Northern Virginia Hospitals Implement Internet-Based Emergency Room Status Tracking System
Hoping to provide faster emergency care, officials from 10 Northern Virginia hospitals are expected to announce today that they have implemented a computer system that can track the status of often-crowded local emergency rooms, the Washington Post reports. The Critical Care Tracking System, developed by EYT, updates every minute and allows 911 dispatchers to see "at a glance" which emergency rooms have space and to direct ambulances to open facilities. The system enables hospitals to view when nearby facilities are full, giving staff the ability to "anticipate a possible rush of patients." In addition, the system provides information on the number of beds available in intensive care units. EYT officials said that the system went into operation in some facilities in April, with all 10 hospitals, as well as "several health clinics," online by the end of June (Glod, Washington Post, 7/27).
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