BH3C Improves Access to Specialists Without Being Transported
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2021
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Baptist Health Medical Center-Arkadelphia has implemented new technology in all patient rooms that makes it easy for patients to connect with loved ones by using the video calling feature. At any point during their stay, patients can send their family member a secure link that connects them virtually and improves the ongoing communication during the stay.
This new technology also enables medical specialists to conduct virtual consultations no matter the location so that patients don’t necessarily have to be transported to receive needed specialist care.
Known as BH3C –– with the “3C” standing for Care, Connect, and Communicate –– this new technology is an important part of Baptist Health’s continued focus on innovation through virtual care and telehealth to improve care delivery and the patient experience.
It has given the entire care team –– physicians, nurses, specialists, and more –– another tool to deliver the highest quality patient care, and it has given patients another way to communicate and even bring the care team and family members together to discuss the patient’s care plan.
The primary component of BH3C for patient use is a touch-screen tablet with video capabilities from the Caregility platform and access to the patient’s MyChart account.
With the BH3C devices, doctors can drop into a patient’s room virtually without first calling a nurse to log in. It’s like walking down the hall and virtually entering a patient’s room, which makes it simpler and more efficient for the provider.
BH3C is helping Baptist Health hospitals make quick decisions with specialists visiting virtually and supporting hospitalists. Specialists can drop in virtually to see a patient and can then make a decision to support where the patient is or transport to another location.
Additionally, patients can bring in family members as part of the virtual visits with the care team, which can include multiple providers or guests at the same time. For example, a daughter can listen to the care plan for her mother with the provider on the screen as well.
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The technology allows all of Baptist Health’s hospitals to have access to specialty-care providers that were not previously accessible to them and will allow them to care for patients with more diverse conditions.
Specialty consults available virtually include areas in cardiology, pulmonary, infectious disease, wound care, behavioral health, and lactation consulting with more being added in the future.
The uses don’t stop with physicians. Nutritionists, pharmacists, case managers, and others can use the system to assist patients and the care team in similar ways as well.
BH3C even improves communication when language is a barrier. The system provides instant translation services in 48 languages.
The clinician-focused components of BH3C that focus on increased patient monitoring include a wall-mounted camera in most rooms with COVID-19 patients. Units that do not have rooms with the wall-mounted device have a WiFi-enabled mobile cart with similar capabilities.