Johnson Controls and Methodist Healthcare have signed a $12.9 million technology contract that will play a significant role in helping modernize the healthcare system's flagship facility, Methodist University Hospital, in Memphis, TN.
"Methodist has always strived for continuous improvement of its facilities and clinical care model," said Richard Kelley, director of corporate facilities management at Methodist Healthcare. "Our partnership with Johnson Controls is a critical part of a $280 million modernization project that will restructure the campus and centralize clinical services, creating a patient- and family-centered care environment that is easily accessible and easy to navigate."
The expansion plan adds 440,000-sq-ft to the hospital's campus and includes a new nine-story patient tower to be constructed as an overbuild on top of the existing emergency department without disrupting current hospital activity. Methodist will also invest in state-of-the-art healthcare equipment, making the Johnson Controls technology integration solution a key component of the new construction.
Johnson Controls will provide design-assistance and serve as the single point of responsibility for technology integration from start to finish, providing critical continuity throughout pre-construction, implementation, installation, and service of the new tower. The company will incorporate a variety of technologies throughout the new tower, helping Methodist Healthcare improve its overall efficiency with integrated business, clinical, and building systems. The end goal is an updated platform that streamlines communications and work flow, lowers costs, enhances staff satisfaction and patient care, and helps create comfortable, healing environments.
"Given the growing complexity of technology in a rapidly changing healthcare environment, the solution we proposed and our design-assist capabilities were key components to the project," said James Nannini, vice president of North America Building Wide Systems Integration (BWSI) at Johnson Controls. "The fact that the systems integration must take place during construction of the new tower without any interruption of existing services to patients and staff, speaks to the confidence Methodist Healthcare has in our level of competency and our expertise at technology systems integration."
Construction of the new patient tower is expected to begin in January 2017 and be completed in the spring of 2019.
