DeWitt facility helps Upstate University Hospital manage operations                                                        

DeWITT, N.Y. — As it dealt with the coronavirus pandemic, Upstate University Hospital dedicated a small room in its basement with four monitors to track its operations.

Kyle Choquette, associate director of nursing for throughput operations, said the operations center was key in helping Upstate manage patient flow during the pandemic, but it no longer fulfills the hospital’s needs to “maximize operations.”

Upstate University Hospital has now opened a new Throughput Operations Center (TOC) designed to “optimize patient flow” across its Downtown and Community hospital campuses.

The TOC will also focus on operations throughout the region with the “goal of revolutionizing the way patient care is managed, ensuring more efficient use of resources and ultimately improving patient outcomes,” Upstate contends.

Upstate University Hospital formally opened the $2.38 million center on Feb. 20 in its location on the first floor of the former Telergy Building at 6333 State Route 298 (just off Carrier Circle) in the town of DeWitt.

The center has 22 live-feed monitors and 28 computer stations offering hospital officials a real-time view of operations, including capacity demands, bed census, open beds, COVID-19 information and patient-transport status, among other data feeds.

The center also has live feeds of Upstate’s helipad and EMS (emergency medical services) ambulance offload bays outside the hospital’s trauma center.

The hospital describes the TOC as “looking like something out of NASA’s mission control.”

“This facility is like our mission control,” Dr. Robert Corona, CEO of Upstate University Hospital, said in the organization’s announcement. “It’s like the heartbeat of the hospital. By streamlining patient flow, enhancing communication, and minimizing bottlenecks, it enables the hospital to deliver timely, efficient care while improving patient outcomes and operational efficiency across the board. Bringing real-time data and resources under one roof, we will ensure patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the right setting.”

Using integrated technologies from software provider TeleTracking Technologies Inc., the center will track patient movement, assign appropriate resources, and monitor bed availability in real time, “ensuring the most efficient use of space and staff.” The center will be operational 24/7 and employ more than a dozen people.

The Throughput Operations Center will integrate a variety of data streams from all areas of the hospital system, allowing for real-time monitoring and management of patient progress, Upstate said. This will allow health-care professionals to optimize care delivery, anticipate bottlenecks, and reduce delays in patient care, “resulting in a smoother, faster experience for patients and clinicians alike,” the health system contends.

In developing the center, Upstate University Hospital said its officials visited other sites to see similar throughput centers in operation, including Kettering Health Clinic in Ohio, Carilion Clinic in Virginia, and Yale New Haven Hospital.

“It was important for us to see these centers in operation and to speak with officials about what works best,” Choquette said in the Upstate announcement. “Understanding the successes and challenges faced by established centers will provide invaluable insights, allowing us to build a foundation of excellence and innovation tailored to the needs of our community.”