Someone you care about is now in the ICU. An accident, operation or serious illness has created a need for specialized care.

We know you are concerned and hope for the best, but the outcome may be uncertain; worry, anxiety and fear may be your strongest emotions. Perhaps this experience is not new to you and you have some idea of what to expect.

In either case, you are visiting the ICU because you care and want to help in any way you can. Whether your presence is for moral support or you are responsible for treatment decisions about the patient, you want to help anyway you can.

ICU-USA assists you by explaining ICU-related medical conditions, drugs, procedures, equipment and supplies - virtually all aspects of the ICU environment. With this knowledge, you will be more comfortable speaking with the doctors and nurses.

Because we are doctors and nurses ourselves, we respect the doctor/nurse-patient relationship. We help improve that relationship.

Our service is divided into two major parts:
     ICU portion of the web site
     After-the-ICU portion of the web site

Based on decades of experience working with families and friends of ICU patients, we have anticipated most of your needs and questions. We realize that you probably have no formal medical background. Therefore, all content is written in plain, understandable English.

Click here to learn about the Founders of ICU-USA, Inc.

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ICU-USA Inc. Online Business Brochure

The Problem

Physicians and nurses spend inadequate time communicating with patients and their families. Unanswered questions lead to a lack of understanding about the patient's condition and treatments. The results are reduced patient and family satisfaction with medical care and, often, increased costs.

The Solution

Improve communication between clinicians, patients and their families.

Our solution, developed by leading clinicians, is licensed to hospitals for a three-year renewable term. It utilizes onsite development of hospital clinical staff and placement of computerized kiosks in public areas of the facility.

Components of the programs include:

     Individualized onsite education for hospital staff

     Customized, kiosk with hospital specific information

     Internet portals to medical information written for the layman, including links to appropriate websites.

Additional components, such as hospital surveys, feedback, and user activity reports are provided to help the hospital document patient and family education for quality improvement activities and external audiences (e.g. JCAHO).

The Result

Patients and their families are better educated, more involved in treatment decisions and realize improved satisfaction with the care received. The hospital achieves improved efficiencies and significant savings through better matching treatments with patient goals. These savings to the hospital are most prominent in the highest resource consuming patients (outliers).

The Company

ICU-USA, Inc. ("ICU-USA" or "the Company"), located in St. Louis, MO, was established in 1999 to develop and operate a consumer-oriented medical information and education program based on computerized, Internet-based kiosks located in hospitals and educational services provided to hospital staff.

After extensive testing the Company now licenses the program to medical facilities. Ongoing product development, financing, and marketing activities are being pursued to realize the growth potential for ICU-USA's products and services.

Products and Services

As to the Internet portal components, the prototype Website, ICU-USA, based on the core competencies of the founders, is directed at the general ICU environment. It will be offered in slightly varying versions for specialized ICUs, such as post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), pediatric ICU, and cardiac ICU. MedCenter-USA, has already been customized for other specialized areas of medical care, such as the emergency room, neurology, obstetrics, pediatrics, etc.

Operations

The Company has assembled a team of strategic partners consisting of:

     hardware and software manufacturers;

     a web design and hosting firm, which also provides technical support services nationwide;

     a leading national kiosk design and manufacturing firm, and;

     clinical staff of nationally recognized experts in critical care

This structure provides the Company with the ability to offer an unparalleled program to hospitals at affordable prices and quickly respond to evolving market dynamics and industry developments.

Management

The clinical founders/principals of ICU-USA are accomplished ICU professionals with national recognition for their collective 60+ years of critical care experience and leadership. Dr. Robert Taylor brings more than 25 years of experience and provides the medical leadership for the program. Dr. Taylor is author of several prestigious textbooks about critical care and is past President of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Thomas Ahrens, DNS RN CCRN CS brings 25 years of critical care experience and the nursing vision to the program. Dr. Ahrens is an award- winning author and is nationally known in acute and critical care nursing.

Endorsements

Through an exclusive arrangement with the Society of Critical Care Medicine the website has become the "The Official Patient and Family Website of the Society of Critical Care Medicine." The American Association of Critical Care Nurses also endorses the website.

Program Components

Kiosk Fixture

    Custom standalone indoor enclosure (desk or standing versions), metal construction with powdercoat finish, lock-n-key entry, ADA compliant, multiple service doors, trackball, amplified speaker system, UPS, 17" LCD

     Pentium III 866 MHz, 20 GB Hard Drive, 128 MB RAM, 48xCD, SGVA Video w/8MB, 1.44 FD, 10/100base-T, 3 serial ports, 2 USB, 56 K modem, sound, 1 PCI slot, External PC Watchdog, audio card

     ICU-USA Kiosk Software Version 2.1b, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

     Can be located in any appropriate public areas of hospital

Hospital Software Program

     Customized, facility-specific content provided by customer, (e.g., hospital services, staff, directions, amenities)

     Up to 70 pages of text/graphics (including audio/video) content included

     Designed for easy navigation

     Reporting of user activity for documentation of JCAHO patient/family education and patient/family satisfaction surveys

     User feedback immediately emailed directly to responsible hospital manager(s)

     Attract screen sequence (when not in use) for anything hospital wants to feature

     Potential for sponsorship/advertising revenue to hospital

     Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant

Internet Portals

     ICU-USA website for ICU module

     MedCenter-USA website for other hospital department modules

     Both company websites are linked to specially selected medical information websites

     User activity in Company Websites from other than hospital locations can be captured for hospital's usage reports

     Access to hospital/system website(s)

     Security feature only allows access to pre-authorized, appropriate sites

On-site Education for Staff

     Demonstration/instruction to staff about kiosk program use

     Supplements your staff's current teaching programs and efforts

     Help patients and families learn to educate themselves and ask the right questions

     Instruction on post-discharge use by patients and families

     Reduce cost of inadequate communication by empowering patients and families to help reduce costs associated with undesired treatments

Licensing

The Company licenses its proprietary software program for a multi-year, renewable term. The license includes:

     For each module (i.e., hospital department, such as ICU, Emergency Dept., Ob-Gyn, etc.), development of hospital-specific content, up to a maximum of 70 pages of text and graphics (including audio and video components). Additional content provided on a time and materials basis.

     Installation of the program on compatible hardware and software meeting specified standards.

     Access to the appropriate Internet portal site (ICU-USA or MedCenter-USA) and related linked sites, including hospital/system website(s).

     Maintenance of hospital-specific content as needed by the hospital. License fee includes up to four changes per month. Additional changes billed at then-current rates.

     Provision to hospital of user feedback reports, quarterly user activity reports to document JCAHO required patient and family education, and patient/family satisfaction surveys.

For more information regarding this program please contact: