Rollout of real-time location services (RTLS) puts data at the center of operational improvements and a better patient experience

FARGO – (8/15/2019) – ZulaFly, a leading provider of patient workflow, staff safety, asset management and environmental monitoring software, today announced that Altru Health System is using ZulaFly’s data analytics software for real-time location services (RTLS) to modernize its patient-centric operations. Altru serves nearly 500 patients a day across the six clinics outfitted with RTLS.

ZulaFly’s RTLS-based patient workflow software is helping Altru Health System reduce patient wait times, increase physician value-added time and better understand patient cycle time.  The new move to using real-time data as part of daily operations at its clinics is creating consistently better experiences for patients.

The most significant improvements that Altru Health System has seen since having access to the data that is collected are decreased wait times and increased value added time. They have been able to see more patients providing a better experience, compared to before they had the ZulaFly software platform.

ZulaFly’s Fuzion software houses and controls the workflows linked to the hardware (badges and transmitters) and collects the data. ZulaFly’s software is already being used in various departments in the health system, including Advanced Orthopedics, Family Practice, Cardiology, Urology and ENT/Audiology. In addition, ZulaFly is used within the Altru Clinic in Crookston, MN, with a plan to continue expansion into additional clinics and the new hospital, opening in 2022.

“Altru Health System made a strategic decision to use data from real-time location services to drive new innovation in patient flow and care,” said Matt Schumacher, Director of Technology and Support.  “By incorporating real-time data into minute-by-minute decisions and actions affecting patient flow in our daily operations, we are able to shift from a reactive to a much more proactive approach to better serve our patients.”

Using data visualization software from ZulaFly, providers, nurses, technicians and administrative staff can now see the data on how long patients are waiting as it is happening in real time and find the exact location of a patient without wasting any time or causing any unnecessary delays.  ZulaFly’s Fuzion software includes customized dashboards that display where time is being spent in phases of care, identifying bottlenecks and allowing healthcare providers to spend more time with patients.

ZulaFly has the ability to create workflows specific to each clinic and the outcomes they would like to measure.  ZulaFly also has the ability to start the workflow when each individual clinic chooses, ensuring that the cycle time numbers are accurate while also providing self-rooming for those clinics that want to offer it.

“ZulaFly is providing simple-to-understand, real-time data reports that help Altru Health System ensure that its patients are having the best experience possible,” said Stephanie Andersen, a founder of ZulaFly.  “We put the power of RTLS data into the hands of healthcare professionals at large and small institutions.  While significant amounts of data are generated, we help healthcare institutions and other organizations make sense of the data and organize it for more efficient operations and more effective decision-making.”

ZulaFly partnered with Sonitor for their Sense RTLS technology, and Eide Bailly for business intelligence.

About ZulaFly

ZulaFly is an industry leader of real-time data gathering software solution and platform that collects data from any disparate system and presents this data in a customizable, unified user interface. The company’s software solution, Fuzion, is non-industry specific, providing Workflow, Patient / Resident Locating, Asset Management, Environmental Monitoring, Staff Safety, and Mobility across multiple campuses. The solution creates numerous advantages in workflow and efficiency for professionals in many healthcare facilities such as Acute Care, Senior Living, and Clinics. For more information, reach us directly at info@zulafly.com or visit www.zulafly.com.

About Altru Health System

Based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Altru Health System is a regional, integrated healthcare delivery system serving northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Altru is a physician-led, multi-specialty group practice with a 277 bed acute care hospital, Level II trauma center, 45 bed specialty hospital, more than two dozen Grand Forks and regional practice locations, and a large home care network. Altru employs over 300 physicians and advanced practice providers and 4,000 staff. With a focus on advanced technology, Altru deployed the first Mako® Robotic Arm system in North Dakota and enhanced Altru’s Robotics with the recent addition of the DaVinci Xi Robotic Surgical System. In 2018, Altru was awarded fourth Most Wired® in the nation, a recognition for systems at the forefront of using healthcare information technology to improve the delivery of care. Altru Health System has received accreditation from the Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation and has achieved 50 years of CARF accreditation at Altru’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital. Altru Health System was the first member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, extending Mayo Clinic knowledge and expertise to the patients we serve. For more information, visit altru.org.

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