Technology Improves Care at The New Children's Hospital

The latest technology is everywhere at The new Children’s Hospital, helping pediatric patients heal faster and making their stay more comfortable and convenient for everyone in the family.

Some of the improvements are easy to spot – like flat-screen televisions and built-in “patient portals” providing TV programming, games, movies and Internet in every inpatient room. But others help deliver our world-class care from behind the scenes, such as wireless Internet access throughout the hospital, sophisticated security allowing only authorized visitors on patient floors and a special signal-boosting system for better cell phone reception.

New diagnostic equipment – including a PET/CT scanner and our second top-of-the-line MRI – provides for shorter wait times and more accurate test results. And The Children’s Hospital is among the first in the nation to convert to a fully integrated electronic medical record, streamlining processes for patients and caregivers while improving communication.

Here are a few ways technology helps make The new Children’s Hospital better in every way:

• The new hospital will be a quieter place thanks to acoustical engineering and integrated paging that eliminates the need for an overhead “public address” system.
• A fully integrated electronic medical record (EMR) improves clinical documentation, communications, privacy and – most importantly – patient safety. The Children's Hospital is one of the first pediatric hospitals in the country to have a fully integrated electronic medical record. This means that the EMR provides clinical and administrative information real time to all clinicians involved in a patient’s care.
• The facility will be 100 percent wireless-capable, meaning that laptops, Blackberries and other wireless devices will have secure access everywhere inside the hospital, outpatient center and office building.
• A Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone network simplifies communications between physicians, nurses and other caregivers through the use of personal communication devices.
• An enhanced nurse-call system will deploy as many as 1,500 wireless phones to caregivers to improve communication among care staff and their patients.
• Dedicated space for “telemedicine” allows for more efficient sharing of images and information – even with doctors outside the building.
• “Patient portals” provide in-room education and entertainment, as well as the ability to send electronic “room service” orders to the cafeteria.
• A state-of-the-art teen center includes an indoor cinema-quality movie theater.
• A building automation system monitors and maintains a safe and comfortable environment 24 hours a day.

Read more about our new hospital