Slideshow: Disney Cancer Center Offers High Tech Care
The latest medical technologies, health IT, and other innovations to provide care and comfort to cancer patients are deployed at the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center.
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Philips Lighting's "Ambient Experience" allow patients to control the lighting, sounds and even music and video in their rooms to create a calming environment as they undergo radiation treatments. The technology mixes colored LED lights with the music and also video that projects seamless images on white curved walls.
Providence Health, the parent organization of the Disney cancer center, will examine how the new innovations impact patients and decide whether to extend the concepts to other facilities, said Raymond Lowe, regional director of information systems at Providence Health's Disney cancer center. "We'll look at what comes out of this so we can adapt the innovations, best practices."
Patients' can select an "ambience experience" to help relax them while being treated at the center. Patient badges with passive RFID for identification enables physicians and staff to quickly access patient records from a variety of secure locations throughout the facility. The controls also can be programmed to recognize a RFID card carried by patients that will trigger room preferences based on individual choices.
The Disney cancer center's oncology e-medical record system, Mosaic from Impac, links in to the Meditech EMR used at its main hospital, St. Joseph Medical Center, which is a block away from the cancer center. The center also provides interfaces to connect its EMR with the various systems, such as Allscripts, used by its affiliated doctor practices, said Lowe.
The new Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center is not only equipped with the latest medical and healthcare technologies, but also provides Eastern-style therapies such as herbal medications, yoga and meditation with the goal of treating body, mind and spirit. The center offer complementary therapies that have proven safe and effective when used with conventional approaches including radiation and chemotherapy. These therapies include acupuncture, tai chi and guided imagery. A Zen-style Healing Gardens for patients to relax is part of the center's offerings.
In the Disney Cancer Center's lobby rotunda, a 25-foot glass waterfall cascades into a rock pool to create a calming welcome.
Patients are provided badges with passive RFID for identification. The technology track patients as the leave or enter areas of the hospital. It also links in with databases that contain information about patient's preferences, including their choice of relaxing images that are projected on the ceiling of testing rooms, as well as favorite hues that color the rooms. Patients also get to choose the music playing in their testing or procedure rooms. Among the providers of technology to the center are AeroScout, Connexall, Reva Systems, and ThingMagic.
True to its Disney name, the center provides a little bit of magic -- thanks to innovative technology -- all aimed at helping individuals feel more relaxed, peaceful and in-control of their immediate situation while undergoing what's often scary or uncomfortable procedures, said Raymond Lowe, regional director of information systems at Providence Health's Disney cancer center. The Disney cancer center is an outpatient facility of Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, CA.
"Integrative medicine considers all aspects of a person's lifestyle and combines complementary and conventional medical therapies into an individualized, evidence-based treatment program," said Disney Cancer Center oncologist Lisa Schwartz, M.D., program director.
The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center opened in February. The $55 million, four-floor outpatient facility is located in Burbank, CA. and provides outpatient chemo, radiation and other therapies. The facility specializes in care for adolescent and young adult cancer patients, a population often underserved. The cancer center was primarily funded by donations from the entertainment industry, local business, physicians, employees of Providence and the community. However, the biggest donation -- $10 million-- came from Roy E. and Patricia Disney. Roy E. Disney, nephew of the late Walt Disney, died of cancer in 2009.
The Hench Foundation donated $1 million to develop the John and Lowry Hench Library on the second floor of the cancer center. A companion donation from the Jennifer Diamond Cancer Foundation supplied computers, printers and resource materials for the center. A user-friendly kiosk provides resource materials for patients both on-line and in-person. Specially trained staff will help patients and others with their research and will help interpret information.
Patients have control over the ambiance, temperature and music playing in treatment rooms. "Calm, relaxed patients who feel like they're in control has a positive effect on their healing," said Raymond Lowe, regional director of information systems at Providence Health's Disney cancer center.
Patients have control over the ambiance, temperature and music playing in treatment rooms. "Calm, relaxed patients who feel like they're in control has a positive effect on their healing," said Raymond Lowe, regional director of information systems at Providence Health's Disney cancer center.
Philips Lighting's "Ambient Experience" allow patients to control the lighting, sounds and even music and video in their rooms to create a calming environment as they undergo radiation treatments. The technology mixes colored LED lights with the music and also video that projects seamless images on white curved walls.
Providence Health, the parent organization of the Disney cancer center, will examine how the new innovations impact patients and decide whether to extend the concepts to other facilities, said Raymond Lowe, regional director of information systems at Providence Health's Disney cancer center. "We'll look at what comes out of this so we can adapt the innovations, best practices."
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