Regional Medical Center of San Jose Chooses Cybernet as Gold Standard

Regional Medical Center of San Jose had long been using laptops on a non-powered cart for their Barcode Medical Administration (BCMA) workflows. While the solution served its purpose, there were several drawbacks. The battery life of the laptops was a concern. Their nurses work on 8 hour shifts, but they were lucky to squeeze out 4 hours of battery life on the laptops. Furthermore, the screen size wasn’t ideal for clinicians. It made information difficult to read, and the software didn’t always display without the need for extensive scrolling. 

New incoming management set a directive for the IT team to find ‘a Cadillac solution at a Chevrolet price’. The team knew they wanted to stick with a non-powered cart. Clinicians liked the lighter weight of a non-powered cart. That meant they needed to find a solution that could power itself, similar to a laptop, but provided an extended battery life with a much larger display. And whatever solution they found, it needed to fit within their budget. 

Around the same time as the search began for a new solution, Cybernet Manufacturing was wrapping up a proof of concept test with HCA’s corporate offices for their CyberMed XB22 battery powered medical monitors. Once approved, the XB22 was added to HCA corporate standard list, and by chance, was presented by Regional’s account rep at CDW. 

Immediately the team knew they had found a winner. The CyberMed XB22 was powered by 3 hot swappable batteries, offering up to 21 hours of runtime on a single charge. But more importantly than that, the XB22 could also power HP mini PCs that Regional was switching to AND the barcode scanners that were necessary for the BCMA workflow. And even though it wasn’t a consideration initially, the fact that the XB22 was disinfectable and IP65 certified would become a godsend. The only thing left to do was to reconfigure the Ergotron carts they were already using to support the heavier weight of the CyberMed monitor compared to the laptops they were using. 

The clinicians immediately loved the new solution. The IT team knew this to be the case because complaints about the medical carts ceased almost immediately once the new units were deployed. Battery life issues were immediately resolved, and the large 22” display was a much welcome improvement over their previous 13” laptop screens. 

What the team at Regional Medical Center of San Jose didn’t anticipate was the COVID-19 outbreak. The first units were deployed in the first week of January 2020. A few months later the state of California would go into lockdown measures, and Regional’s bed capacity flexed from just over 200 beds to more than 280 beds. Also, with advanced cleaning protocols in place, the IP65 rating of the front bezel means that they could easily be disinfected without damaging the units - something that wouldn’t have been possible if they were still using laptops on the carts. 

More than a year since the first units hit the floor, Regional has had no technical issues with their new medical monitors. The nursing staff is still quiet, and what little feedback the IT team does get, it is all positive.