Advanced ICU Care Begins Delivering 24/7 Coverage and a Tele-ICU Solution to Critically Ill Patients at Rockford Memorial Hospital

ROCKFORD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rockford Memorial Hospital today announced the successful implementation of the most advanced critical care telemedicine program available in hospital intensive care units.

“This strong alliance of critical care expertise combined with the most advanced telemedicine technology is working together to benefit and improve the health and safety of these patients.”

On January 10, the hospital, part of Rockford Health System, partnered with Advanced ICU Care®, the nation’s largest independent provider of tele-ICU services, to deliver monitoring by highly trained intensivist physicians and critical care specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing an extra layer of care that enhances patient safety. Rockford Memorial is the first hospital in the Rock River Valley to partner with Advanced ICU Care in implementing such a program and to meet the latest recommendation to have intensivist physicians monitoring intensive care patients around-the-clock.

“We are pleased to partner with physicians and clinicians at Rockford Memorial to provide additional clinical surveillance and support of their critically ill patients,” said Mary Jo Gorman, M.D., M.B.A., chief executive officer of Advanced ICU Care. “This strong alliance of critical care expertise combined with the most advanced telemedicine technology is working together to benefit and improve the health and safety of these patients.”

“Our patients are receiving the best recommended standard of medical care available with the collaboration between their doctor, the hospital critical care team and the remote telemonitoring oversight of Advanced ICU Care,” said Kevin Ruggles, M.D., Senior Vice President, Medical & Clinical Affairs at Rockford Health System.

Advanced ICU Care’s team of intensivists and critical care nurses work remotely around-the-clock complementing the care provided by the Rockford Memorial physicians. The program will continuously monitor real-time patient vital signs, medications, labs and the patient’s clinical status. Proactive data management tools identify problems before they become urgent, prompting immediate intervention when necessary. Two-way video access in each patient’s room enables face-to-face consultations between the bedside and Advanced ICU Care team.

Automated alerts identify problems before they become urgent, prompting immediate intervention. When two-way communication needs to occur between the bedside and Advanced ICU Care team, either party can initiate a two-way video conference. Patients benefit from 24-hour access to an intensivist and immediate attention to any emerging health crisis.

About Rockford Memorial Hospital:

Rockford Memorial Hospital is a full-service hospital licensed for 396 beds and provides the most comprehensive continuum of services in the Rock River Valley. These include a Level 1 Trauma Center with REACT helicopter; the Regional Perinatal Center, which includes the region’s only Maternal-Fetal Medicine Program and inpatient High-Risk Maternity Unit, to care for women experiencing difficult pregnancies; a Level III (highest level) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; the region’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; the Heart & Vascular Center; the Brain & Spine Center; and the region’s leading surgical program with nearly 12,000 inpatient and outpatient procedures each year.

About Advanced ICU Care:

Advanced ICU Care^® provides comprehensive tele-ICU programs and consulting services that support hospitals’ commitment to achieve high-performing ICUs. Our best-of-breed tele-ICU programs combine experienced intensivist-led care teams, sophisticated telemedicine technology, and a rigorous focus on best practices to improve patient care and safety. Advanced ICU Care is the largest provider of tele-ICU programs, with a demonstrated track record of improving the clinical, financial, and operational performance of our partner hospitals. For more information, visit www.icumedicine.com.