Press releases

Released June 1, 2002
Yale-New Haven Hospital news release

Yale-New Haven becomes only the second New England hospital to use NaviCare's Health Enterprise Navigator System for families, patients, medical staff

For more information, call 203-688-2493 or E-mail Mark D'Antonio

Yale-New Haven Hospital has become only the second hospital in New England to employ the state-of-the-art Health Enterprise Navigator System, or NaviCare.

NaviCare is a dynamic workflow, communications and resource optimization solution that provides up-to-the-minute information and status of every surgery patient, attending medical staff member and surgical room while providing details about patient needs and the status of surgical suites and the procedure in progress. Just as electronic flight schedule boards make it easy to locate the gate and pinpoint the time of an arriving plane, the NaviCare system helps operating room staff track the progress of patients from preop, to the OR to recovery.

This new communication and productivity system is designed to streamline information, giving families more information faster about patients and provide the medical staff with a more succinct overview of operating rooms use and flow.

A nurse manager, doctor or family member can look at the NaviCare screen to learn instantly what the status of a procedure is. Nurse managers can learn when it's time to begin prepping a room for a patient's return from surgery. A surgeon on break can use the system to determine when his next patient has completed his preoperative preparation and is ready for surgery. A relative in a waiting room can look at the monitor and get an immediate update on a patient's surgical status, or if they have been moved to recovery. Users of the system can choose from a variety of screen icons to convey or request additional information.

"NaviCare will be a powerful tool that helps us better serve our patients and their families," said Dr. Richard Stahl, associate chief of surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital. "It will also enable our physicians and nursing staff to devote more time to patient care".

The system will greatly benefit families waiting to hear the status of friends and relatives having surgery. The patient is given a code designation on the monitor that is known only to the nurses, doctors and family, thus protecting the privacy and anonymity of each patient. The Navicare system will reduce the need for families and staff to search out a nurse or doctor for a patient condition update. The system will have three screens available for viewing, detailing a schedule of all operating rooms for that entire day, a family view screen providing waiting families with instant updates on patients, and a room view for each operating room that will help the medical staff with scheduling and time management.

"The NaviCare system is an important tool to promote effective communication regarding operating room cases," said Norman Roth, administrative vice president at Yale-New Haven Hospital. "This new system will be a tremendous asset and assist all OR personnel in promoting efficiency throughout perioperative services."

David Richter, NaviCare CEO, said, "Yale-New Haven's administrative and medical leadership is demonstrating its commitment to operational excellence and data-driven process improvement, which are prerequisites in today's constrained health care marketplace. We are excited that Yale-New Haven Hospital, a preeminent provider of clinical health care of the highest quality, has chosen NaviCare to support their quality improvement initiatives."

NaviCare will debut at Yale-New Haven Hospital in mid-June 2002.

Yale-New Haven Hospital, affiliated with the Yale University School of Medicine and Nursing, is a 944-bed private, non-profit teaching hospital that ranks among the premier medical centers in the United States. Serving the needs of Connecticut, New England and beyond, Yale-New Haven Hospital is the largest acute-care provider in southern Connecticut and one of the Northeast's major referral centers. Yale-New Haven has over 6,000 employees, including 1,200 registered nurses and a medical staff of 2,400. U.S. News and World Report has listed Yale-New Haven Hospital among the nation's top hospitals, according to the annual ranking of America's Best Hospitals.

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