Hospital to open with latest technology

Little things make a big difference at the new Southern Hills Hospital, due to open at 12:01 a.m. on March 1.

Technology and a building designed for time efficiency and expansion will give way to shorter patient wait times and a nurse-friendly environment, said Ken Armstrong, hospital chief executive officer.

The $140 million facility broke ground August 2002 but has been in the planning stages since December 2001. A goal from the beginning was to make the hospital run efficiently for everyone. To do this, a laundry list of technology was installed into the design. Armstrong and the designers worked with local doctors and health care professionals to create a hospital specific to Las Vegas residents' needs.

The radiology department is completely digital. Results are downloaded into the computer where approved doctors and specialists can access the information. Permitted doctors from outside hospitals also can see results to compare with new films years down the line. There's no waiting for film developing and no physical X-rays for patients to keep track of when they change doctors.

The technology has been in the developmental stage for the last four to five years, but $1.8 million was spent on the radiology software and reading stations.

"This is purely an informational storage system," Armstrong said. "Film verses digital."

Technology also is helping health care providers on a daily basis.

To keep nurses and doctors closer to their patients, both will have wireless connectivity for certain computer-based medical equipment and computers installed in each patient room. In the intensive care unit, there are 12 beds per station, so nurses should never have more than four patients in their care. Pagers will connect nurses to patients on heart monitors, and cordless telephones carried by nurses and doctors will make staff easy to reach.

The additional technology and attention to floor layout will allow quicker response time and overall better patient health, said Annette Kinsman, Southern Hills Hospital marketing director.

"It's so basic, but when they hear you have equipment like this, their eyes light up," Armstrong said. "You want to take what the nurse needs and put it right at their fingertips. You're trying to keep the nurses from running around as much as possible."

The floors of doctors' offices in an adjoining building are coordinated with the hospital wards. If an obstetrician has to meet a new mother at the hospital, the doctor just has to cross a bridge between buildings. Doctors also have access to new science such as Sonos 7500, a live, three-dimensional echo system that allows the doctor to view the heart and rotate the image 360 degrees on any axis. Southern Hills is only the third hospital in the country to have this technology.

"What you're always trying to do is remove steps. Everyone is working so hard. You don't want them to work harder," Armstrong said.

The technology and efficiency also carries over into the emergency room, where many hospital stays begin. Armstrong's goal is to have 85 percent of walk-in patients seen, treated and discharged within 90 minutes. It's not appropriate to treat the remaining 15 percent with more serious conditions in the same manner, he said.

To accomplish this goal, a triage nurse will assess a patient and, in some cases, order common tests in response to the patient's symptoms. These tests also can be specialized, so a patient doesn't receive an unneeded test. By the time doctors see the patients, they have the test results already in hand, putting them a step ahead of a typical emergency room visit.

"Even if you're fine, you're here with a family member and you're still not feeling pleasant. If we can get a patient to the right place, the amount of time they'll spend here is a lot less," Armstrong said. "It's time that is unproductive. It's wait time. It's in staff, testing, technology."

The hospital kitchen, run by a former Rio chef, is a time-saving measure as well. Specialized menus will be delivered to patients based on dietary restrictions and portions. The patients can then order "what (they want) and when they want it," room-service style.

"This is not going to be your typical hospital food," Kinsman said.

With 130 beds and new construction around the hospital, growth is expected and has been built into the design. The top two floors are crafted as shells to be completed with furniture and equipment if the need arises.

"We know the growth is going to be there, but will we know in 12 months or 60 months or anywhere in between?" Armstrong said. "We've absolutely built this with expansion in mind, because this is Las Vegas."

Extra measures were taken to ensure instrument sterilization and operating rooms were constructed to include more space.

Southern Hills Hospital owner HCA also built 82 outpatient surgery centers and 191 hospitals in 23 states, England and Switzerland. Locally, the company owns Sunrise and MountainView hospitals.


<<--[back]