In a 37,000-square-foot facility in San Leandro, Calif., Kaiser Permanente is testing hardware and software that could potentially create the hospital of the future, reports Bloomberg.
The GarfieldInnovationCenter facility is a research and development lab where Kaiser researchers, clinicians and patients test technologies and practice new procedures. Based on feedback, researchers can ask manufacturers to make adjustments to technology and refine tools and initiatives before rolling them out in real hospitals, according to the report.
For example, Kaiser tested a TV entertainment system in this research facility that allows patients in hospital beds to review treatment plans, order food and adjust blinds using a remote. Jennifer Liebermann, director of the innovation center, said in the report patient feedback of the system allowed developers to refine it before introducing it into care settings.
Bernard Tyson, CEO of Kaiser Permanente, said in the report the innovation center allows researchers to think ahead to create technologies that could one day end up in the hospital of the future.
"It frees us up so we don't get so stuck on the realities of today," he said in the report.
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