What you should know:
– Baptist Healtha leading healthcare system in Arkansas, and Caution, a provider of smart telehealth devices, today announced a significant expansion of its partnership. This collaboration aims to transform patient care delivery by leveraging telehealth technology across Baptist Health’s hospital network.
– Caregility Cloud™ is a trusted platform used by more than 1,000 hospitals in the United States. It is appreciated for its high reliability, adaptability to various workflows, and seamless integration with existing clinical platforms like Epic.
Doubling its success: 700 beds equipped with telehealth devices
The partnership will significantly expand Baptist Health’s use of Caregility’s smart telehealth devices. More than 700 beds systemwide will be equipped with this technology, doubling the footprint of Baptist Health’s inpatient telehealth services. This initiative adds virtual care resources to complement in-person care, with the goal of improving patient outcomes.
Building on a solid foundation
Baptist Health has already seen success with virtual admission and discharge programs, supported by more than 300 Caregility telehealth devices across 11 hospitals. Since 2021, their partnership with Caregility has led to a dramatic increase in the number of telehealth sessions, from around 1,000 per quarter to more than 20,000.
Success Breeds Expansion: Virtual Nursing Goes System-Wide
The positive impact of Baptist Health’s early virtual care programs led to a system-wide rollout. In early 2023, they launched Arkansas’ first virtual nursing program, providing additional support for bedside nurses, patients and families. This program, initially implemented at the Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute, has now expanded to hospitals in Stuttgart, Malvern and Heber Springs. Following the results and positive patient feedback, Baptist Health plans to implement virtual care programs on every medical and surgical floor in the organization.
Investing in technology and infrastructure
As part of this expansion, Baptist Health will deploy Caregility’s latest telehealth devices and the award-winning Caregility Cloud™ platform to more than 500 additional patient rooms in key hospitals:
- Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock (flagship hospital)
- Baptist Health Medical Center – North Little Rock
- Baptist Health-Fort Smith
These advanced devices will support the expansion of virtual nursing services and the upcoming deployment of virtual staff and support providers. Additionally, a centralized center dedicated to virtual nursing and virtual caretakers has been created at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock.
More attention to patients, less pressure on staff
This partnership significantly increases the support available to patients by adding virtual resources. Virtual nurses and support staff can handle tasks that would typically be a burden on bedside staff, reducing pressure and allowing them to focus on more complex patient needs. Increased use of telehealth in acute care settings has been shown to improve efficiency, reduce patient wait times, and improve overall throughput (movement of patients through the hospital system).
Improved patient satisfaction and access
The availability of virtual care options at the bedside not only benefits staff, but also improves patient satisfaction, as demonstrated by early field trials. Caregility Cloud™ allows Baptist Health to centralize and scale various virtual care programs, including virtual nursing, consultations, rounds and patient observation. This not only improves workflow efficiency and staff flexibility, but also facilitates engagement with specialists and interpreters remotely, supporting greater patient access and health equity.
“Embracing virtual support as part of our acute care bedside support and quality strategy signifies a pivotal step forward in how we envision the future of healthcare at Baptist Health. Baptist Health first added virtual care in 2005, and we have continued to advance with the latest technology bringing us to where we are today with our partnership with Caregility. This expansion is more than an initiative; it’s a commitment to providing health equity across our state, setting new standards in patient and provider satisfaction, and furthering our mission to be the employer of choice in Arkansas,” said Kourtney Matlock President of Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute and system post-acute services.
