Case Study: Hardin Memorial Health achieves 69.5% drop in LWBS and boosted patient satisfaction with Stryker's Vocera hands-free communication

Hardin Memorial Health Accelerates Care, Improves Clinical Workflows and Boosts Patient Satisfaction

Hardin Memorial Health (HMH) in Elizabethtown, KY faced growing communication challenges after doubling its emergency department from 27 to 65 rooms. Clinicians became more dispersed, a prior smartphone app saw low adoption, and staff reported gaps and delays in urgent, bedside communication that threatened responsiveness and patient experience.

HMH implemented the hands‑free Vocera Badge and complementary smartphone app so care teams can call people or role‑based groups by voice, broadcast code teams, and summon help instantly. Within months the ED became quieter and more coordinated, left‑without‑being‑seen (LWBS) fell from 4.6% to 1.4% (a 69.5% reduction), ED HCAHPS scores for “doctors informing patients about treatment” rose 44.7% (53.3 to 77.1), Top Box “staff caring” improved 12%, and overall patient satisfaction increased by 3 points.

Hardin Memorial Health

Rita Pardee

Assistant Vice President of Surgical Services