By Christopher Thompson

Location technologies, IoT devices, and other solutions designed to make hospitals more efficient are becoming a major differentiator among healthcare facilities. The recent global health crisis has also stressed the industry beyond any other event in recent memory — exacerbating the need to equip healthcare providers, administrators, and staff with the most advanced tools available.

Digital technologies successfully implemented in a healthcare system can help reduce annual expenditures by more than 10% as well as lessen stressors on staff and physicians. In addition to the increasing pressure to contain skyrocketing healthcare costs, patient expectations are rising. Today’s healthcare consumers require high-quality care and anticipate a modern patient experience to match the personalization and convenience they’ve come to expect in other aspects of their lives.
These challenges were top of mind for Mackenzie Health officials when they envisioned delivering a world-class healthcare experience at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, Canada’s first fully integrated smart hospital featuring systems and medical devices connected through the power of technology to maximize information exchange. After operating for a brief period exclusively to support COVID-19 pandemic efforts , the teams at Mackenzie Health and its innovation arm, the Mackenzie Innovation Institute (Mi2), officially opened the doors of Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital to the community in early June. In addition to other advanced solutions, Mackenzie Health and Mi2 have established a strategic partnership with CenTrak to design, implement, and - in time - optimize a state-of-the-art real-time location system (RTLS).

An inside look at the future of hospitals
Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital was designed to be a hospital of the future, a leading example of where healthcare facilities are headed as smart technologies continue to gain traction in the industry. The hospital’s comprehensive location system incorporates use cases from CenTrak’s asset, safety, workflow, environment, and experience solution categories. Let’s take a look at each.

Asset
Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital has deployed thousands of asset-tracking smart tags, allowing the real-time location system to identify and communicate the exact location of mobile medical equipment and help staff quickly locate the tools they need to provide exceptional care. This minimizes both patient wait time and staff frustration.

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