SCL Health to Deploy System-Wide OB Hub Powered by PeriWatch Command Center
Centralized monitoring facility employs PeriGen’s AI-based system to continuously analyze maternal vital signs, fetal heart rate, contractions, and labor progression across eight facilities in two states
Cary, N.C.––PeriGen Inc., the market leader in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to improve safety in childbirth, today announced that SCL Health, a health system operating eight hospitals and 150 clinics in Colorado and Montana, is launching a centralized SCL Health OB Hub utilizing PeriGen’s PeriWatch Command Center enterprise-wide telehealth-platform. Through the OB Hub, a dedicated team of labor and delivery clinicians will use PeriGen’s automated early warning capabilities to provide 24/7 real-time remote monitoring of maternal vital signs, fetal heart rate, contractions, and labor progression for patients throughout the health system.
Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM) has been a mainstay in modern perinatal obstetrics since the 1970s for the detection of fetal distress during labor. Although the technology used in EFM has changed little in the ensuing years, the demands on perinatal nurses––considered the leading providers and coordinators of labor and delivery (L&D) care––have escalated. Meanwhile, L&D nurses must track and document as many as 10 different characteristics every 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the stage of labor.
“Given the demands on L&D clinicians, and our geographically-dispersed locations, we recognized the value of implementing a virtual ‘second set of eyes’ to actively monitor maternal and fetal conditions and, in turn, help improve clinical outcomes and reduce unexpected NICU admissions,” said Deb Lowery, director of Women’s and Children’s Services, SCL Health. “Being able to visualize the trends in the fetal heart rate patterns, maternal vital signs, and the progression of labor assists the nurse working in the OB Hub in determining if there is a strip that warrants a more focused look at the bedside.”
Dedicated nurses in the SCL Health OB Hub in Denver use the PeriWatch Vigilance machine learning-powered system to consolidate up to 12 hours of monitoring information on a single screen––with color-coded status. Nurses and physicians can then refer to this dashboard to quickly evaluate trends––including the state of the patient and how labor is progressing. And over the course of a six-month pilot of the system across two of its facilities, SCL Health has realized significantly improved fetal scores and decreased the number of unanticipated term infants requiring advanced NICU therapies.
“Using advanced technology to consistently and efficiently show trends in maternal and fetal condition over time helps mitigate many of the challenging scenarios that are inherent in labor and delivery,” said Matthew Sappern, CEO of PeriGen. “These are real situations, which can pose a substantial risk for patients. Having a dedicated, technology-enabled clinical team available to monitor and assist can only help reduce risk and improve outcomes for all.”
As a result of the successful trial, the SCL Health clinical leadership team has received system-wide perinatal executive support to expand their OB Hub vision and provide coverage across the eight facilities they serve in Colorado and Montana. As a result, PeriWatch Vigilance coverage will be made available through the SCL Health OB Hub for an additional 12,000-plus infants and mothers annually.
PeriWatch Command Center is an enterprise-wide telehealth platform used to monitor patients across the health system. It is powered by the only automated maternal-fetal early warning system and clinical decision support tool for obstetrics. It is designed to enhance clinical efficiency, timely intervention, and standardization of care. It adds an artificial intelligence-based approach to patient safety initiatives. It can track hundreds of patients across multiple sites––continuously sorting and color-coding them according to defined parameters and notifying clinicians based on degree and duration of abnormality.
For more information about PeriGen, visit the provider’s website at perigen.com. To learn more about PeriWatch Vigilance®, visit the product resource page, and view this video.
About SCL Health
SCL Health is a faith-based, nonprofit healthcare organization dedicated to improving the health of the people and communities we serve. Founded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in 1864, our health network provides comprehensive, coordinated care through eight hospitals, more than 150 physician clinics, home health, hospice, mental health, and safety-net services primarily in Colorado and Montana.
About PeriGen
PeriGen Inc., a Halma company, offers innovative perinatal software solutions that incorporate advanced statistical analysis features to enhance clinical efficiency and standardization of care during childbirth. Led by skilled OB practitioners and IT visionaries, PeriGen has created the PeriWatch® platform to provide consistent analysis and efficient display of complex data to promote better human recognition and communication about impending problems during labor. With PeriWatch®, clinicians can spend more time on direct patient care and less time on manual calculations and data manipulation.
