Years after tornado destruction, technology-packed hospital opens in Joplin

Four years after a tornado destroyed swathes of Joplin, Mo., a hospital loaded with new technology is set to take the place of the destroyed St. John's Regional Medical Center.

Mercy Hospital Joplin, set to open March 22, includes a number of updates that were unavailable in the old building, including private rooms, a pediatric wing and a neonatal intensive care unit. Planners reorganized the hospital to place the operating rooms next to the emergency department and physicians' offices near patient rooms, according to a news release.

The new hospital includes a telestroke program, EHR system, updated medical imaging machine that allows physicians to take 3D images, CT scans, MRI imaging and PET scans and a telemedicine center. Patients can also access the hospital's system through a patient portal called MyMercy, where they can see lab results, schedule appointments either in person or via video conferencing, according to the news release.

To improve inpatient care, the hospital uses remote patient monitoring. An offering called telesepsis monitors patients at risk for bacterial infections that may lead to sepsis. Ten patient beds are also wired with eAcute, a system that links data from patients gathered through sensors and sends it to a single nursing station for monitoring, according to the release.

"Joplin has had to pick itself up from a horrific disaster," said Gary Pulsipher, president of Mercy Hospital Joplin, in the news release. "Now the community is rebuilding to emerge stronger — and we are proud to say— with a new hospital unlike any in the region."

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