Four years after announcing plans to build a brand new complex, Dallas-based Parkland Memorial Hospital is on the verge of opening what's being described as "one of the first 'digital hospitals' in the United States" by the Dallas Morning News.
Of the $1.3 billion spent to update the facility, $80 million was designated for digital technology--electronic health records, security efforts, etc.--according to the article. The hospital also boasts a "completely integrated digital system" to control its operations, the newspaper reported. It is expected to open its doors to patients by May 2015.
Joe Longo, assistant vice president of information technology at Parkland, described the move as "apples-to-watermelons," because of "new and advanced capabilities" that will be available to providers and patients. For instance, he said every bed in the hospital will be on the facility's digital network, and will have the ability to shift patients to lower the risk of bedsores.
Meanwhile, CIO Fernando Martinez said the hospital is still in the selection process for some of its other technology, working on "future-proofing" itself so its tools don't need to be constantly replaced.
"We know we want to get years of useful life out of a device that doesn't even last one year in the consumer world," Martinez told the Morning News.
Parkland's efforts are similar to those of Escondido, California-based Palomar Medical Center, which in 2012 completed a $956 million makeover of its own. Ben Kanter, the hospital's chief medical information officer, described a similar motivation in updating his facility.
"We knew that technology was changing rapidly, and so this building had to be flexible," Kanter told FierceHealthIT. "None of us are smart enough to anticipate where technology is going to be five to 10 years from now, and you don't want to build a $950 million building and have it be antiquated within the first few years."
In June, Palomar was among 30 hospitals dubbed the most technologically advanced in the world by Top Masters in Healthcare Administration--a site that offers educational and career advice to hopeful medical professionals.
Hospital design can affect not only patient population health, but also the health and wellness of the local community, FierceHealthcare reported in April.
To learn more:
- read the Dallas Morning News article