What Are the Most Technologically Advanced Hospitals and How Are They Taking On COVID-19?

What Are the Most Technologically Advanced Hospitals and How Are They Taking On COVID-19?

In today’s world, technology and healthcare go hand-in-hand. That’s especially during the current coronavirus pandemic. Having the right kind of equipment operating at peak performance, as well as access to additional emergency machinery and breakthrough technological developments, can save lives.

Governments, hospitals, and private pharmaceutical and biotech companies are using technology to reduce the spread of the virus and protect the health of people around the world by developing effective treatments and, ultimately, safe vaccines.

Here are the most advanced hospitals and how they are responding to the disease from this novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic is known for using the VGo robot to perform remote concussion examinations for football players on the field. In addition, the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Arizona treats cancer using an advanced proton beam therapy program.

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, the Mayo Clinic had started telemedicine offerings, which allows patients to schedule appointments online. This technology allows follow up appointments, which often do not require complex equipment or tests, to be easily conducted online. Doctors can talk with patients, evaluate recovery progress or see reactions and movements of their patients from hundreds of miles away. The telemedicine technology allows doctors to adjust medication or evaluate recovery processes without the additional travel expenses related to receiving treatment at Mayo.

In Florida, Mayo Clinic has expanded its ability to test specimens related to the COVID-19 outbreak. The facility is using high-throughput diagnostic processors from Roche Diagnostics, which will allow the Florida-based lab to process more than 1,000 tests per day. As its ability to process tests expands, Mayo will be able to evaluate samples from not only its own facility, but also from other regional health care facilities in the area.

Johns Hopkins Hospital

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore makes use of cutting edge imaging, MRI, surgical, and radiology tech, as well as automated tech, such as belowground systems for waste and supply transportation.

Microbiologists at Johns Hopkins have developed a coronavirus screening test to help health care professionals quickly and completely diagnose those at risk as well as those who have come into contact with infected individuals. They were hoping to be able to provide 1,000 tests per day with results in 24 hours to help improve response and containment.

In addition, scientists have been working on developing a vaccine at Johns Hopkins. Although initial testing in lab mice has begun, the time frame to bringing a safe, effective vaccine to market can be up to 18 months due to clinical human trials required.

The organization is also responsible for tracking global pandemic numbers for media outlets and the general public in real-time. Data is broken down by cases, deaths, and recoveries in every country with significant outbreaks. 

Cleveland Clinic

Ranked No. 1 in heart surgery and cardiology in the U.S., the Cleveland Clinic offers robotic heart surgery and robot-assisted prostate surgery, in addition to helping develop new medical devices.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to escalate, the Cleveland Clinic was one of the first organizations to provide a free, online coronavirus screening tool. Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this tool asks visitors a series of questions about symptoms and travel history. After completing the questionnaire, the Cleveland Clinic provides recommendations for next steps and suggestions for care.

El Camino Hospital, California

El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California has always been a proponent of technological advancement in healthcare, including a robotic radiosurgery device called CyberKnife, which can treat tumors without damaging adjacent tissue.

All El Camino Hospital staff is prepared to triage, admit and treat patients who test positive with this infectious disease. Since the hospital regularly manages infectious diseases, protocols and processes are already in place to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus in the hospital. 

For example, the hospital has stringent standard operating procedures related to sanitization. Isolation rooms undergo a multi-step cleaning process, which includes disinfecting surfaces, changing all curtains, and a comprehensive robotic UV disinfection protocol in between patients. 

Currently, anyone having respiratory symptoms is examined in the hospital’s Accelerated Care Units, which are located in tents outside regular emergency rooms. These are designed to isolate potential COVID-19 patients in a safe and streamlined area.

Gleneagles Medical Center

Located in Tanglin, Singapore, Gleneagles Medical Center is one of the most advanced hospitals in Southeast Asia with the best technologies for imaging and robotic surgery.

Recently, Gleneagles Medical Center rolled out on-demand coronavirus testing in Southeast Asia. It is the only private organization accredited to help local governments test individuals who may have COVID-19.

In addition, the hospital is providing an online portal for patient and visitor advisories, based on current pandemic conditions and hospital resources.

Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital has an annual research budget of more than $928 million, which it has put to use developing new advances such as the connectome scanner, which provides clearer and faster brain imaging than traditional MRIs.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, the infectious disease division was the first in New England to put together a global study attempting to treat COVID-19 patients with the antiviral drug Remdesivir. The drug has successfully halted the growth of other coronaviruses. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is underway with 50 total sites in the trial.

Boston Children’s Hospital

In order to reduce the time—and risk—involved in complex surgeries, Boston Children’s Hospital is using 3D-printed models of patients’ organs to allow physicians to practice techniques before entering the operating room.

University of Chicago Medical Center

The University of Chicago Medical Center is using predictive analytics to make movements in and out of operating rooms more efficient. As a result, turnover is reduced by 20 percent, which saves the hospital $600,000 per year.

Currently, the University of Chicago has responded to the local community’s offer for assistance with a comprehensive summary of all the things individuals can do to help. From donating masks and blood to simply sending an encouraging message to Chicago healthcare workers, the hospital has suggested ways that the community can pull together during the pandemic.

University of Tokyo Hospital

As one of the world’s best hospitals, the University of Tokyo Hospital is central to Japan’s medical practice and advancement.

On the other side of the world, researchers at the University of Tokyo Hospital are testing the existing drug Nafamostat as a possible treatment for the coronavirus. Doctors believe this existing drug, already available in less expensive generic form, may help stop the virus from entering human cells very early in the infection process.

Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer

Advanced hospitals Located in Ramat Gan in the Tel Aviv district in Israel, Sheba Medical Center handles over 25 percent of all Israeli clinical research, and is known for its advances in biotechnical research.

The Sheba Medical Center has created an isolated treatment area outside the main hospital to evaluate and treat coronavirus patients. Doctors are using telemedicine technology to care for and monitor patients while minimizing the healthcare workers’ exposure to the virus. 

Health care professionals can keep tabs on vital signs of patients including temperature, heart rate, and breathing from a remote control center, and robots can be used in some patient monitoring situations. Physicians in protective gear are sent into isolated rooms only when absolutely necessary. The isolated treatment area was created in only 72 hours.

Other Biomedical Technological Advances That Reduce COVID-19 Transmission

• Researchers that have worked on the gene-editing technology called CRISPR have turned their attention to providing coronavirus testing services. Located at University of California, Berkeley, the lab is primarily serving hospitals in the San Francisco Bay area. The goal is to process 1,000 tests and turn around results in 24 hours.

• The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation, which is a global, non-governmental group, is supporting vaccine development for five epidemic pathogens prioritized by the World Health Organization. Its focus is to create platform technologies for emerging pandemics like COVID-19, so that the time from viral sequencing to clinical trials would be reduced to 16 weeks or less.

• Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and the Department of Health and Human Services are working together to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. The organizations are rapidly setting up clinical trials and preparing for emergency vaccine production by early 2021. New production facilities are being built at this time as well. Johnson & Johnson are planning clinical trials by September.
• Other big pharma and small biotech companies are working on vaccines as well including Novavax, Inovio, Pfizer, and BioNTech in Germany.

This story was updated and expanded in April 2020.