Healthcare

Saint Luke’s East launches virtual nurse program

Saint Luke’s East, located in Lee's Summit, Mo., is the first in the Saint Luke’s Health System to introduce a new, virtual nurse technology.

The pilot program was launched in coordination with the opening of 24 new beds in February 2021 and will serve as a model if Saint Luke’s decides to expand the program to other hospitals within the health system.

Because of the infrastructure requirements, Saint Luke’s East Hospital CEO Bobby Olm-Shipman said the construction made it the perfect candidate to be the first to use the technology.

“Saint Luke’s East has a reputation for being pretty innovative and the team is very forward-thinking, so when we floated the idea, they really just jumped on it and said, ‘Yeah, we want to try this, we’d love to be the first to do it,’” said Olm-Shipman.

Here is how it works. The patient’s room is equipped with a camera and two monitors. One monitor displays the patient’s vital signs. The other displays a virtual nurse who is monitoring several patients from a command center within Saint Luke’s East. They can monitor oxygen levels and heart rates from afar and activate another nurse to respond to patients immediately when necessary.

“This means while your regular nurse is in the unit taking care of you, the virtual nurse provides another layer of nursing support that keeps an eye on the patient as well,” said Olm-Shipman.

Olm-Shipman said the virtual observation, which will be provided in addition to traditional nursing care, will increase the level of care provided to patients.

“Ultimately, what we’re hoping is this gives us the ability to provide even more efficient care because we’re identifying their needs more quickly by having that virtual nurse right there and being able to see what’s really going on, but also we’re hoping it makes our patients feel like they’re connected more closely to our care team.”

New programs are also in the works. Saint Luke’s East is preparing to introduce a neurosurgical spine program, which will allow it to offer minimally-invasive spine surgeries. According to Olm-Shipman, patients had previously been referred to Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City for this type of surgery. He said the change will allow for a more comprehensive approach among care providers and keeps patients closer to home.

“Whenever you get care, whether it’s elective or not, it’s disruptive to your life. You’re traveling, you’re taking a day off work. Maybe a spouse or a partner or someone in your social circle needs to be there with you,” said Olm-Shipman. “The closer you can keep people to home, the less disruptive it is to patients’ lives and their families and support systems.”

The hospital plans to have five or six neurosurgeons and one physiatrist in the neurosurgical spine clinic, which is expected to open in March or April. Procedures will begin soon after.

The hospital is also partnering with the Saint Luke’s Hospital to add a vascular services program. Olm-Shipman said the vascular program will have a dedicated surgeon and is set to begin offering services in the fall or winter of 2021.

In addition to a surgeon, the hospital is upgrading one of its operating rooms to a hybrid model. The hybrid will have robotic technology that allows the surgeon to begin with minimally-invasive vascular procedures. In the event it becomes necessary for the surgeon to conduct a more intrusive procedure, the robotic equipment can be moved and the surgeon can manually conduct the remainder of the surgery

In the coming months, Saint Luke’s East will continue construction on its new unit. In addition to the 24 beds that opened earlier this month, it plans to add six new beds by the summer. The project is budgeted for $26.8 million.

McCownGordon Construction is the general contractor for the 26,590-SF addition to the hospital, joined by project partners ACI Boland and IMEG Corp.

TMC Lakewood adds $7.7 million infrastructure, new services

TMC Lakewood adds $7.7 million infrastructure, new services

Photo courtesy of Truman Medical Centers

Lee's Summit Medical Center expands bariatric program

Lee’s Summit Medical Center’s bariatric program has recently moved from an off-campus location to the new 52,000-SF, three-story medical office building on the Lee’s Summit Medical Center campus.

The $17 million state-of-the-art building was completed in summer 2020 and included project partners Turner Construction, HCP Medical Office Properties, Bremner Real Estate, ACI Boland Architects and Hereford-Dooley Architects.

The change will give the bariatrics program a larger, updated space with more capabilities to treat patients.

“We are pleased that Lee’s Summit Medical Center is expanding the level of quality care for the residents of Lee’s Summit and surrounding communities,” said Rick McDowell, Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council president and CEO.

Lee’s Summit Medical Center’s bariatric program has six providers who perform various types of surgical and non-surgical procedures.

“Access to healthcare is a significant contributor to the quality of life in our community and we are fortunate to have tremendous health resources in Lee’s Summit,” McDowell said.

Bariatric treatment can greatly reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions such as sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, according to Dr. John Tann, one of the bariatric surgeons at Lee’s Summit Medical Center. In some cases, such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, bariatric treatment has even been shown to cure certain conditions.

“My passion is to treat patients with metabolic disease and the main side effect we see from that is excess weight. I have many tools to use that will help patients reach their goals of leading a healthier lifestyle from diet modifications, nutritional support, medication and minimally invasive procedures and surgery. Lee’s Summit Medical Center gives us access to the latest in technology and resources,” said Dr. Tann.

According to Lee’s Summit Medical Center, the need for bariatric services is growing - especially after seeing how bariatric conditions were disproportionately negatively impacted by COVID-19.

The bariatric and metabolic suite is one of the many specialty services Lee’s Summit Medical Center provides. Other specialty physician services include:

  • Midwest Heart and Vascular Specialists

  • KC Vascular and General Surgery

  • Kansas City Gastroenterology & Hepatology

  • Kansas City Neurology Associates

  • Colorectal Surgery Associates

  • Neuroscience Institute at Lee’s Summit

MU Health Care to expand campus footprint

MU Health Care to expand campus footprint

Rendering of a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital at the University of Missouri Health Care campus featuring state-of-the-art amenities, technology and services; courtesy of Burns and McDonnell/HKS.

Lee's Summit Medical Center expands campus, services

Cushman & Wakefield’s Andrew Greene and Leonard Popplewell hosted a broker tour of the newly constructed 52,000-SF medical office building this week, located on the campus of the Lee’s Summit Medical Center in Lee's Summit, Mo.

Developed and owned by Healthpeak Properties, Inc. of Franklin Tenn., HCA-Lee’s Summit Medical Center’s physicians’ groups will occupy the first and third floors and begin seeing patients in September 2020.

Kansas City medical office brokers toured the building's second floor, which includes 17,000 SF available for lease, a 1,500-SF spec suite and 5,000 SF for lease on the third floor.

“This multimillion dollar expansion represents an investment in the high-quality, comprehensive specialty care that we are committed to providing our community. It will allow Lee’s Summit Medical Center to expand the services we offer to the area we serve. It is yet another milestone in our continued growth within the community by bringing in more medical specialties while allowing us to provide space for existing specialties to grow," said John McDonald, Lee’s Summit Medical Center’s president.

Owner/developer Healthpeak Properties also owns medical office buildings on the campuses of Centerpoint Medical Center in Indeoendence, Mo. and Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kan.