Accelerating Vaccination Campaign: Strategy Shifts by Service Providers in Response to Demand
In the heart of Klamath Falls, Oregon, Sky Lakes Medical Center stands as the only hospital within nearly 100 miles in any direction, making its role in the community vital. Recently, the medical center has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 vaccination effort, thanks in part to technological advancements.
One such advancement is the Cisco HyperFlex hyperconverged infrastructure solution, which was integrated into Sky Lakes Medical Center's IT system. This system consolidated the medical center's previous compute, storage, and networking tiers into one scalable platform, enhancing data center efficiency and supporting the demands of large-scale vaccination efforts.
Sky Lakes Medical Center also implemented the Cisco collaboration solutions, enabling the launch of a vaccine scheduling call center. This call center, combined with the AeroScout real-time tracking system and ultralow-temperature probes for monitoring vaccines, ensured smooth operations and vaccine integrity.
The medical center set up a wireless network at the field site for connecting to the hospital's electronic medical records system, facilitating seamless patient care. Cisco Meraki access points provided wireless connectivity to the UCHealth network, and Verizon Jetpack Wi-Fi hotspots served as a backup connection at UCHealth's mass vaccination clinics.
Across the United States, hospital IT departments have been enlisted for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout due to their tools and technological know-how. Sky Lakes Medical Center worked tirelessly, administering the first dose of the vaccine to a patient shortly after receiving the first shipment from the state.
Meanwhile, in Aurora, Colorado, UCHealth has been implementing innovative solutions to streamline its vaccination programme. Including the time involved with registration, UCHealth was able to administer a vaccine in about six minutes. UCHealth used mobile workstations containing laptop computers and smartphones equipped with the EMR's mobile app for its mass vaccination clinics.
Dr. Richard Zane, the Chief Innovation Officer at UCHealth, has been instrumental in this effort. Technology and innovation played key roles in the vaccine rollout at UCHealth, with various delivery models such as community clinics and drive-thru mass vaccination sites.
UCHealth's system delivered nearly 45,000 doses per week at its peak, but the number dropped to about 15,000 doses as of June. Despite this, the organisation's commitment to ensuring swift and efficient vaccine distribution remains unwavering.
Elsewhere, MedStar Health, serving the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area, focused on using technology to facilitate patient access during the vaccination process. MedStar Health developed a digital system for patients to directly interface with its EMR and scheduling platforms in just two weeks. This system allowed for the delivery of 10,000 vaccine doses at one facility alone by mid-May.
Sky Lakes Medical Center saw several thousand calls per day during its mass vaccination campaign. The first person to use MedStar Health's new system to schedule a shot was over 100 years old, demonstrating the inclusivity of these technological advancements.
The backbone of UCHealth's vaccination program includes its EMR system, IT professionals, and the UCHealth CARE Innovation Center. These advancements underscore the critical role technology plays in modern healthcare, particularly during times of crisis.
- The technological advancements at Sky Lakes Medical Center, such as the Cisco HyperFlex hyperconverged infrastructure solution and the Cisco collaboration solutions, have been essential in managing medical-conditions like COVID-19, improving health-and-wellness.
- In the vaccination efforts, Sky Lakes Medical Center, UCHealth, and MedStar Health all leveraged science-driven technologies to streamline the process, ensuring swift vaccine distribution and maintaining the integrity of vaccines in medical-conditions like COVID-19.
