AV for Multisite Healthcare

Multisite AV system rollouts for healthcare companies are more than just technology deployments. They depend heavily on anticipating challenges and putting consistent solutions in place.

For multisite healthcare companies such as Prenuvo, Neko Health, Biograph, and others, delivering a consistent technology experience for their patients and employees across multiple locations is paramount. This ‘consistency across sites’ starts, of course, at the planning, design, and AV program stage and continues through installation and commissioning onto support and maintenance. Let’s take a closer look at a few challenges behind multisite healthcare rollouts, and proven solutions for addressing.

The Experience

Although not unique to healthcare, patients may put the environment under closer scrutiny when visiting a provider. Clinics or offices that don’t quite match an expectation or that don’t provide a sense of confidence can affect a patient’s trust. Imagine walking into a self- asserted ‘healthcare of the future’ clinic and seeing outdated or non-functioning technology in the waiting room, a background music system with indecipherable audio, or a consulting room with displays that won’t power on. Technology in these spaces has to work and has to contribute to a guest’s well-being rather than distract from it. With multisite healthcare rollouts, that final leg of the project including commissioning and hand-off to warranty is crucial. Developing a phased approach to these rollouts that includes a final phase of engineering, install leads, project manager, and service onsite together to review systems, ensures a smooth close and reinforces accessibility to service should an issue arise.

Design

Without a standards-based design, each site risks becoming a one-off with an inconsistent user experience, technology standards, and support model. Along with the healthcare provider, AV design teams should develop scalable standards that can be rolled out across an entire ecosystem, flexible enough to accommodate one to two room types. This especially includes go-to equipment per room type, so that each location isn’t using a different system. With a standard design in place, rooms can be replicated with little to no ground work and minimal adjustments.

AV Control

The most technically-sound AV deployment can disappoint if employees struggle or aren’t confident in using the systems. Multisite rollouts can amplify this challenge since training must scale across geographies and project phases. The first-line in AV system adoption, and in relieving training challenges, is the system’s control interface. Control system programmers should design intuitive user interfaces for multisite healthcare clients for the simplest to the most complex spaces. Regardless of location and technical knowledge, an employee can then easily recognize visual cues and follow clear prompts. Since there is consistency in the interface: page layouts, button types and functions, navigation, labeling, and color schemes, employees can lean on peers when additional direction is needed.

AV Support and Maintenance

Multisite means supporting dozens or even hundreds of rooms across many locations, which could quickly overwhelm a client’s internal IT department. AV system remote monitoring and management is an effective solution to mitigate location and time zone dependence. Real-time alerts, diagnostics, and in many cases, resolution, can be performed remotely without unplanned site visits. Paired with pre-scheduled proactive maintenance, issues are budgeted for and identified before they become challenges.

Wrap Up

Multisite AV system rollouts for healthcare companies are more than just technology deployments. They depend heavily on anticipating challenges and putting consistent solutions in place so that these innovative organizations can benefit from scalable AV ecosystems that support their patients and employees, and most importantly, their mission.