Big-data hub builds smart care coordination process

Tampa General Hospital will begin building its care coordination center in the spring.

Photo courtesy of Tampa General Hospital

The 1,010-bed Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital (TGH) is in a constant state of movement. The academic medical center coordinates flow for a large number of patients each day, which is why it plans to convert its data center into a 9,000-square-foot care coordination center set to open next year.

The center will be powered by Chicago-based GE Healthcare’s Wall of Analytics. The wall consists of 24 screens, called tiles, and an artificial intelligence engine and software that displays specific metrics on each tile. The center will be staffed by employees from various departments who will analyze the data to enhance coordination of services and speed discharges.

Peter Chang, M.D., TGH vice president of care transitions, says the center first will focus on providing more efficient care for patients within the hospital’s walls and evolve to improve care coordination even after patient discharge, as well as for virtual visits.

“In the near future, we plan on coupling connected devices such as blood pressure cuffs, scales and other devices, with care pathway programs,” Chang says. “Health data collected by these devices can be electronically transmitted in a secure manner to TGH’s medical record system.”