Opening the Gates Between Doctors and Families

The Gates Vascular Institute has made Buffalo a go-to spot for cardiac and vascular care. It’s home to top talent in the medical field, revolutionary procedures, and forward-thinking services that patients can’t yet find anywhere else.

But while the Institute is always working on moving medicine forward—they were being held back by a basic problem: communication. Patients often came to Gates Vascular after a medical emergency, like a stroke or heart attack. Others came for potentially lifesaving operations. And with them came concerned family and friends, who wanted real-time updates on their loved ones.

Doctors were under pressure. They couldn’t be running between the operating room and the waiting room. They needed to focus on their patients. But they couldn’t leave people worrying without answers either. What Gates Vascular needed was a better way to keep families informed at every step. So they started the search for a cure. Which lead them to SMP – a Cisco Gold Partner.

SMP says…

While Gates Vascular Institute transforms healthcare, our team at SMP transforms organizations with IT solutions. In this case, we designed a unique communication system for the institute. All built on Cisco Collaboration Technology.

We started by solving what seemed impossible: having doctors in two places at once. Our team brought in Cisco video conferencing to make that a reality. Before, doctors could—at best—talk to anxious families over the phone. But now, they can update them within seconds of a procedure face-to-face over video—pointing out problems, explaining care information, and sharing results. Which leaves families more prepared to support the patient. It’s even cut down on the need for post-op questions and follow-up appointments.