Why Health Systems Are Increasingly Investing in Smart Rooms

By the end of 2026, Altamonte, Florida-based AdventHealth aims to equip 13,000 acute care rooms in 57 hospitals with smart technology, the most extensive hospital smart room rollout yet, according to a recent Becker’s Health IT article.

The smart rooms — which link digital whiteboards, door signs and computer vision cameras to electronic medical records and care plans — will enable more human connection between patients and clinicians.

“It’s really about trying to make the screens go away, and create technology that makes it so easy that I’m never logging into a workstation in a room with my back to a patient, but I am engaging the patient, especially with the digital whiteboard, so that they can see their X-rays and look at their X-rays with me,” Valerie McKinnis, M.D., vice president of clinical innovation at AdventHealth, told Becker’s. “We’re reviewing their labs in real time, and it actually decreases that disconnection with our patients that traditional care models have created.”

While AdventHealth’s smart room initiative is the largest on record, it’s far from the only health system pursuing this type of project. In recent years, hospital smart rooms have become increasingly common as providers turn to technology to mitigate workforce shortages and deliver personalized, high-quality care.

The Rise of Hospital Smart Rooms

Across the country, a growing number of health systems are investing in smart technology for hospital rooms to improve patient and clinician experiences. A recent Modern Healthcare article declared that hospital rooms equipped with smart technology have become “a new standard of care” for providers that can afford the investment.

In addition to AdventHealth, here are a few examples of AHA members turning hospital rooms into high-tech environments to facilitate efficient care delivery.

• Houston Methodist is phasing out traditional TV remotes, phones and nurse call buttons in favor of features like digital white boards, bedside tablets and voice-activated room controls for food ordering, window shades, nurse call, lighting and temperature. Additionally, the health system’s smart rooms are virtual-medicine-enabled and have intelligent settings that welcome patients by name and in their preferred language, and that customize menus to align with dietary restrictions.
• Mayo Clinic: As part of its “Bold. Forward. Unbound.” initiative to transform physical healthcare infrastructure, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is implementing solutions such as wireless vital monitoring and ambient clinical intelligence to enhance clinical spaces. The health system is creating care delivery environments that support human connection and healing, in which “a patient’s room sees, hears, anticipates and reacts to their needs alongside their care team to re-imagine the experience of healthcare,” Mayo Clinic President and CEO Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., wrote on the health system’s website.
• Emory Healthcare, the Atlanta-based health system, has implemented telehealth technology and AI to support virtual nursing. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology in patient rooms monitors for movements that could indicate imminent falls and alerts the care team, while an automated voice instructs the patient to stay in bed until clinicians arrive to assist them.

How High-tech Hospital Rooms Transform Patient and Provider Experiences

Health systems that have deployed smart tech in hospital rooms have already seen the significant impact these futuristic spaces can have on operations and care delivery. Providers have noted several benefits after installing advanced technology in patient rooms:

More Face-to-Face Time with Patients

Advanced technology can be the key to more human-centric care. As Alistair Erskine, M.D., enterprise chief information and digital officer at Emory Healthcare, said in a news story about the system’s implementation of telehealth technology, “This virtual nursing initiative will allow nurses to spend more time with patients at the bedside for face-to-face interactions and less time charting and monitoring behind a computer.”

Lower Rates of Clinician Burnout

By automating routine tasks and simplifying tasks like checking vitals, smart hospital rooms can lighten staff workloads, reducing stress for clinicians and providers facing workforce shortages. For example, following the installation of smart technology, Houston Methodist has observed less burnout among clinicians and is relying on contract workers less, according to Modern Healthcare.

Increased efficiency

With smart technology and automation, providers can deliver high-quality care faster: Modern Healthcare reports that preliminary data on AdventHealth’s smart room initiative shows it takes almost 30% less time to obtain medication information because pharmacists can now meet with patients virtually.

More Well-informed and Engaged Patients

Smart technology like digital whiteboards allows patients to access information like their care plan, upcoming tests, test results and even pictures of their care team. At AdventHealth, digital whiteboards also show patients their daily goals. “Smart rooms give patients greater clarity about their care and peace of mind knowing their team is always within reach,” said Michael Cacciatore, M.D., AdventHealth’s system chief medical officer in an article on the health system’s website about the room upgrades. “These tools give patients faster access to their care team and can make every interaction feel more personal.”

Better Outcomes

Smart rooms support remote monitoring and can predict and prevent falls. As previously mentioned, Emory Healthcare’s telehealth equipment allows care teams to rapidly respond to potential falls, while enabling more flexible virtual work options for nurses.

As new technologies continue to emerge, so will opportunities for hospitals to create more efficient and comfortable clinical environments.

For more information about smart technology’s potential to transform care delivery, please download our Trailblazer report, “The Smart Hospital of the Future: Connecting Systems, People and Technology.”