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News Release
6/16/2008

Group photo, PBMC eICU, June 2008
Sharon McDermott, RN, CCRN, Manager of the Special Care Unit at Penobscot Bay Medical Center, cuts the ribbon to officially launch PBMC’s Electronic Intensive Care Unit. In attendance were many, but by no means all, of the people who helped make the eICU possible: left to right, Tony Aex, Information Technology; Gloria Lorleberg, RN; Fukiko Shell, RN; Dr. Tony Otis, RN, e-ICU; Dr. Mark Battista; Theresa Johns, Laboratory, IT/Customer Service; Paula Delahanty, RN, Vice President of Nursing; Dr. Dana Goldsmith; Jennifer Healy, Project Manager, MaineHealth VitalNetwork; and Roy Hitchings, President and CEO of Pen Bay Healthcare. The "patient" is Paul Lombardo, RN.

EICU Goes Live at PBMC

On June 10 Penobscot Bay Medical Center celebrated the implementation of the Electronic Intensive Care Unit, or eICU for short.

 

The idea of eICU is simple – expert assistance provided to the Special Care Unit by MaineHealth VitalNetwork, a remote command center. But the implementation of the eICU involved a lot of work by people from many PBH departments, including Laboratory, Radiology, Clinical Engineering, Medical Staff Support Services, SCU, Information Technology, Marketing, and Nursing Administration.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony in a room in the SCU, Sharon McDermott, RN, CCRN, Manager of the Special Care Unit, who spearheaded the eICU initiative, pressed the red button to go live. Immediately a woman’s voice warmly greeted the group assembled there, which included a "patient" (played by Paul Lombardo, RN). The voice belonged to Susan Goran, RN, Director of Operations at MaineHealth VitalNetwork. She already knew many PBMC staff by name, having worked closely with them for 5 months in the run-up to the go-live date.

Now, thanks to the eICU, doctors and nurses trained in critical care at MaineHealth VitalNetwork are able to see and talk with the patient and bedside caregiver with the help of a camera and microphone. They can monitor blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm, oxygen levels, lab and x-ray results, and medications. This information and more is relayed to the command center by high-speed, secure phone lines. MaineHealth VitalNetwork is staffed 24 hours a day, every day.

MaineHealth VitalNetwork follows strict rules regarding privacy – only people involved in the patient’s care can see the patient’s information. There is a camera and microphone in each room, which are only turned on when needed. A signal sounds when it is turned on, and the lens points at the patient. No recording is made when the camera and microphone are on. When the camera is off, the lens is turned away from the patient.

MaineHealth is a family of leading, high-quality providers and other healthcare organizations dedicated to ensuring their communities are among the healthiest in America. Ranked among the nation's top 40 integrated healthcare delivery networks, MaineHealth's member organizations include Maine Medical Center, Miles Memorial Hospital, St. Andrews Hospital, Stephens Memorial Hospital, Spring Harbor Hospital, HomeHealth Visiting Nurses, NorDx, Synernet, and Maine Physician Hospital Organization. Affiliates of MaineHealth include MaineGeneral Medical Center, Mid Coast Hospital, Southern Maine Medical Center, St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, and Penobscot Bay Medical Center.