Paramus, N.J.-based Valley Health System opened a new hospital in April after years of identifying and implementing patient-focused technology.
CIO Eric Carey connected with Becker's to discuss the range of technology integrated into each patient room at The Valley Hospital, a 370-bed facility, to foster a patient- and family-friendly design.
"We've spent the last couple of years spending a tremendous amount of time identifying new technology and implementing new technology, all with the focus on safety, clinical quality and operational enhancement, including future-proofing it," he said.
Patients can access entertainment and educational resources from a 75-inch TV at the end of their bed. Additionally, each bed includes a pillow speaker that allows patients to control the room temperature, lighting and window shades.
Instead of a preset menu or meal schedule, patients have 24/7 access to room service from which they can select from a variety of freshly prepared meals.
While all patient rooms are private, there is a two-way cabinet system that provides access from outside the room for staff to restock supplies or replace linens without disrupting the patient.
There is an augmented intelligence fall monitoring system with a camera, speaker and microphone next to each TV. The camera focuses on the patient bed and de-identifies the patient by blurring them and converting the image into a stick figure representation.
The AI can identify precursor movements that indicate when a patient is attempting to get out of bed. If triggered, the system sends alerts to the caregivers' cellphones to reach the patient before they stand up.
“We’ve cut fall rates by up to 30% on some of our units by using this technology," Mr. Carey said.
He added that the prominence of remote work affected the design when focusing on the family-friendly aspects. Each room includes a designated area with a futon and workspace for the patient's loved ones.
"Everything about our rooms is very patient-centric," Mr. Carey said. "We're beyond hotel features at this point, which makes it a very good healing environment."