The Mercy health system has opened the first virtual care center in the United States, according to an article on the Becker's Hospital Review website. The four-story, 125,000-square-foot Chesterfield, Mo., facility in the command center for all of the system's telemedicine programs.
The facility houses more than 300 physicians, nurses, specialists, researchers and support staff. Care is delivered 24/7 via audio, video and data connections to locations across Mercy as well as outside of the system.
The first floor is about the mission of Mercy, the traditions of the health ministry and also the intersection of technology, innovation and care, according to the hospital.
The second floor is where the virtual care center operates. Care to 30 hospitals is provided 24 hours a day so the actual layout of the space is designed to be highly adaptive to the demands of the facilities served. For example, each pod – or workstation – is built both with a sound detuning infrastructure and privacy screens.
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