Chicago hospital designs detailed plan for transferring patients to new facility

The staff at the University of Chicago Medicine has a detailed plan to transfer patients when the new Center for Care and Discovery opens Feb. 23.

By Healthcare Facilities Today
February 22, 2013

The University of Chicago Medicine’s new Center for Care and Discovery will open to patients Feb. 23 when employees will move approximately 200 patients to the new facility.

The patients who will be moved from Mitchell Hospital to the new center have serious conditions or are recovering from difficult surgical procedures. Transferring them, along with the necessary equipment and supplies, calls for detailed planning to ensure patient care, comfort and safety are not sacrificed.

To that end, representatives from nearly every department and section of the medical center have been part of creating a comprehensive plan of moving-day procedures, including transfer routes, staffing assignments, communications and to-the-minute schedules.

More than 500 employees will participate in some part of the daylong event. They have been divided into four core teams responsible for communication, patient flow, safe transport and preparation for arrival.