Case Study: Columbia County Health System achieves faster emergency response and improved patient safety with Stryker

Community Health Care System Improves Critical Communications with Vocera

Columbia County Health System serves a rural population of about 5,800 in southeast Washington through Dayton General Hospital (25 beds), two rural clinics, and a 49-bed skilled nursing facility. Facing tighter reimbursements and chronic staffing constraints—especially at night—the system identified unsafe gaps in communication that left staff unable to summon help for two-person patient transfers; previous tools like walkie-talkies and IP phones proved insecure, hard to use, or poorly adopted.

The system implemented the wearable, voice‑controlled Vocera Communication System (funded in part by a grant and supported by Vocera services), leveraging the existing wireless network and configurable call routing. The rollout enabled hands‑free, real‑time communication among care teams and first responders, faster EMS connections and code broadcasts, reduced nighttime noise, quicker call responses, and fewer falls. Measured HCAHPS improvements included nurse call response rising from 68% to 82.6%, nighttime quietness from 63% to 69.2%, and assistance with bathroom/bedpan from 81.3% to 87.5%.

Columbia County Health System

Mary Celeste Klingner

Emergency Department Physician