Stanford Hospital Speeds Up Care with IoT, AI, and Telehealth
By investing $2B in innovations, the medical institution is creating a smart hospital — still, facing technological issues on this journey.
The need to improve healthcare facilities
Stanford Hospital is a hundred-year, world-renowned medical institution located in California. The hospital is part of the Stanford University Medical Center and has a long history of providing patient care and conducting research. During a recent decade, the organization underwent a $2.1 billion project to update its facilities and enhance patient care.
The decision to modernize the hospital was driven by several factors, according to George Tingwald, Director of Medical Planning at Stanford Health Care. “The beginnings of the new hospital are rooted in the requirements from the state of California to upgrade buildings seismically,” noted George in a podcast. In addition, the hospital needed to expand its facilities to accommodate the growing population of patients in the region.
However, the hospital also recognized that advances in technology presented an opportunity to make healthcare more efficient. By modernizing its facilities and introducing new technologies, the hospital aimed to provide patients with a more personalized and holistic care experience.
Opened right before the COVID-19 pandemic, the innovations helped the hospital to be better prepared for disruptions — e.g., by increasing the use of virtual care. At the same time, becoming a technology-driven organization brings in new challenges, as well.
