Information Services Department at CHOP Awarded for Creating Groundbreaking System to Improve Patient Care

The Information Services (IS) Department at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is being recognized for developing an innovative technology that will improve patient care while increasing operations efficiency. The Patient Provider Location System (PPLS) is this year’s winner of the Digital Innovation Award. Each year, the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) recognizes one company’s success in applying and integrating new or next-generation technology to solve business problems.

“The Patient and Provider Location System will make appointments easier, for both our patients and our clinical team,” says Gayle Stidsen-Smith, senior director of Patient Access and Revenue Cycle, Health Information Management, and Data Integration in Information Services at CHOP. “So many departments came together to make the PPLS a reality, and it’s an honor to have that hard work recognized by PACT.”

The PPLS is being used in CHOP’s Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, located on the Raymond G. Perelman Campus, with plans to expand throughout the CHOP network in the coming years. It works by following interactions between patients and staff, providing visibility within the clinical setting to ensure smooth and efficient flow during the appointment. The system can send a message to Hospital personnel when a patient has not had interaction with a clinician or staff for several minutes, ensuring that patients will not go long periods of time without Hospital staff checking on them. It will also promote streamlining wait times, resulting in efficiencies and satisfaction for both patients and clinical staff. 

The PPLS also improves patient privacy. Nurses in the Buerger Center can use a map view or list view to monitor staff and patients. Patients are given a pager to track their location. The system works with a series of sensors located over each exam room door. When someone enters, colored lights turn on above the door in accordance with their designation. For example, a room with a patient would light up yellow, while one with a patient and doctor would light up yellow and purple, signifying a patient is being seen. This way, staff can look down a hallway to see whether a room is occupied without having to go inside. When a patient leaves an exam room, the cleaning staff is automatically notified to disinfect the room, preparing it for the next patient.

The Digital Innovation Award will be presented at PACT’s annual black-tie gala on Thursday, May 12 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.