Healthsouth’s “Digital Hospital” was another large-scale / fast-track project that provided invaluable experience in my developing career.  I was recruited back to a former employer when they were awarded this high profile project, intended to be the first (and central hub) of 12 such facilities planned across the world by then healthcare giant Healthsouth. Innovations in development for this project included features that now seem common place, such as all-digital record management and operating room high-definition a/v recording & broadcasting, virtual conferencing (even live conferencing during surgery operations), iPad-like touchscreen interaction for patient record input and data access, redundant patient-treatment verification systems helping to prevent mistakes in medication or dietary/drug interaction complications, etc.  Many of those technologies were under concurrent development and beta testing by some of the world’s largest healthcare equipment vendors and were slated to premier at this facility — thus the “Digital Hospital” moniker. However, the project was halted mid-way through construction due to a massive accounting scandal at the highest corporate level of Healthsouth, resulting in years of controversy surrounding the possible completion of the project, still “on-hold” after being purchased by another entity. Although many of the technologies under development for first use at this facility have been implemented elsewhere, it remains one of the most advanced healthcare designs I have ever been a part of, and newer facilities opening today are still touting “state-of-the-art” features that were already under way at this facility in 2003…  [more photos]

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