Strong Medicine in Greater Chattanooga

The Greater Chattanooga health care industry continues to expand with advanced technology.

By Patsy B. Weiler on August 7, 2023

Chattanooga is home to a flourishing network of health and wellness organizations. Here, you will find hospitals using the latest technology in patient care as well as new companies and dynamic startups leading the way in modern medical services and attracting new faces to the area.

Thriving Health Center

The city’s thriving health care community attracted Nick Moran, founder and CEO of Axis Research & Technologies, a state-of-the-art bioskills training and cadaver lab facility, to open his fourth location here.

“Chattanooga is a centralized hub for the hospital sector and is recognized as a thriving center for health care innovation, clinical research and medical device manufacturing,” Moran says.

The company’s largest facility in the U.S., the expansive lab is in an 11,300-square-foot, completely renovated, two-story site. Under one roof are two fully modernized labs, each offering multiple stations, skilled staffing support, surgical equipment and instrumentation.

A pair of configurable multipurpose rooms are perfect for seminars and lectures. Their conference room lends itself to a more intimate, Socratic-style of discussion with audiovisual capabilities. A relaxing lounge provides an inviting space to unwind between learning sessions.

Additionally, Axis houses an impressive HIPAA-compliant teletraining platform for audio visual, broadcasting, recording and live streaming, with capabilities to reach up to 500 virtual participants around the globe.

“We are committed to supporting the pioneering work being done in the area, providing a first-class, customer service-oriented facility where medical device companies can evaluate product effectiveness, while companies, hospital staff and educators can demonstrate procedures, enhance practical skills and improve potential patient outcomes,” Moran says.

Hospitals Introduce Health Tech

Parkridge Medical Center started using artificial intelligence in 2022 to enhance the detection of precancerous polyps during screening colonoscopies. The computer-assisted polyp detection system is programmed with 13 million pictures to precisely recognize a potential lesion and alert the clinician that further assessment may be needed.

“Colorectal cancer screenings help physicians, like me, find colon polyps before they develop into colon cancer,” says Dr. Camille Sommer, gastroenterologist affiliate of Parkridge Medical Center. “Using artificial intelligence to enhance our ability to detect polyps as early as possible gives patients a better chance for successful treatment, optimal outcomes and fewer adverse effects.”

Nearby, in Catoosa County, Georgia, CHI Memorial is building its newest smart hospital – CHI Memorial Hospital Georgia. The 64-inpatient bed hospital, with a full-service emergency department, is set to open in mid-2024 and incorporate new and evolving technologies to improve patient experience.

Some of the planned enhancements include:

• Real-Time Health System, which is a conceptual model and a technology framework using near-real time data from a variety of sources to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

• Integration of mobile tablets and display technology with cloud-based health care apps.

• Real-time patient status on in-room displays linked to the patient’s electronic medical record.

The area also benefits from other award-winning hospitals, including Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, Tennova Healthcare in Cleveland, Tennessee, and Hamilton Health Care System in Dalton, Georgia – all known for innovative and compassionate care.