Nihon Kohden Introduces Next Generation NK-HiQ Enterprise Gateway Platform

Nihon Kohden, a U.S. market leader in precision medical products and services, announced the launch of its NK-HiQ Enterprise Gateway, the next-generation platform that integrates data from Nihon Kohden patient monitoring devices and consolidates multiple applications into a single powerful platform. As the backbone of the Nihon Kohden Patient Monitoring System, the NK-HiQ Enterprise Gateway offers clinicians easy access to patient information regardless of location, and saves time, space and money. Powered for enterprise-level health systems, the NK-HiQ Enterprise Gateway grows with the needs of a hospital or integrated delivery network. When fully deployed, the platform can support up to 2,000 devices and 300 remote viewing clients.

“As technology has advanced, hospitals and integrated delivery networks have shouldered a greater and greater burden to build vast IT infrastructure and dedicated rooms that don’t always deliver an improved clinical experience,” said Harsh Dharwad, vice president and chief technology officer for Nihon Kohden America. “We have developed a platform that helps hospitals reduce its IT footprint while facilitating a safe and seamless flow of patient information from admit to discharge. Ultimately, this allows IT to help lead the transformation in healthcare through data integration.” NK-HiQ Enterprise Gateway is designed to support seven key gateway extensions and applications, which allow clinicians to access complete patient information anytime, anywhere, when fully deployed:

• AWARE alarm management and reporting software applicationassists clinical teams in identifying, managing and responding to critical alarms.
• NK-HiQ CNS remote clientprovides secondary monitoring of up to 16 patients who are centrally monitored on Life Scope Central Stations
• NK-HiQ ECG server extensionreceives 12-lead ECG waveform data directly from bedside monitors and forwards the data to compatible third-party ECG management systems
• NK-HiQ HL7 server extensionenables the efficient transfer of essential patient information, including ADT and patient monitoring data, to almost any HL7-compliant electronic medical records system
• NK-HiQ Pager server extensionforwards alarm and arrhythmia notifications to third-party communication devices
• NK-HiQ Wireless server extensionenables Nihon Kohden WLAN patient monitors to leverage a hospital’s WiFi infrastructure investment or operate on a stand-alone Nihon Kohden wireless network
• ViTrac remote viewingfor iOS devices provides a secure method of remote viewing for a range of Nihon Kohden-generated patient data

By implementing NK-HiQ Enterprise Gateway, hospitals are able to reduce the footprint of the server by up to 90 percent, reduce the amount of time spent managing servers and decrease overall power consumption. “Data is essential to make effective clinical decisions on behalf of patients,” said John Korney, vice president of marketing for Nihon Kohden America. “At Nihon Kohden, we are breaking down barriers to this data, providing hospitals and health systems a path to true clinical integration. Using the NK-HiQ Gateway Enterprise, clinicians have access to the right information at the right place and in the right time.” – Medical Buyer Bureau