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To Johns Hopkins Medicine Presidents and The Johns Hopkins Hospital community
Dear Colleagues,
The Johns Hopkins Hospital has experienced significant growth since the operationalization of the Sheikh Zayed Tower and The Bloomberg Children's Center in May 2012. Whereas this growth has allowed us to expand our services and improve the health of the community, it has also provided an opportunity to enhance our operational tools and infrastructure. To help us better manage our increasing census and improve the flow of patients in and out of the hospital, we have partnered with General Electric Healthcare Partners to build a state-of-the-art centralized control center. The new Johns Hopkins Capacity Command Center, or C3, will provide real-time analytics to better inform our decisions to place the right patient in the right bed at the right time. Our vision for this effort is to improve the everyday experiences of our patients, families and clinicians, which will allow us to better meet the needs of the increasing demand for our services.
The high-tech center will be located in the former admissions space across from the Nelson/Harvey lobby and will bring together staff members from departments that have been independently engaged in managing patient flow, including the Hopkins Access Line, bed management, Lifeline, admitting and environmental care services. Working together in one space will facilitate increased communication and efficiency when there is an increase in the number of patients coming into the hospital. Twenty-two digital screens will keep the team informed in real time about which hospital units need additional staff members, the status of how many patients are being treated in a department at any given time, the need for and availability of beds across the hospital, the highest-priority admissions and discharges, and other information essential for ensuring high-quality patient care.
The intent of the command center is more than just the physical space. It is about using innovative tools to assist us in developing strategies to improve patient flow and reduce congestion. Two years of work among teams has culminated to help shape this effort. Construction officially began in July of this year, and we anticipate the center will be ready for use in January 2016.
Although the command center is the most visible change we are making, there is a great sense of urgency to revise our operations and processes to meet the needs of our patients. As an organization, we have a responsibility to deliver exceptional care to patients in an efficient manner. Thank you all in advance for your support of this important and exciting effort.
Sincerely,
Ronald R. Peterson
President
The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System
EVP, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Judy A. Reitz, Sc.D.
Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer
The Johns Hopkins Hospital |
