Skaneateles-based Welch Allyn Inc. on Friday launched a product it says will reduce errors when nurses track patients’ vital signs. The company, a manufacturer of diagnostic medical equipment, said its electronic vitals documentation system allows nurses to record a patient’s vital signs — blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and temperature — with a single machine. Normally, hospitals would use three...
Skaneateles-based Welch Allyn Inc. on Friday launched a product it says will reduce errors when nurses track patients’ vital signs.
The company, a manufacturer of diagnostic medical equipment, said its electronic vitals documentation system allows nurses to record a patient’s vital signs — blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and temperature — with a single machine. Normally, hospitals would use three machines to take vital signs.
The data is then automatically recorded electronically in a computerized records system that can instantly be accessed by other medical personnel using mobile devices such as a Blackberry or using a computer terminal, the company said.
Welch Allyn officials said the device saves time and eliminates the potential of making the dangerous errors that sometimes occur when nurses have to scribble vital signs on a piece of paper and later type them into a computer.
“Every day there are challenges within acute care facilities, but these should not include inaccuracy of patient data, a lack of access to that data, or low efficiency with collecting vitals,” said Dave Perkins, senior category manager for the company.
The machines, which cost $2,000 to $4,000 depending on features, come on wheels so they can be moved around. They can transmit vital sign information wirelessly, through an ethernet connection or via a USB drive.
Company officials demonstrated the new machine at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center on Friday, with hospital President Theodore Pasinski playing the role of a patient as a nurse took his vital signs with the device. St. Joseph’s is acquiring 68 of the units thanks to a $250,000 state grant secured by Assemblyman William Magnarelli, D-Syracuse.
Welch Allyn President and CEO Julie Shimer said the device was developed at the company’s facilities in Skaneateles and will be manufactured at its plant in Beaverton, Ore. Welch Allyn has 2,600 employees, including 1,300 in Skaneateles and 350 in Beaverton.
Shimer said the device represents a new direction for the company. Welch Allyn is focusing on developing products that help hospitals and doctors’ offices save time and money while improving the care they provide to patients, she said.
“This is where our growth is going to come from,” she said. “There is a lot of pressure to keep health care costs down, so products that save the system money will be big.”
Shimer said the open-platform design of the products will allow hospitals to upgrade their software, adding new applications and features, without replacing the hardware.
“They’ll be able to plug in various sensors, not just ones we make, but those made by others, too,” she said.
Reach Rick Moriarty at rmoriarty@syracuse.com or (315) 470-3148.