EXETER, RI, April 5, 2017 — Lorien Health Systems, one of Maryland’s top healthcare systems, and NWN Carousel, a leader in communication and network technologies, professional and managed services, and cloud solutions, have successfully partnered to help Lorien create a connected environment as a platform to dramatically improve patient care and overall quality of life. View a brief video on how patient care at Lorien was transformed here.
With an outstanding reputation for delivering top care to senior citizens for over 40 years, Lorien recognized the need to leverage innovative, state-of-the-art technologies to make the assisted living experience more comfortable and less intrusive, while also driving ongoing wellness and safety for clients opting to live in their own homes.
Lorien care experts faced slow or extremely limited access to digital health records, unreliable wireless and landline phone service, and poor equipment synching—all essential to maintain a high standard of care and comply with government mandates like the move to electronic health records (EHR). These hurdles hindered the delivery of optimal care to the Lorien’s most important asset—its residents.
To overcome these challenges, Lorien CEO Lou Grimmel teamed with NWN Carousel to upgrade their wireless network and IT systems and introduce new customer care initiatives, such as TeleHealth and virtual patient monitoring. Lorien placed devices in the home to enable communication between patients, Lorien care coaches, and family members at the push of a button. Video communication can be activated anytime, anywhere, from any internet-connected device. Additional equipment tracks patient vitals, provides medication reminders, and establishes shared calendars with alerts–all helping to create an individualized plan for aging at home. Within their facilities, Lorien deployed motion sensors to track critical patient information and proactively alert staff members when something may be awry–driving significantly improved response times.
“As a growing regional healthcare system, our number one priority is delivering unparalleled patient and resident care every single day,” said Grimmel. “We can’t be in our business and achieve our goals without having the highway to get us there. We are fortunate to partner with Carousel, because that’s what they do for us.”
To implement that “highway,” Carousel conducted an analysis of Lorien’s IT infrastructure, resulting in the upgrade and installation of various technologies, including: wireless networking, a new back-up data center, carrier services, security devices with managed firewalls, and improved maintenance and support. Using the latest solutions from leading manufacturers like Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, and Juniper Networks, Carousel designed a platform for Lorien to utilize cutting-edge tools and applications that take their service quality to new heights.
“Carousel is proud to be making a measurable difference in the lives of the Lorien Health Systems community,” said Jim Marsh, Chief Revenue Officer, NWN Carousel. “It is particularly gratifying to see first-hand how new and improved wireless systems, patient monitoring capabilities, and improved EHR access can have a profound impact on the Lorien staff and the thousands of patients and residents they are responsible for throughout their growing network.”
About Lorien Health Systems
Established in 1977, Lorien Health Systems is a leading provider of a wide range of aged care services based in Ellicott City, Maryland. The Company operates a total of 14 aged care facilities (both Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living) comprising more than 1,400 beds, all located in the State of Maryland, USA.