Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1421339
The Future is Now at Upstate University Hospital BY ROBIN OVERBAY, MMS, PA-C ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTERS ARE PAVING THE WAY TO A NE W TOMORROW BY CHANGING HOW HE ALTH CARE IS DELIVERED. AMONG ITS INNOVATIONS, UPSTATE UNIVERSIT Y HOSPITAL IS USING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES SUCH A S AI, ROBOTICS AND DRONES TO SERVE A S WORKFORCE MULTIPLIERS, AND E XPANDED TELEHE ALTH PL ATFORMS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO PATIENT CARE. ADAP TING TO THE pandemic resulted in the acceleration of new ideas a nd t e c h nolo g ie s , s ome of wh ic h wer e already underway at Upstate and were brought into newly relevant focus when COVID hit. Leaders specifically sought innovations that addressed the needs of the workforce — both to retain staff and reduce the risk of burnout — as well as to support optimal patient care. The C-Suite empowered staff to collaborate on projects across the entire Upstate system, headed toward the vision for the hospital set by the hospital CEO: To evolve to care that is first predictive and preventative, then personalized and participatory for every patient. "Centralized systems don't work well in a pandemic because large numbers of sick patients overwhelm the hospita ls," says Rober t Corona , DO, MBA , CEO of Upstate Universit y Hospita l a nd a professor at SU N Y Upstate Medica l University. "To remove those pressure points of entry, we need to look at ways to decentra lize. When you're not solely defined by the bricks and mortar of the hospita l, you ca n distribute medica l resources in a way that a llows for such options as point-of-care testing, home testing, home monitor ing, a nd tele- health — all of which balance who needs to come to the hospita l itself." For example, Upstate partnered with Microsoft to create a series of chatbots for virtual assessment which could be done Construction on the building across from University Hospital, the Nappi Wellness Institute, is expected to be completed in spring 2023. 0 6