News Release

Spok Reveals New Mobile Integrations for Critical Communications at HIMSS 2015

SPRINGFIELD, Va. (April 13, 2015) – Spok, Inc. today announced that it will share the latest enhancements to its suite of clinical communications solutions, including critical test results management (CTRM), secure texting, and mobile communications support in Chicago this week at the HIMSS 15 Annual Conference & Exhibition. More than 25 Spok team members are in attendance to speak with clinicians, IT professionals, and hospital administrators about the enhancements to the Spok Care Connect solution suite, which is designed to fully integrate hospital communication workflows and support better patient care.

The most anticipated development is related to integration of Spok’s CTRM solution with the hospital’s centralized directory. Used by hospitals in the lab, radiology, cardiopulmonary, and other diagnostic departments, CTRM reduces unnecessary time from the test result notification process by directly alerting ordering providers of available results. The enhanced two-way communication capability between CTRM and directory allows providers to easily respond to messages about results with questions for more detail or follow-up information. Additional new functionality lets CTRM pull information directly from the consolidated staff directory’s on-call schedules. This enables the system to automatically escalate critical result notifications to on-call providers if the ordering physician does not acknowledge an alert in a timely manner.

“Seamless communications are the foundation for well-coordinated care,” said Colin Balmforth, Spok’s president. “When every second counts, our customers need reliable communication tools. This new automated escalation pathway for critical patient information is an important piece of the overall communication structure to help support better care.”

The new release of Spok® Device Preference Engine helps to improve mobile clinical workflows. This solution enables staff to determine how they prefer to be reached based on factors such as time and date, on-call schedule, and the urgency of the request. Combined with usability enhancements within the Spok Mobile secure texting app, establishing preference rules makes connecting with clinicians easier and quicker.

“Giving providers the ability to set their preferred method of contact means they have the flexibility to individualize workflows in ways that work best for them,” said Hemant Goel, Spok’s chief operating officer. “Some people prefer to use their pagers for urgent messages, some use their smartphones for all communications, and others use a mix including tablets. Spok solutions are used by people who save lives, and effective communications are the underpinnings of quality and safety. Our goal is to make communications smooth and efficient so providers can get answers quickly when they need them, and spend more of their time focused on patient care.”