Medtronic’s New CareLink Express System for Quick Review of Cardiac Implants

Medtronic just launched CareLink Express, a new service that provides a rapid way for clinicians to get a sense of the status of Medtronic cardiac implants in their patients. Normally a device rep is necessary to read and understand what a defibrillator or pacemaker has been up to, a process that can consume a great deal of precious time and human resources.

Now with the CareLink Express, clinicians can easily connect to an implant using a wireless monitor and pass on the data to a device representative who will provide expert analysis of the readings in minutes.  According to a pilot study across dozens of clinical facilities, the average wait time for an implanted patient went from 84 minutes to less than 15 once CareLink Express became the standard.

Some details of how CareLink Express works from Medtronic:

• Medtronic provides healthcare facilities with a CareLink Express monitor, which is compatible with almost all Medtronic ICDs, CRT devices, ICMs and pacemakers. The one-touch monitor is used to check or “interrogate” the implanted Medtronic cardiac device.
• When a patient with an implanted Medtronic cardiac device arrives at the healthcare facility, the facility staff uses the CareLink Express monitor to check the implanted device and the device data is transmitted to the CareLink® Network.
• When the data is transmitted to the CareLink Network, a device expert receives an automatic notification via page or email indicating that new information is available.
• The device expert reviews the information remotely and provides an assessment of the device status to the hospital.
• Based on the device assessment, the healthcare facility staff determines the appropriate treatment for the patient.
• The device data from CareLink Express can be automatically exported to the facility’s electronic health records (EHR). In addition, the implanted device data is automatically sent via the CareLink Network to the patient’s device-following physician, for immediate access.

Press release: Medtronic Launches CareLink Express™ Service…