For Immediate Release Gainesville, Florida, March 13, 2020 – SmartSteward, Inc., a digital health company focused on advanced infection control and antibiotic stewardship software for skilled nursing facilities, is releasing a new antimicrobial surveillance and alert system called SmartSteward EYE™. In response to the current COVID-19 global outbreak, the company has modified its existing surveillance system, which was focused on identifying multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs), to include new algorithms for the early detection of respiratory viruses. This new surveillance system will track laboratory testing as well as patient symptoms and clinical observations to detect potentially dangerous bacterial and viral outbreaks in real-time. The system will send alerts to local healthcare teams to help them limit the spread of these infections throughout the facility. In addition, a heat map will display the location and movement of potential outbreaks within the facility. SmartSteward is currently focusing on software solutions for the skilled nursing facility market since the patients in these facilities are extremely vulnerable to infections.
According to Dr. Robert Yancey, an experienced Infectious Disease Specialist and founder of the company, “The impeding COVID-19 pandemic could very well decimate the nursing home population, which is extraordinarily susceptible to the ravages of this virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has quoted death rates for this virus to be 15-21% in this vulnerable and elderly population.” According to WHO, “Early detection and isolation of potential cases is the best defence.” (World Health Organization; 2018. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.) The company is planning to launch the new surveillance system in the skilled nursing facility market in April 2020 to help these facilities reduce the impact of viral outbreaks like COVID-19, as well as dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. SmartSteward’s CEO, Guy LaTorre commented, “We are committed to addressing the current COVID-19 outbreak by empowering healthcare providers with the surveillance tools they need to detect infections early and take action quickly.”
About SmartSteward, Inc. SmartSteward Inc., located at the University of Florida’s UF Innovate | The Hub, has developed a software platform called SmartSteward™ that automates infection control and antibiotic stewardship in skilled nursing facilities. The software helps facilities reduce infections and readmissions by optimizing the use of antibiotics, automating infection detection and reducing facility antibiotic resistance patterns. SmartSteward, Inc. has successfully piloted its software platform in a skilled nursing facility in the North Central Florida area and has demonstrated improved clinical outcomes, as well as time and financial savings for the facility.
The company is working on modifying the application for other clinical settings where controlling infections and reducing the overuse and misuse of antibiotics is critical. Contact: Guy LaTorre, CEO & Chairman Email: [email protected] Website: www.smartsteward.co Call: 321.209.0427
