Streamlining patients’ care is the idea behind new tech on the way for CHI Franciscan

CHI Franciscan Health is calling it “NASA-style Mission Control.”

The health system has partnered with GE Healthcare to bring a new layer of technology to its area hospitals, becoming the first in the state and fifth globally to introduce command centers to boost their efficiency and help bolster patient care.

“We will be able to simultaneously monitor every single patient in our system and utilize real-time data to tailor their experience to provide the highest quality care,” said Ketul J. Patel, CEO, CHI Franciscan Health.

The center’s wall of computer screens and its analytics will be monitored by licensed providers. The idea is to streamline the release of patients by avoiding delays.

“Often, patients scheduled for discharge just need one more test, such as a CT scan, for the doctor to review,” said Dr. Jessica Kennedy-Schlicher, medical director for care transformation for CHI Franciscan. “The people scheduling the CTs are running through a list of patients, often as first-come, first-served. Mission Control will be able to prioritize the list and flag patients to move up on the list ... and get patients home sooner.”

The program will be organized with a systemwide center, with smaller versions at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way and Harrison Medical Center in Silverdale.

Specifically, the program is envisioned to use machine-learning “to predict who patients need on their care team before the patient arrives — whether they are at CHI Franciscan for heart surgery, a joint replacement, cancer care, or something else,” according to the health network.

Prioritizing basics such as making sure beds are ready for patients is also part of the program “to ensure rooms are readily available to accept patients and eliminate congestion.”

Phase 1 is expected to be rolled out early 2019 with an initial focus on “patient flow and bed capacity, length of stay, and seamless care progression,” followed by expansion into other areas of care, according to the health system.

CHI Franciscan did not offer details on the system’s cost.

As the new tech focuses on the behind-the-scenes logistics of patient management, Patel said, “Our caregivers can devote more time to providing the best care and delivering the best outcomes for our patients.”