“Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is where home base is, where we’re accessing those ER physicians.” The hospital has taken advantage of various programs and grant opportunities, which have not only made it possible to expand broadband but also to enhance server capabilities. “We are making sure that we have the right access to technology infrastructure to be able to support all of these different telehealth services within our area,” she notes. Artificial intelligence is also being used across departments.“We implemented an AI platform about a year ago,” says Clinical Informatics Specialist Brandy Wolf. “Utilizing the technology has been beneficial to us because we’re able to reach more patients in a timely way. We can also send out our monthly newsletter and get them engaged in our facility, and what we have to offer. It has been exciting to have the AI platform in our hospital this year.” Moving forward, the plan is to expand AI into additional service lines, including cardiac rehab and the surgical department. “We want to see how each department can utilize this technology to be more efficient, to ensure our patients are taken care of,” she asserts. Ward Memorial recently joined the American Heart Association ‘Get With The Guidelines’ program, an initiative helping to improve quality care through evidence-based treatment guidelines. “After we implemented it, we discovered we were already delivering excellent care to our patients,” reports Wolf. “So that’s when we formed a multi-disciplinary stroke committee and started working through the opportunities identified. Teaching the staff how to capture and record the work that was being done and enhancing our protocols ensured that our patients were receiving the most up-to-date quality care.” Rodriguez shares that the hospital has also received bronze and silver recognitions through ‘Get With the Guidelines, ’ noting, “Those are programs that are really geared towards the larger facilities. You 63 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 13, ISSUE 02 WARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
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