Out with the Clipboard and in with the SoMo® 650

Published: September 2008

With the population continuing to grow worldwide and the aging population of the Baby Boomer generation in the United States, chances are you know someone who has required hospitalization or is in some type of a residential long-term care program. When it comes to the health and well-being of our loved ones, we want to know how they’re doing, and more importantly, we want to make certain that they’re receiving the care and attention they require. How is this effectively accomplished in today’s healthcare arena where different people have different needs? One way is by phasing out time-consuming, manual data entry and replacing that process with mobile, electronic records.

In July, Socket announced a partnership with The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society (Good Samaritan) that over the next year will result in a deployment of 3,200 Socket SoMo 650 handheld computers equipped with Good Samaritan proprietary software, extended batteries and SocketCare™ Premium.

The devices will be used to manage and monitor daily patient care in approximately 230 Good Samaritan facilities in 24 states. Bundling software developed by Good Samaritan with the accessibility of the SoMo 650, Good Samaritan nurses, certified nursing assistants, dietitians and other healthcare providers will have immediate access to patient records. At a glance, these providers can determine if the patient has accomplished all of his or her daily activities including meals, rehabilitation, social and extracurricular activities, and can accurately report this information to responsible parties upon request. Additionally, the data captured can be used for medical purposes and to inform the assessment, which determines the level of care to be provided.

Good Samaritan is committed to providing the best healthcare possible to their patients. They tested competitive devices and experienced high failure rates and various hardware issues. The Socket SoMo 650 not only met all of their durability and connectivity needs, but Socket has also provided them with excellent support as they continue the process of moving from a paper-based to a mobile and electronic system.

Working with the Good Samaritan National Campus in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Ingram Micro, a technology distributor, Socket developed a kit that is compatible with Good Samaritan’s existing IT infrastructure and that will enable 4-6 facilities a week to be upgraded with the solution.

Socket is proud to be selected by Good Samaritan as the ideal technology partner for the extensive rollout. The flexibility of the Socket system enhances the quality of life of patients and staff alike, and is a critical element to healthcare organizations looking to deploy enterprise mobile solutions customized to work with the systems they already have in place.