ATL Standard

Piedmont Healthcare issued the following announcement on Mar. 21. 

Piedmont Henry Hospital joins more than 400 hospitals and healthcare systems that uses the Omnigo system to ensure safer facilities. The visitor management software will be introduced at the hospital starting Monday, Apr. 4 for those visiting inpatient units only. A care partner is a relative, partner, friend or anyone (over age 18) that the patient chooses to have at their side during care and takes an active role in caring for their loved one in the hospital.

Going forward, all care partners must have a valid ID in order to enter the facility. If the visiting care partner does not have a valid ID, Piedmont Henry staff will take a photo. The system is similar to what is used at all of the public schools in the county. Piedmont Henry is currently allowing two care partners per patient, one of whom may stay overnight to assist the patient.

The information desks at the emergency department entrance and both the North and South entrances of the hospital will be equipped with computers, cameras, and printers. Public Safety Officers will take the visiting care partner’s valid ID and input other information (such as the patient’s room number or department) into the system.

Omingo will generate a protected health information compliant badge-like sticker for care partners to wear at all times. Each sticker has a red stop sign that fully emerges after 12 hours. Once this happens, the visiting care partner needs to either leave the facility or go back to the entrance to be re-screened and receive a new sticker.

“Omnigo will greatly expand our abilities to manage our population of visiting care partners and ensure a safe environment for our patients, staff, and anyone that enters our facilities,” said Russell Hickerson, Manager of Public Safety at Piedmont Henry.

Visiting care partners will still be required to undergo screening at the entrances before they get to the new Omnigo process.

Piedmont Henry joins Piedmont Athens Regional and Piedmont Columbus Regional as the hospitals in the Piedmont family who use Omnigo.

To learn more about Piedmont Henry, visit piedmont.org/henry.

Original source can be found here.