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Do you want to visit the future? Do you want to explore a concept in three dimensions and then come back to real life and shape those concepts?

These are not the visions of a transcendentalist or an opium eater in council. This is the world of Second Life created by professor’s Craig Thompson, Fran Hagstrom and their students at the University of Arkansas. Second Life is an online 3D virtual world of hospitals. The project focuses on the complex modeling of healthcare logistics in a virtual world.

Second Life will change planning for hospitals and hospital logistics. The traditional approach to hospital planning was for the architect to create conceptual drawings and floor plans, have medical equipment planners calculate new equipment and re-use equipment, all being reviewed by the client. Once these plans were complete the construction phase begins and you get to visualize the finished product as the build takes shape.

Second Life adds one unique dimension; a look at the finished project before a shovel goes into the ground. Using computer animation, the Second Life project enables the hospital staff to see exactly how the new facility will look and how logistics will flow within the new space. Ideas and concepts are tested in cyberspace instead of the real space.

And the virtual world is now becoming reality.

Palomar Pomerado Health is building a new hospital utilizing Second Life technology. The virtual system has enabled hospital planners to visualize concepts large and small. From determining the layout of the operating rooms to how the plantings will look, every aspect of the project has been pre-determined in a virtual world.

I would be careful about sharing this concept with your boss. Avatars work very efficiently and don’t command a paycheck, just yet…

See the project  from the University of Arkansas here.

by: Jim Mauch

Remember the last time that you had to move?  Hundreds of little details that all came to a crescendo when the movers arrived.

Now, suppose that you were moving and on the day of the move you planned an elaborate dinner party, for an unanticipated number of important guests.

And, now your thinking, why would anyone do that? No sane person would do that.

When hospitals move, or transition from one facility to the next, they can’t miss a beat during that dinner party, or rather, the delivery of clinical services.

You might think this situation creates some sleepless nights for hospital administrators, but in actuality, hospital transitions are usually executed quite smoothly.

Hire A Guide

Just like climbing a mountain, transitions are a task made easier when you are working with someone who has transition experience. If a hospital has a person on staff with management experience in transitions, they can build a team around that individual for the transition event. Or, there is a list of qualified consultants out there that can guide the hospital through the experience.

Train Hard, Train Early

Any sane person would not attempt to climb a big mountain without proper training. So it is also with transitions. A team, of representative managers, needs to be selected from all the impacted departments. Then this team, under the tutelage of the “guide”, needs to begin the planning probably a year to 18 months in advance of the event. As the transition date comes closer, plans start to become more concise and procedures can be written and distributed.

Select the Right Support Staff

A host of support contractors must be brought in to add skills sets no possessed in house. These contractors are technical equipment staff, and moving contractors and installers, to name a few. The technical equipment staff de-commission and re-commission re-use equipment. The moving contractor has to have the right staff and equipment in place at exactly the right time and the installation crew is there to complete the finishing touches.

All these contractors have to be brought in six to eight months in advance to comment on the proposed transition plan and generate budgets needed to execute the plan.

Reaching the Summit

The top of the mountain in transitions, is never missing a beat with the delivery of clinical services and the getting all departments back to work in the new space, with a minimum of disruptions.

That Was Easy!

OK, we’ve just moved an entire hospital in a few short minutes. It just goes to show that with advance planning, the right “guide” and the right cast of supporting staff, daunting tasks can be handled efficiently. Now, where did I pack that bottle of champagne?

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Beltmann Integrated Logistics Launches New Healthcare Division

Jim Mauch Chosen to Pioneer New Division

Contact Info: Rhonda Woolcock Beltmann Group Inc. Market Research & Development 678-328-2531