MetroWest Medical Center - MetroWest Medical Center Boasts Innovation

Patients who visit MetroWest Medical Center already enjoy access to some of the best doctors in the region and top-notch technology, but they may soon find themselves at the cutting-edge of medicine.


Lean Process Manager Kevin Frieswick demonstrates the Poka-Yoke, a mistake proof device for washing hand entering and leaving a hospital room, Wednesday afternoon at the Metrowest Medical Center in Framingham.

Thanks to a handful of programs launched in recent months, the hospital may soon make a name for itself in everything from pioneering new patient monitors to patenting a device that ensures staff wash their hands before seeing patients.

"I think what you see is MetroWest is investing in patient safety," hospital CEO Andrei Soran said last week.

Part of that investment has come in the form of the EverOn monitor - a high-tech patient monitor developed by an Israeli start-up, and now being studied at MetroWest Medical Center.

The device - about the size and shape of a large computer mouse pad - is slid under the mattress of a patient's bed, where it wirelessly monitors their heart and respiration rates, state of agitation and whether a patient is in bed.

"We're trying to evaluate if this device can work in an acute-care setting," Soran said last week. "This is (someday) going to be part of a 'smart' bed."

The study is slated to take place in two parts - the first including about 25 patients, the second will include about 100. So far, about 15 patients have been monitored by the device.

"The technology is already FDA approved," MetroWest Medical Center Director of Research Gary Johnson said. "(Our study) is to test what's the best way to use this to improve the quality of care. The main focus of this project is to get nursing feedback."

"It's been fun to use," registered nurse Sarah Zaroubi said last week. "It's a different way of evaluating the same patient. We're finding new uses for it all the time."

Some of the technology popping up around MetroWest Medical, though, is of the home-grown variety.

In an effort to cut down on possible infections, many hospitals have initiated hand-washing programs or put dispensers of antibacterial sanitizer outside every room.

The one-of-a-kind device, which looks something like a toll-gate, was developed by Lean Process Manager Kevin Frieswick, and works by wiring the dispensers to an arm which blocks access to a room, and only goes up once someone has activated the dispenser.

Staff need only stick their hand under the dispenser to receive a shot of sanitizer, raising the barrier. A motion sensor then waits until the door is clear to lower the barrier.

"I made it out of Radio Shack and Home Depot parts," said Frieswick, who wired the one-of-a-kind device together. "You're not getting in this room without making a conscious effort to ignore this."

Hospital officials are contemplating whether to pursue a patent for the device, which is being piloted in one unit and may someday be outside every patient room.

Hospital officials have also taken steps to eliminate one of the most frustrating parts of a hospital stay - filling out reams of paperwork.

Officials several months ago created the Patient Pass Plus, a card patients can carry which is linked to their medical history and background information, allowing staff to do away with tedious forms.

"This is something we wanted our patients to have access to (so we can) serve them much faster and not have to go through the tedious registration process," Soran said.

Those who do carry them, however, don't need to worry about identity theft, Soran emphasized. While the cards are read by electronic equipment, they don't contain any personal information.

Instead the cards only store a randomly-generated number, which is linked to a medical file in the hospital's computers.

"This is only for a MetroWest Medical Center facility," he said. "We're one of the few hospitals in New England that have it. Once you go through the registration process once, you'll want anything that can shorten that process."

It's not just the community's health hospital officials are worried about, though.

With an eye toward improving staff health, hospital officials last month teamed up with Virgin Healthmiles aimed at encouraging staff to exercise, with cold hard cash as the incentive.

The company works on a subscription basis - participants pay a small fee, subsidized by the hospital, to establish a Web page where they can track their exercise on a daily basis.

Participants wear a pedometer to track how much they walk during the day, and can add other exercises like running, weight lifting and yoga to their personal pages.

As members reach certain goals, they can win gift certificates or cash through the company.

MetroWest Medical Center boasts innovation