Case Study: University of Michigan Health‑West achieves 47% faster stroke door‑to‑needle times — saving ~48 million brain cells per patient — with Stryker's Vocera communication solution

Streamlining Clinical Communication and Physician Consults Saves Time, Brain Cells, and Lives

University of Michigan Health‑West, a Primary Stroke Center and Level II Trauma Center, set out to reduce delays in acute stroke care after identifying fragmented communication among EMS, emergency, neurology, radiology, nursing, lab and pharmacy staff as a key barrier to faster treatment and better patient outcomes.

They deployed the Vocera unified communication platform (hands‑free badges and a smartphone app), integrated pre‑arrival notifications with crucial patient context (including time last known well), and streamlined consults and tele‑critical care workflows. This enabled pre‑arrival planning and real‑time collaboration, cutting median door‑to‑needle time from 53 to 28 minutes (47% improvement), door‑to‑groin from 114 to 62 minutes (46%), and door‑to‑recanalization from 148 to 125 minutes (15%), preserving an estimated 48–50 million brain cells per patient and improving chances of independent recovery.

University of Michigan Health-West

Thomas Fantin

Vice President of Information Technology