Upgraded Communication Improves Patient and Staff Experience

Oakview Medical Care Facility, a nonprofit in Mason County, Michigan, is a leading provider of long-term care and rehabilitation services in the region. The 96-bed skilled nursing facility delivers compassionate, high-quality care through a wide range of services, from physical therapy to social programs. Known for its supportive environment, Oakview blends advanced medical practices with a community-centered approach, making it a trusted name in healthcare across western Michigan.

Being able to reliably communicate directly with staff is incredibly important to Jannice Lamm, LNHA, CTRS, Administrator at Oakview. She believes, “The key to a good organization is communication.” Jannice walked us through Oakview’s journey navigating other communication devices and the success they’ve found with Relay. 

Walkie Talkies: Too Disruptive to Resident Care

For years, Oakview relied on traditional walkie talkies to communicate throughout the healthcare facility. “They were disruptive to resident care because they were loud and you couldn’t pin point people,” said Jannice. “If you wanted to talk to one person, you talked to everyone,” she continued. The residents hated the disruptions so much that Oakview stopped using them.

High Replacement Costs Became a Deal-Breaker

Wanting to talk to people directly, Oakview switched to Vocera. While everything was going well for a while, really just using the devices as 1:1 walkie talkies to avoid making announcements through the building, eventually rising costs became a deal-braker for the facility.

“We had to have our own server for Vocera,” shared Jannice. She continued, “We had to set up its own network, which was expensive, and then they just really outpriced themselves because we had to keep updating it.” That wasn’t the only cost that added up. The healthcare facility also found that Vocera’s batteries didn’t last long, and were super expensive to replace. 

Additionally, any brand new Vocera devices Oakview purchased wouldn’t connect to WiFi, “The connection was difficult and staff were getting really frustrated,” said Jannice. “So I just took it upon myself and did a Google search and that’s how I found Relay,” she explained. 

“Relay is more economical and easier to use for sure. They also seem to be more durable than Vocera.”
– Jannice Lamm, LNHA, CTRS, Administrator at Oakview

Staff’s Experience Switching to Relay

Jannice was drawn to Relay because it has a lot of the same features as Vocera, such as 1:1 calling, but is a much more affordable option. Battery life has also improved, “Our Relays definitely make it a couple of shifts without having to worry about charging them,” explained Jannice. 

She shared that since implementation, the teams at Oakview, from the nursing and activity staff, to the maintenance and housekeeping staff, have reported better connectivity and communication between staff. Relay’s ability to leverage both cell and WiFi has been helpful in keeping connectivity strong amidst past WiFi issues and when taking Relay devices outdoors or off property. 

Before, staff would need to make sure that they had their cell phone on them to take a resident for a walk. “Now they can have a Relay on them and feel like they can reach back out to the facility for help if something were to go wrong,”  said Jannice. “So it helps make sure that everybody’s safe outside of the building,” she continued.

Oakview’s bus driver also uses Relay when he takes residents off property. “He can call back to the nurses’ station and say ‘I got so and so to their appointment,’ or Hey did we remember to give them their medicine?’” she said. Jannice continued, “It helps him stay connected to the nurses’ station, and I know he likes that.”

“I think Relay makes them feel comfortable to be able to reach out for help when needed or be able to reach their teammates to say, “I need help in a certain room.”
– Jannice Lamm, LNHA, CTRS, Administrator at Oakview

Relay has Become More Than a Radio for Staff

Beyond better connectivity, saved costs, and no longer needing to replace batteries, Oakview has experienced a few unexpected perks with Relay. “It’s cool we’re able to make suggestions and then you guys are able to adapt the software and hardware,” said Jannice. 

They don’t face language barriers often, but Jannice shared a heartwarming story of staff using Relay to communicate with a resident whose dementia causes her to switch back and forth from English to Japanese. “Staff has learned how to say hello and good morning to her in Japanese with their Relays, so that’s been pretty cool.”

Primarily communicating from her Relay dashboard, Jannice has enjoyed both the ability to send private 1:1 messages and schedule broadcast messages from her computer. Whether it’s a reminder that a resident’s haircut is in 10 minutes or that the water is being shut off for maintenance, she can schedule a reminder as soon as she thinks of it. “I was looking at the dashboard yesterday and I noticed that the nursing secretary put reminders out every day for staff to do their charting before leaving,” Jannice mentioned. Before, announcements were much more disruptive, being sent over the PA system. 

Since adopting Relay, Oakview Medical Care Facility has truly transformed its communication processes, enhancing both staff efficiency and resident satisfaction. With improved connectivity, reduced costs, and innovative features, Relay has become an invaluable tool in Oakview’s mission to provide compassionate and high-quality care.