Strategic Solutions, Inc

Strategic Solutions, Inc. is the developer, manufacturer, and marketing center for “The Messenger” Quick Messenger System.

Situation

The current crisis of medical error due to poor communication is a problem that must be addressed. The current methods of patient information communication are taping notes to the door frame and patients bed. The risk of this information being pulled off, falling off or being missed altogether is extremely high. There is currently no standardized communication system in place within the hospital environment. I personally experienced this problem with a loved one and the communication errors almost had fatal consequences to our family member.

Solution

After experiencing the problem of communication within the hospital, I knew there had to be a better way to relay information other then posting notes on patient doors and beds. I developed, patented and manufactured “The Messenger” Patient Messaging and Advisory System. We work with the medical facility to develop a standardized messaging and color recognition system. This system is located outside the patient room and is customized to meet the needs of each individual care unit and healthcare facility. This system allows a centralized area located below the room number to give entry and no entry information as well as patient advisories and precaution information. This system is not meant to replace the chart or wrist band. It is only meant to be an additional information push to staff, family and visitors. We also have incorporated a small dry-erase module for the nurse’s name and contact information. This was the top request from the Doctor staff to provide easy access for the attending nurse treating that patient, without having to engage the family first.

Please reference the study done in 2000 by Dr. Lucian Leape on Medical Errors. You will notice that medical errors kill between 45,000 – 98,000 people a year. This statistic is led by communication errors. Unfortunately the last statistics reported in 2004 shows this figure has grown to 115,000. We are truly in a communications crisis.

After a year of research and development we feel “The Messenger” has grown into a highly effective means of communication in the healthcare environment. The improved communications and JCAHO Elements of Performance that are positively affected by “The Messenger” are both areas that the facilities have seen significant results. The overall goal is to provide increased patient safety awareness and the best patient care experience a facility can provide.

Better Health & Lower Cost

The Messenger has affected the healthcare facilities in several areas: increased patient safety awareness, JCAHO Elements of Performance evaluations, standardized messaging and color recognition implementation. The hard dollar effect to the healthcare facility is that every medical error no matter how insignificant equates to a dollar amount. For example: The average payout for medication malpractice was $185,000.00 per case. If a medication alert saves a patient from receiving the wrong medication or an incorrect amount then potentially “The Messenger” has saved that facility $185,000.00. For a minimal expense of approximately $150.00 per room the facility has taken a pro-active approach in providing the most efficient and effective means of patient advisory and precautionary communications available. There is currently no other system like this in the marketplace and our medical facilities are in a crisis for improved communications.