Plugging into health information technology

The next generation of beds will be even smarter, aspiring to the kind of data tracking and interoperability that has become all the rage with the electronic medical record (EMR) and other major Obama administration trends in health care. "The next horizon is focusing on data transmissions," says Butler.


In line with that strategy, another major manufacturer, Stryker, offers the InTouch Critical Care bed. "We view it as the smartest bed in the world," says Derick Elliott, director of marketing. The InTouch was originally launched in 2007, but Stryker came out with some impressive enhancements in May of 2008. "The latest component is connectivity. The bed can connect to EMR through Capsule and Cerner technology."

The bed interfaces with Capsule, a data integration technology, which is then routed to the Cerner EMR and other applications in order to reduce the amount of documentation that nurses and other health care workers must manually input when using functions on the bed during patient care. Data is also used to document compliance with hospital protocols. "The primary focus is open architecture," says Elliott. "We then take that data and share it liberally."

As with Hill-Rom's TotalCare, Styker's InTouch can help to prevent and heal skin wounds with weight distribution features and treat pulmonary complications with rotation and percussion therapies, which are mainly used to clear fluid from the lungs. Both Stryker's and Hill-Rom's beds come with repositioning assist presets that can be activated with the push of a button.

H1N1 may call for more beds

In addition to offering incredibly sophisticated technology on their newest models, major manufacturers also offer bed rental programs to hospitals, which may come in handy as they gear up to address the flu season. An unprepared health care center could find itself dealing with some significant bed shortages if a worst-case scenario were to occur, and since the "swine flu" strain of influenza is now considered pandemic, many hospitals are taking that as a cue to open triage centers in preparation for any possible outbreak.

However, Butler says this doesn't necessarily mean they'll be going out and purchasing brand new or even used beds.

"The sales cycle is a significant decision," says Butler. Capital budgets are still tight, and renting may just make the most sense for a lot of hospitals. "Rental of equipment, from beds to stretchers, has been a growing business segment of ours for quite some time."

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