July 21, 2016

The Scoop

Boston Medical Center Uses 'Green Steam' to Reduce Carbon Footprint

Boston Medical Center (BMC) recently signed a 20-year agreement to use “Green Steam” to help meet its thermal energy needs. The agreement was formed with Veolia, a global resource management group, which has supplied BMC with steam for its heating, hot water, humidification and sterilization needs for more than 25 years.

Green Steam, which is a byproduct of electricity generation, is created by recapturing thermal energy that otherwise would be wasted. BMC estimates that adding Green Steam to its mix will eliminate 8,500 tons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to removing 1,700 cars from the road. It also will help the medical center to meet a challenging sustainability goal to reduce its carbon footprint. Health Facilities Management, more...

Physicians And Healthcare Administrators:
Friends Or Foes?

We are amidst one of the most dynamic moments in healthcare delivery—and the relationship between those who deliver care and those who administrate it has never been more tense, challenged, or fractured.

Where did things go wrong?

The simplistic explanation is that change is hard—and the healthcare industry is changing more rapidly than anyone is able to keep up with. There is certainly some truth to this, but it misses a bigger—not to mention potentially fixable—problem. The relationship between those who administrate care and those who deliver care has never been more strained because at a very basic level, both groups don’t understand or trust one another.

Solving the challenges facing American healthcare will require a distinctly different type of relationship between physicians and administrators than currently exists in most health systems around the country.

Four guiding principles can help jump-start the effort. Forbes, more... 

Could The Future Of Health Care Mean No Waits In Hospitals?

As medical treatment is impacted by technology, consumerization, and the mobile revolution, we may see a world where your doctor already knows why you’re sick and can treat you over the phone—leaving the hospitals for the true emergencies.

There’s a video featuring the Kaiser Foundation which projects a 1950’s glimpse of the "ultra-modern hospital" offers the promise of all things streamlined and expedited, and includes amenities ranging from advanced lighting fixtures that promise no shadows during surgery to sliding baby drawers that provide mothers with easy access to their newborns (an idea ahead of its time as far as maternal-infant bonding benefits were concerned).

When you watch this video now, more than 60 years later, there’s something comical about the predictions provided. Still, at that time, we can imagine how this vision would have seemed Earth shattering. In the 1950s, the first color televisions and McDonald’s appeared so it’s not surprising that things like remote control doors could really "wow" the general public. 

Let’s fast forward to where we are today, however. As a chief medical information officer and clinician, I’m tasked with keeping my finger on the pulse of what’s happening both in health care and in the real world as it relates to advancements in technology. Now, more than ever, these two worlds are colliding. The consumerization of health care has begun and the idea of doctor as driver and patient as bystander is nothing short of archaic. Today, the clearly demarcated lines between patient and caregiver are becoming blurred as patients ar e tasked with stepping up to the plate and actively engaging in their own health and well-being. Fast Company Co-Exist, more...

Study: Internet of Things Impacts Building Maintenance Strategies

A recent study commissioned by Schneider Electric shows how the Internet of Things (IoT) and building maintenance strategies are converging. 

The survey of 400 facility leaders working in data centers, commercial and industrial buildings, retail, healthcare, education, and government revealed that 60 percent of the respondents indicated that IoT will impact their building and maintenance policies within the next year. 

Sixty-five percent of the managers are also planning to increase investment in building capital expenses this year, including advanced building technologies that manage and glean insights from new data sets.  facilitiesnet, more...

 

Insiders: Health Care's 'Uber Moment' Isn't Here Yet

Hospitals and doctors are increasingly deploying technologies to provide on-demand care and remotely manage patients — but we're still far from realizing the full promise of telemedicine.

That's according to health care IT leaders and thinkers who participated in POLITICO's health IT advisory forum last week.

Universally, participants said that telemedicine and other new technologies were improving access to care and opening up new possibilities for home health. (Editor's note: Many of the forum's participants work with companies that either specialize in these technologies or contract with firms that do. And several participants aren't just advocates of the technology; they're clients, too. "My employer offers telehealth," one CIO said, "and my family has adopted and would never go back." ) Politico more...

 

Healthcare’s Water Conversation Efforts Have Ripple Effect

Reducing energy consumption isn’t the only area where healthcare organizations and designers are making a positive environmental impact these days. In response to rising water and sewage rates, changing regulations, and the increasing occurrence of extreme weather conditions, more facilities are starting to look for ways to reduce their water consumption, as well.

As part of its Major Institution Master Plan, Seattle Children’s Hospital set a goal to reduce water and energy use by 50 percent by 2030. “Seattle has some of the highest water/sewer costs in the U.S.,” says Colleen Groll, sustainability program manager at Seattle Children’s. “We need to future-proof our operations so we’re not burdened by soaring utility costs, and to fulfill our mission to children, we need to conserve energy and water for future generations.” 

The facility’s strategies ranged from installing low-flow plumbing fixtures in older parts of campus to fixing a leak on its therapy pool. The combined efforts resulted in savings of more than 1 million gallons of water a year. Healthcare Design, more .. 

 

 

---

 

The Center’s work is made possible with the funding support of our Thought Leaders: