Three HCA South Florida Hospitals First in Nation To Use Pioneering Mobile Technology for Cardiac Care

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HCA East Florida today announced that Northwest Medical Center in Margate, Westside Regional Medical Center in Plantation and JFK Medical Center in West Palm Beach are the first hospitals in the country to use a new, secure software solution, AirStrip CARDIOLOGY™, to read electrocardiographs (ECG). The new technology allows clinicians to improve cardiac patients’ care by providing near real-time ECG data to cardiologists quicker, more accurately and that’s more easily shared with consulting colleagues. AirStrip CARDIOLOGY uses data from the GE Healthcare MUSE® Cardiology Information System, making it available on iPhones® and iPads™.

“It affords a beautiful transmission of information that is easy to read. I love it!”

“This transformational technology shifts the paradigm for how cardiologists read one of the most common diagnostic tools used with heart patients, leading to faster, more precise diagnosis, and increasing patient safety,” said Dr. Jose Soler, Cardiologist at Northwest Medical Center. “The better the information we receive, the faster we get it, the better the medical decisions we make — and that saves lives.”

AirStrip CARDIOLOGY allows for more accurate communication with emergency medical technicians who often conduct ECG in the field. As a result, this can shorten the average time for heart attack patients to get appropriate care once in the emergency room. The technology also provides greater and faster access to off-site physicians. In the end, the technology’s advances can lead to shorter hospital stays, a quicker rehabilitation period and fewer complications and long-term treatment needs for patients.

“Having the ECG data on a mobile device lets physicians consult on a case in almost an instant, as opposed to having a technician describe the patient’s condition, and reading an ECG that’s faxed or on a PDF, which can be hard to read, “ said Dr. Frederick Chaleff, Cardiologist at Westside Regional Medical Center. “On your mobile, you can organize the data, compare it to past ECGs and share it with colleagues more easily, all with a flick of a finger across a screen.”

AirStrip CARDIOLOGY has the capability to zoom in without distorting the image, giving cardiologists the ability to see changes in electrical cardiac activity that’s as small as 0.5 millimeters, which can be hard to read on a faxed ECG or on a PDF image. A change that small may indicate a serious heart problem or an emergency condition.

“This puts HCA hospitals on a path toward the day when all clinical hospital information will be accessible on mobile platforms,” said Michael Joseph, President of HCA East Florida. “It keeps us not only on the leading edge of technology, but more importantly on the cutting edge of improving patient care.”

“This technology is a tremendous advance in cardiac care,” added Dr. Lawrence Lovitz, Cardiologist at JFK Medical Center. “It affords a beautiful transmission of information that is easy to read. I love it!”

AirStrip CARDIOLOGY is built on the robust and secure mobile application platform AppPoint™, created by AirStrip Technologies, Inc. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the product, which utilizes highly secure, multi-factor authentication, and is fully HIPAA compliant.

About HCA East Florida

HCA's East Florida Division is a comprehensive network of 12 hospitals, numerous outpatient surgery centers & imaging facilities, an integrated regional laboratory, physician practices, Medical education and training programs and a complete continuum of specialized health programs and services that meet the healthcare needs of residents and businesses in the South Florida and Treasure Coast communities. HCA East Florida hospitals cared for more than 1 Million patients in 2010, which included 520,147 visits to our Emergency Rooms (ER) and 168,308 hospital admissions. HCA East Florida has over 4,500 physicians on staff and more than 14,000 employees provide the quality foundation for delivering care to our patients safely, effectively and compassionately. Its hospitals are Joint Commission Accredited, with designations such as Accredited Chest Pain Centers, Primary or Comprehensive Stroke Centercertification and many others and a Trauma Center in St. Lucie County. www.hcaeastflorida.com

About AirStrip Technologies, Inc.

Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, AirStrip Technologies is a pioneer in mobile medical software applications designed to work across any platform to improve patient safety and reduce risk in the healthcare setting. AirStrip Technologies engages, consults and employs leading technology and medical experts to ensure their products are the best in the industry. The core technology team is committed to bringing best-of-breed products to the market that enhance the ability of physicians and healthcare professionals to perform their work on a daily basis with the added assurances that their patients are being provided the best care available. Visit www.airstriptech.com for more information.