Mayo Clinic looks to digital transformation to plan for the future

ORLANDO – The physical assets of many hospitals and healthcare facilities in the U.S. are degrading and require investment, but when you’re replacing an old building, simply rebuilding it brick by brick isn’t enough. Digital technology in healthcare is developing rapidly and new construction projects must take this into account.

To achieve the vision of a transformed physical and digital healthcare environment, a Mayo Clinic team has developed a comprehensive digital strategy. This strategy included several key steps, including the development of a “future state vision” and the formulation of guiding digital imperatives.

At HIMSS24 in Orlando, the Mayo team shared their insights during a session titled “Designing New Digitally-Enabled, Human-Centered Clinical Space.”

The Mayo team has been working on this project in earnest since 2020, and during Phases 0 and 1 they made key decisions on the long-term master plan – a plan that includes a multi-year timeline for investing in digital experiences. The plan is to have one new facility built by 2028 and five buildings fully operational by 2030.

In total, the plan is to create 2.4 million square feet of new construction, with two buildings dedicated to supporting continued improvements in clinical care.

“It’s really about investing in new digital capabilities,” said Tara Gosse, director of clinical innovation at Mayo Clinic. “This gives us an incredible new opportunity to look at our infrastructure, systems and designs and focus on the needs of our patients.”

According to nurse administrator Heidi Shedenhelm, the expansion and modernization of utilities will include more sustainable heating with climate-controlled facilities. Mayo also explores ways in which the physical building can blur the lines between inpatient and outpatient care.

“We don’t even talk about it being a hospital anymore,” Shedenhelm said, “but a place where we will provide care and where patients can experience that holistic care at every stage of their journey.”

The buildings will be designed for maximum flexibility, with a design concept that allows for spaces for alternative uses, meaning they can be reconfigured based on the evolving care models that will be rolled out over the coming decades.

Adam Copeland, director of digital strategy at Mayo Clinic, said digital transformation is not about gadgets and devices, but about finding new ways to enable humanistic, patient-centered care.

“We want to have a hyper-personalized experience, emphasizing that we know you and what your needs are,” Copeland said. “When we imagine the future, we do so not primarily by thinking of screens and technology, but first by thinking about human experiences, with technology enabling the human experiences we are looking for.”

Examples of such technology include robots that deliver medical equipment to the sound of a person’s voice, personalized music for a patient, and, most importantly, systems integration and interoperability – something Gosse believes will form the backbone of new facility investments.

“It will be an invisible backbone that allows us to orchestrate data-driven experiences,” says Gosse.

These improvements and initiatives will not only benefit patients. Shedenhelm said it will also create a better future for Mayo Clinic staff, as well as the broader community through job creation, which is expected to have a notable financial impact in the Rochester, Minnesota community.

“It’s a transformation from within,” says Shedenhelm. “It relies not only on the expertise of Mayo Clinic, but on many others who came together around our community.”

Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.