Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University has opened a new centralized "Mission Control Center," marking the first time since the initiative's 2017 launch that all technology and coordination teams have been housed in one location.
Initially designed with GE HealthCare to monitor and track bed and resource capacity across the OHSU Health system, the center expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate data sharing among healthcare systems across Oregon.
According to a Sept. 19 news release, the newly centralized mission control now manages OHSU Health's system capacity and also includes two coordination centers: the Oregon Medical Coordination Center and the Oregon Behavioral Health Coordination Center.
The Oregon Medical Coordination Center focuses on real-time data to optimize the placement of patients in hospitals with available beds and critical care services, while the Oregon Behavioral Health Coordination Center ensures similar coordination for behavioral health services.
"Without centralized information and coordination, care teams would have to call around to find a hospital with available capacity. Now, we're working with unprecedented collaboration, improving access for Oregonians and supporting clinicians at every level of care," Matthias Merkel, MD, Ph.D., senior associate chief medical officer for capacity management and patient flow at OHSU said in the news release.