University of Texas Southwest's new Clements University Hospital in Dallas was designed for digital connectivity to save providers and nurses time and energy.
Every patient room and surgery bay in the $800 million facility is equipped with a telepresence station, allowing physicians to confer with specialists during surgery, according to NPR. Patients also have access to teleconferencing equipment from all 460 private patient rooms, allowing them to videoconference with family and friends. The hospital compiles a list of email addresses of people each patient would like to be included in his or her care upon admission.
The hospital is also designed for efficiency and technology. The shape of the building is similar to a 'W,' allowing caregivers to enter in the center of units to walk shorter distances between patient beds, and curtains have been replaced by double-paned glass with a vent that fogs up the panes for privacy upon request, according to the report.
Clements University Hospital is not the only hospital incorporating new technology into its infrastructure. Parkland University Hospital, also in Dallas, provides similar digital services in its new facility, which cost $1.3 billion to build. University of California San Francisco Medical Center boasts the largest fleet of hospital robots in the country and MRI machines that play videos.