BayCare Harnesses Alexa Technology for Better Patient Experience

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Jan 05, 2021, 12:15 ET

CLEARWATER, Fla., Jan. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BayCare is utilizing Aiva technology in 2,500 hospital rooms across 14 Tampa Bay-area hospitals. Patients will experience smart rooms that allow them to connect with their care team and control devices like the television – all hands-free.

The technology is now being deployed at St. Joseph's Hospital-North in Lutz before being implemented system-wide by BayCare into other hospitals. BayCare hopes to have the technology in place across its entire system by the end of 2021.

Alexa, the voice assistant used by millions of Americans at home for convenience, is being implemented in 2,500 hospital rooms across 14 BayCare hospitals in the Tampa Bay area. Alexa uses Aiva technology so patients can connect hands-free to their care team during their hospital stay.

BayCare uses a health care-specific platform known as Aiva to handle patient requests. Requests are immediately sent to the correct support person based on what a patient tells Aiva via an Alexa device installed in their room. The care team member receives the request on their BayCare iPhone specifically deployed for communications.

"The patient can simply ask Alexa for things they need like a blanket or a glass of water," said Craig Anderson, BayCare director of innovation. "Aiva interprets all those requests and sends it to right person. It is a seamless connection between the patient and their care team."

The technology was piloted at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa and Winter Haven Hospital in 2019 before being put in use at St. Joseph's Hospital-North in late 2020. Patients were highly satisfied with the Aiva technology in surveys during the pilot, Anderson said.

"Millions of Americans use voice assistants for comfort and convenience at home," said St. Joseph's Hospital-North president Tom Garthwaite. "Bringing this technology to the hospital room will help many people feel more comfortable, which ultimately supports their recovery."

Currently, Aiva also enables patients to control the hospital room television via Alexa. With a simple voice request, patients can request a particular television channel and control the volume.

Anderson said BayCare plans for the Aiva technology to eventually control an entire room.

"Our goal is to make an entire smart hospital room," Anderson said. "Through voice commands you can ask for anything you need, you can get any entertainment you want, control the television, room lighting and temperature. Controlling window blinds is also potentially an option for the future. Technologies that are now standard in some homes will be available in the hospital room."

The Aiva technology using Alexa in hospital rooms also allows users to play music and ask for news, information, weather, trivia and sports updates.

If a patient prefers not to use Alexa, they can mute the device.

"Aiva not only instantly bridged communication between patients and the care team , it also provided more ways for them to interact," said Anna Giles, a Winter Haven Hospital registered nurse who used the technology during the pilot.

"The ability to play games and provide a vast spectrum of music choices provided comfort to patients in unique ways," Giles said. "We're excited to see how this technology grows to benefit patients' well-being in the future."

"We're excited to partner with BayCare," said Sumeet Bhatia, founder and chief executive officer of Aiva. "We've always felt that the best health care technology does its work in the background, giving clinicians more freedom and patients more control."

Anderson said BayCare will have the largest deployment of Aiva technology using Alexa for a U.S. health system.

"This is bringing consumer-friendly technology into the medical space to provide the same value we get every day from our voice-assistants like Alexa," he said.

About St. Joseph's Hospital-North
St. Joseph's Hospital-North opened in February 2010 to bring high-quality health care services to North Tampa in an environment designed to help patients heal. Part of BayCare Health System, St. Joseph's Hospital-North features all private patient suites and offers emergency care, surgical services, GI endoscopy, imaging, intensive care, obstetrics, cardiac catheterization, interventional radiology and more in a peaceful, relaxing and family-centered environment. Located just north of Tampa in Lutz, the all-digital, state-of-the-art facility is specially designed to make patients and visitors as comfortable as possible during their hospital experience.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 15 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit www.BayCare.org.

About Aiva Health
Aiva is the voice operating system for better care. Our secure enterprise platform uses voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to empower patients and seniors throughout their care journey. They enjoy more entertainment options, better control of their environment and instant two-way communication with their care team. Aiva enables existing systems in areas such as clinical communications, patient engagement, electronic health records, dining menus, work orders, building management and IoT. The company is based in Los Angeles. Investors include the Alexa Fund, Google Assistant Investment Program, Act One Ventures, Mucker Capital, Techstars and the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator. For more information, visit www.aivahealth.com.

SOURCE BayCare Health System