Mercy Medical Health Network will be implementing its first eICU program, a system of high-tech cameras and software that monitors even slight changes in the vital signs of critical care patients. The Mercy network comprises 11 member hospitals and 26 affiliate hospitals.

The 917-bed Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines will have 54 critical care beds equipped with the technology by late 2007. Some rural hospitals will be equipped by January 2008.

An eICU program would theoretically allow doctors in the Mercy Medical Centers in Des Moines and Sioux City to track the vital signs of intensive care patients in Mercy-affiliated hospitals across the state.

The program is expected to be a boon for the 16 rural communities with hospitals affiliated with Mercy. Intensive care units can be scarce outside urban areas,   “Sometimes, the care that best meets a patient and his family’s needs is delivered close to home,” Dr. David Kapaska, vice president of medical affairs at Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines, said in a statement, adding.

VISICU Inc. will provide the eICU technology for Mercy Medical Health Network.