Ochsner Health System of New Orleans has signed an agreement with Philips VISICU to implement its tele-ICU program to enhance critical care.

“We know that the presence of critical care medication specialists and high-end intensive care capabilities makes a dramatic impact to the outcomes of seriously ill patients in terms of survival and reductions in cost of care and rates of complication,” Joseph Bisordi, PhD, executive vice president and CMO at Ochsner, said in an interview.

Ochsner will serve as a statewide resource to community and rural hospitals which can benefit from expanded critical care staffing and technology. “Our goal is to improve outcomes of care of the patients we serve and the region as a whole,” Bisordi stated.

The tele-ICU Program will connect Ochsner's bedside care teams with off-site critical care physicians and nurses using software and continuous remote monitoring technology from Philips VISICU. The software detects and advises clinicians of important trends and changes in a patient's condition. Use of the two-way audio-video capability also allows the off-site intensivist to interact and collaborate with the bedside medical team and the patient's family.

Bisordi stated that installations will begin this month at Ochsner Baptist Medical Center, Ochsner Medical Center–Kenner and Ochsner Medical Center–Baton Rouge with plans to go live in the first quarter of 2012. The rollout to remaining Ochsner hospitals will continue through 2012.

In addition to the approximately 150 beds that will be monitored across the system, capacity will exist to serve other hospitals in the region. Ochsner stated it plans to expand its tele-ICUprogram to hospitals in surrounding communities.