In Good Health: All is Well in Worcester

Outside-the-box thinking elevates health care in Worcester, MA.

By Renee Elder on September 13, 2023

Courtesy of Worcester Regional Chamber of Comerce

In 2021, when the UMass Memorial Medical Center faced overwhelming demand for bed space and heath care in Worcester, MA, managers put their heads down and came up with a solution: Send hospital-level care to patients’ homes.

This outside-the-box effort started at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when demand for bed space was at a “crisis level,” says Dr. Constantinos I. Michaelidis, medical director for the Hospital at Home program at UMass Memorial.

Now, the hospital is offering similar options to a variety of patients whose conditions will improve just as effectively at home with drop-in medical care as they would with a week in the hospital.

“When someone comes to the emergency department with a skin infection, lung disorder, or other illness that can be treated at home, and we give them the Hospital at Home option, we find a very high rate of patient satisfaction,” Michaelidis says.

Putting Patient Needs First

Many patients recover faster when surrounded by the amenities of home, where they may experience fewer sleep interruptions, better access to food they enjoy most, and a supportive atmosphere, Michaelidis says.

Meanwhile, advanced telehealth technology is another convenient option when scheduling doctor visits and daily health monitoring by hospital staff.

“This is an example of how we are decentralizing care,” Michaelidis says. “We are finding new ways to meet patients where they are.”

Recently, UMass Memorial introduced its youngest patients to the benefits of health care technology through the use of one of the nation’s first Robin the Robot companions. This 4-foot-tall mechanical playmate uses artificial intelligence to interact with children in the pediatrics department and is pre-programmed with information that can help ease the stress of a hospital stay.

The armless character with big eyes helps put patients at ease by playing games and entertaining them while they wait. UMass Memorial Health Innovation Fund provided Robin to the hospital.

WPI

Technology and Opportunity

The academic medical center is just one of several health care providers that benefit from the region’s concentration of scientific research and technology expertise.

Another powerhouse fueling health care advances is Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Founded in 1865 as one of the nation’s first engineering schools, WPI has increasingly been licensing the work of its faculty and students to the commercial market.

Todd S. Keiller, director of the Office of Technology Commercialization, says more than two dozen tech-transfer businesses have been launched in the past decade, with health care as a flagship sector.

Nemedio, a company that develops products to help medical device companies with compliance, and Worcester-based AiM Medical Robotics are recent standouts.

AiM licensed and is bringing to market a WPI-developed robotic technology that could one day revolutionize brain surgery by performing surgery on the brain inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner.

Not only is WPI behind the development of medical technology, it is also training students in the highly sought-after skills needed to use it, Keiller says.

“It’s hard to find people with the technology and the people skills, so our graduates come right out and get those jobs,” Keiller says, adding that plans call for the establishment of an incubator space for additional startup development.

Investing in the Future

Saint Vincent Hospital, founded by an order of Catholic sisters and now owned by Tenet Healthcare, has been investing heavily in the downtown facility. The company announced that it spent $11 million in 2022 to bring in more high-tech equipment, including the da Vinci Xi robot for minimally invasive surgery and the SAVI SCOUT for breast biopsies.

Additional enhancements included improving the electronic records system in the Center for Women and Infants, as well as acquiring new endoscopy and neuro-interventional radiology equipment.

Saint Vincent CEO Carolyn Jackson says the investment represents the medical center’s intention to become “the destination for advanced care in our region.”

New parents are also a priority at Saint Vincent’s, which recently launched a program to make labor and delivery smoother for all concerned. Known as Team Birth, an obstetrics team of nurses, doctors and other members of the patient’s clinical and support team work together to ensure that the entire labor, delivery and recovery period goes smoothly.