Anyone who has had to take a trip to the hospital, maybe to visit a sick friend or meet a new niece or nephew, knows trying to navigate a large, complex medical campus can quickly become overwhelming. Between locked staff-only areas, hallway after hallway that look exactly the same, and myriad entrances and parking garages, your hospital trip can become a frustrating experience.
University Health System, located in San Antonio, Texas, has partnered with Gozio Health to remedy this situation by creating a mobile wayfinding platform for its campus. Gozio used a robot, cleverly named Magellan, to roam the hospital to capture data and create detailed maps of the building spaces and campus.
As soon as visitors step out of their car in the parking garage, the University Health System mobile wayfinding platform provides turn-by-turn, Blue Dot navigation through the entire campus.
Innovations in healthcare wayfinding
The tool allows patients, visitors, and hospital staff to use their smartphone to efficiently navigate to any location on campus, from the maternity ward to the emergency room, to a specific doctor’s office, even the nearest vending machine. It also helps users avoid any “Seinfeld”-esque “lost in the garage” issues; the tool marks the individual spot where the user parked.
Gozio's robot, Magellan.
In addition to wayfinding functions, the app gives patients and visitors immediate access to physician directories, electronic medical records, and the ability to view hospital amenities, an important feature according to Joshua Titus, CEO and Founder of Gozio Health.
“For hospitals to remain competitive, they must provide patients with a digital platform that features location-based services, appointment scheduling, and access to their patient portal from their smartphone,” said Titus.
Based on statistics from Gozio, 85% of users that install the wayfinding app to navigate to a destination within a hospital will return to the app to use the other features such as for scheduling appointments and viewing their medical records.
The University Health System mobile wayfinding platform also includes access to 28 satellite clinics and urgent care centers, covering more than three million square feet of navigation.
Related Stories
| Jun 6, 2012
KLMK Group awarded contract with Parkland Health & Hospital System in Texas
KLMK will also provide planning guidance in all aspects of the project related to facility activation.
| Jun 1, 2012
New BD+C University Course on Insulated Metal Panels available
By completing this course, you earn 1.0 HSW/SD AIA Learning Units.
| Jun 1, 2012
Ground broken for Children’s Hospital Colorado South Campus
Children’s Hospital Colorado expects to host nearly 80,000 patient visits at the South Campus during its first year.
| Jun 1, 2012
K-State Olathe Innovation Campus receives LEED Silver
Aspects of the design included a curtain wall and punched openings allowing natural light deep into the building, regional materials were used, which minimized the need for heavy hauling, and much of the final material included pre and post-consumer recycled content.
| May 31, 2012
5 military construction trends
Defense spending may be down somewhat, but there’s still plenty of project dollars out there if you know where to look.
| May 29, 2012
Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s pediatric burn patients create their version of new Patient Tower using Legos
McCarthy workers joined the patients, donning construction gear and hard hats, to help with their building efforts.
| May 29, 2012
Reconstruction Awards Entry Information
Download a PDF of the Entry Information at the bottom of this page.
| May 24, 2012
2012 Reconstruction Awards Entry Form
Download a PDF of the Entry Form at the bottom of this page.
| May 23, 2012
New hospitals invest in data centers to manage growth in patient info
Silver Cross became one of the first hospitals to install patient tracking software so families know where a patient is at all times. New communication equipment supports wireless voice and data networks throughout the hospital, providing access to patients and their families while freeing clinicians to use phones and computers where needed instead of based on location.
| May 22, 2012
Batson-Cook names Partin VP of Business Development
Partin joins general contractor from Georgia Hospital Association.
