WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With a shifting reimbursement landscape and acuity on the rise for hospitalized patients, the need to minimize length of stay and increase throughput in critical care units is a priority for health systems nationwide. A study conducted by Riverside Medical Center of Kankakee, Illinois, the flagship facility of Riverside Healthcare and the area's only Magnet® recognized institution, found that by using Glytec's eGlycemic Management System® (eGMS®), patients admitted to critical care units were transferred to general wards .25 days sooner and there were no "bounce backs," or returns from general wards to critical care units. The study, presented at the 18th Annual Diabetes Technology Meeting, also found that severe hypoglycemia among patients in critical care units was 73.2% lower when using eGMS®.
"We implemented Glytec's eGMS® in 2016 with the goals of improving safety and outcomes for patients who require insulin therapy and achieving higher levels of clinical excellence," says LaTivia Carr, RN, MSN, BS, NEA-BC, Director of Nursing and Patient Care Services at Riverside Medical Center. "This study came about as a means to showcase the results to our clinicians and administrators. Clinicians needed to recognize that by using a new technology, they are actually improving the quality of care, and administrators needed to recognize that the promises a vendor makes in their business case actually become a reality."
The retrospective study examined data over a 12-month period, from November 1, 2016 through October 31, 2017. The focus was on critical care patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) who required intravenous and/or subcutaneous insulin therapy for purposes of glucose management.
"Managing blood glucose for hospitalized patients is a considerable challenge and poses many risks," says Kelly Frey, MSN, Critical Care Nurse Manager at Riverside Medical Center. "At any time, more than half our critical care patients are on insulin therapy. It's a high-alert medication and dosing it properly is very complex. Using Glytec's eGMS® removes the guesswork and heightens the accuracy. This study proves that we deliver better, safer care with eGMS® than without."
About Glytec
Glytec is the pioneer of personalized digital therapeutics, enabling best practices for inpatient and outpatient insulin optimization. The company’s patented and FDA-cleared software-as-a-medical-device solutions improve the safety and health of people with diabetes and make insulin a more effective medication option for the millions unable to achieve their treatment goals. Glytec combines evidence-based decision support technologies with expert clinical services to optimize insulin therapies in the hospital and at home, leading to reductions in hypoglycemia and other complications as well as avoidable ED visits, hospitalizations, readmissions and drug waste. The company has offices in Waltham, Massachusetts and Greenville, South Carolina. For more information visit www.glytecsystems.com.
About Riverside Healthcare
Riverside Healthcare is a fully integrated healthcare system serving the needs of individuals and communities throughout the counties of Kankakee, Iroquois, Will, Grundy and beyond. As part of the system, Riverside Medical Center, a 312-bed hospital, provides a full scope of inpatient and outpatient care and is a nationally recognized, award-winning Level II Trauma hospital with nationally-leading programs in heart care, cancer care, neurosurgery and orthopedics. Its reputation for nursing excellence has made Riverside the area's only Magnet® Recognized hospital. Because Riverside's clinical performance ranks them among the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide, Healthgrades has named them a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award, and Truven Health Analytics presented them with the 100 Top Hospitals® award. Riverside also operates several community, primary and specialty health centers throughout the region. Learn more about Riverside Healthcare at www.RiversideHealthcare.org.
