By Barb Collins
Chief Operating Officer, Humber River Hospital

Having the opportunity to build a new hospital, from the ground up, on a greenfield site is rare. When Humber River Hospital's redevelopment plans were approved, it presented a unique opportunity to push the envelope for the planning, design and construction phases. The result: the first fully digital hospital in North America, with cutting-edge technology to help the hospital reinvent patient care delivery.

From the start of the planning process for the new Humber River Hospital, the work needed to be exemplary. The hospital had to be planned and designed in a way that will still be relevant 30 years from now, rather than just a bigger version of yesterday's model. The new building had to be adaptable to new work flows as well as future technologies. The core design question became "Will this design element enhance care and service for patients and families both now and in the future?" If yes, it stayed. If the answer was no, or maybe, it was tossed aside.

Following a great deal of discussion on how to best answer our design question, three vision elements were established to guide us:

• Lean: Maximize clinical design efficiency to enable high quality, cost-effective care.
For example, we developed a design test called 'sneaker time' – the distance a nurse has to walk to deliver patient care during a typical shift. At our hospital's current site, sneaker time is 5.4 kilometres. At our future site, sneaker time has been reduced by over 18 per cent.
• Green: Minimize the environmental impact of the new facility wherever possible.
The new Humber River Hospital will be the most energy-efficient acute care hospital in North America according to ASHRAE standards, achieving more than a 40 per cent reduction in energy consumption over current models. The savings will be reinvested into Humber River's patient care programs.
• Digital: Develop an affordable, fully integrated and interoperable digital hospital, using the best possible technology to deliver safe, high-quality, patient-centred care.
We looked for ways to use technology or equipment to reduce 'non-value added tasks' for staff and physicians. Instead of scribbling blood pressures on a scrap of paper and then walking back to the nursing station to chart it, data is downloaded at the bed side automatically, in real time. This saves nurses steps, and time – time now available to spend talking with the patient about his or her care.

Many supply deliveries will be made using robots. These automated guided vehicles receive orders by wireless communication and prioritize them. Once a delivery has been completed, they automatically send a message to the handheld device of whoever placed the order. If along the way, someone is blocking their path, the robot politely asks that individual to allow them to pass. We will save more than 160 kilometers of staff sneaker time every day by using automation for 75 per cent of all deliveries in the new hospital.

Just as customers can use their smartphones to check in for a flight, patients at Humber River will be able to use it to register at the hospital before they're even there. Once in an inpatient room, patients can turn on the bedside terminal: email, menu, room climate controls, medical records – all this and more will be available. When a health care provider walks in, his or her name and photo will appear on the screen – one of the security features on the hospital's ID badges.

The terminal also allows patients to see their complete health record, with test results, images and notes about their progress. All this information is also available to the care team on any connected device. And the videoconference feature lets patients communicate with friends, family or the care team members.

This project is not about technology for technology's sake. It's about maximizing the use of technology to advance high-quality, efficient, safe patient care. It's about designing an efficient, affordable facility that complements patient care delivery workflows. Most of all, it's about putting the patient at the centre of their care in a real and meaningful way.

Lean, green and digital: the new Humber River Hospital.

A display of the new Humber River Hospital design will be featured in a special exhibit at HealthAchieve 2013 taking place this November 4, 5 and 6 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Visit www.healthachieve.com for more information.

HealthLease Properties Real Estate Investment Trust recently announced the completion of three development properties that were acquired from the Smith Packett Portfolio I earlier this year.

The properties consist of two assisted living/Alzheimer facilities and one Alzheimer facility located in North Carolina. There are 191 beds between the three properties.

The portfolio is triple-net leased to tenants affiliated with leading national operators of assisted living, memory care and skilled nursery facilities. Saber Health Care Group, LLC, will manage the 54-bed Alzheimer facility in Youngsville and the 77-bed combined assisted living/Alzheimer facility in Clayton. The 60-bed combined facility in Greensboro has been fully leased on a long-term triple-net basis to Meridian Senior Living.

Modesto Medical Center (Photo credit: Kaiser Permanente)

Healthcare leader, Kaiser Permanente, recently received a 2013 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its use of solar power. Kaiser was presented its award at the EPA's Renewable Energy Markets Conference in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 23.

The annual awards recognize the country's leading green power users for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation's voluntary power market.

Kaiser was one of four organizations in the United States to receive a Leadership Award. The award recognizes organizations that distinguish themselves by using onsite renewable energy, such as solar photovoltaic or landfill gas.

Kaiser generates more than 17 million kilowatt-hours of power annually from multiple onsite solar energy systems in California. The power generated meets seven per cent of the annual electricity needs at these sites. Kaiser also purchased 42 million kWh of Green-e certified Renewable Energy Credits in 2012. The wind power covered an additional three per cent of Kaiser's electricity needs.

"Kaiser Permanente understands that the health of the environment is inextricably linked to human health and the overall health of communities," said Bernard J. Tyson, CEO, Kaiser Permanente. "Our use of solar and other forms of renewable energy reduces harmful emissions and contributes to climate change solutions that improve public health."

Kaiser Permanente currently ranks twelfth on the EPA's Top 20 onsite generation list.

BDC Venture Capital recently allocated $135 million in new capital to investments in innovation companies. This brings its total direct commitment to the sector to $270 million.

The BDC Venture Capital Healthcare Fund will invest in technology, products and services that aim to dramatically improve global healthcare productivity, efficiency and patient outcomes.

"All economies are struggling to maintain affordable and accessible healthcare systems. They are seeking new technologies to improve their health systems and improve healthcare delivery, while managing rising costs," said Dion Madsen, Senior Managing Partner, BDC Venture Capital Healthcare Fund. "The opportunity exists to radically transform healthcare delivery across the planet."

The new funds will be used to invest in Canadian-based companies in fields such as innovative therapeutics and medical technology, diagnostics, health IT, mobile technologies and services, as well as robotics and automation.

Cedar-Sinai's new Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion recently received a design award from the American Institute of Architects California Council. It was named to the organization's 2013 Design Award list.

Design by HOK, the 820,000 square foot Pavilion in Los Angeles was honoured for its innovative design. Nearly 300 buildings were received by the awards jury, before 21 were selected for excellence awards.

The 11-storey Pavilion has a curved façade, clad in double-glass skin. It houses the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, neurosciences program, Regenerative Medicine Institute, translational research laboratories, an education centre and procedural space. The Sue and Bill Gross Skywalk bridge connects the Pavilion to the existing medical centre campus.

"The image of the building, with its high-tech sensibility, sleek transparency and quality, well-crafted materials, speaks to the synergy of healthcare and science that is at its heart," said Ernest Cirangle, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, HOK's design director in Los Angeles.

The building has been designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. It features efficient mechanical systems, a photovoltaic system and high-performance facades.