BAHC Foundation helps fund Cardiopulmonary Telemetry Monitoring System

The new Cardiopulmonary Telemetry Monitoring System.

Cardiopulmonary Rehab Director, Nora Munson is a strong advocate for her department and for finding ways to meet the needs of her patients. That advocacy led her to put in a request to the Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics (BAHC) Foundation for a new Cardiopulmonary Telemetry Monitoring System.

The BAHC Foundation granted the request and helped fund the purchase of a new Telemetry Monitoring System for the department. Cardiac telemetry is the continuous monitoring of a patient's heart rate and rhythm from a remote location. A Cardiac Telemetry Monitoring Unit is a computer system used to accomplish this goal. At Boscobel, telemetry monitoring takes place in all three of Cardiopulmonary Rehab's programs: Cardiac Rehab, Pulmonary Rehab and the Movin' & More exercise and rehabilitation program.

The new Cardiac Telemetry Monitoring System was an important purchase. "Truly, our department cannot function without a working telemetry monitoring unit, and we were concerned about the reliability of its predecessor," explained Munson. Without EKG monitoring, Cardiopulmonary Rehab patients cannot be effectively treated. "We cannot hold rehab sessions without Telemetry monitoring," Munson stated.

Telemetry services are offered to patients who are recovering from heart events, those who may be at risk of a heart event or those experiencing ongoing heart problems. It is painless, yet it can be a valuable diagnostic tool. It can also improve patient safety because heart events can be caught more quickly, which typically offers a better outcome.

The previous unit had become outdated, and even obsolete. Due to its age, the warranty had expired and, more importantly, further updates were not available. Additionally, the older technology did not allow for accurate patient monitoring or allow appropriate Care Plans or other reporting documents to be made.

On the new machine, the data provided is accurate, advanced and dependable. It provides for EKG monitoring and patient documentation including Patient Intake Assessments, Daily Session Reports, Patient Care Plans, Physician Progress Reports, Outcomes Data Reports and much more. Patients new to the Cardiopulmonary Rehab department typically attend between 25 and 36 rehab sessions. "The telemetry monitoring system holds data from each session, along with pertinent Medicare and insurance-required reports and EKG [tracings.]" Munson explained.

"We spent a good amount of time searching for a new system that included the advanced technology needed to better serve our patients and staff and provide improved accuracy with our EKG data to better document daily updates, changes and reports. We are pleased with our purchase. It is allowing us to spend more time on patient care and less time writing documents," Munson concluded. And it also helps demonstrate Gundersen Boscobel's Core Values by allowing more accurate evaluation of patients, which in turn allows staff to communicate medical concerns with physicians, as well as provide a better quality program for patients.

The Boscobel Area Hospital Foundation helped make this new technology a possibility in the Cardiopulmonary Rehab department. And, for that, Munson, her staff and her patients are truly grateful.