarm noise.

Sophisticated nurse text messaging (similar to what is available on smartphones) can eliminate 78% of ringing telephone calls, almost all overhead paging and the potential for missed patient requests.

 

When looking to reduce noise, consider improving patient anxiety as well. It will more than give you justification and urgency to proceed and result in a better environment for all.