Northwell's Glen Cove Hospital begins using secure texting system
Glen Cove Hospital is using the Microsoft Teams app so nurses, physicians and other health care providers can securely text each other about their patients. Credit: Northwell Health
Glen Cove Hospital has begun using Microsoft Teams as a way for nurses, physicians and other health care providers to securely text one other about their patients.
Northwell Health, which operates Glen Cove Hospital, said it plans to roll out the Microsoft system at all of its hospitals.
The app, which is available on both mobile and desktop devices, is cloud-based.The app is used on Northwell Health-issued secure mobile phones, which require password and encryption protocols, and other mobile devices that meet Northwell’s security standards.
“The world of health care moves at a fast pace, and using a secure texting platform such as Microsoft Teams allows our staff to more quickly and safely convey information about their patients to each other,” said Bissoondaye Ragoonanan, a registered nurse and manager of clinical transformation at Glen Cove Hospital. “This software can potentially speed up patient care and ensure that there are fewer unnecessary wait times.”
Patients receive printed information explaining that their clinicians may use mobile technology to securely text each other to improve communication among the care team and enhance patient care.
Glen Cove Hospital recently piloted this technology in its telemetry, brain injury and coronary care units. The health system’s Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park also is using the app for clinical purposes.
New Hyde Park-based Northwell Health, with 70,000 employees, is the largest private employer in the state.
'His sacrifice made a difference': Gold Star mother honors son's memory Army Pfc. Raheen Tyson Heighter, 22, of Bay Shore, was the first serviceman from Long Island killed in the Iraq War.
'His sacrifice made a difference': Gold Star mother honors son's memory Army Pfc. Raheen Tyson Heighter, 22, of Bay Shore, was the first serviceman from Long Island killed in the Iraq War.
