Prisma Health invests $41M in ‘smart beds’ from Greenville to Columbia

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Prisma Health is investing $41 million in new smart bed technology throughout the system.

The state’s largest health system says the beds will revolutionize the patient experience and support the team taking care of those patients.

The investment centers around replacing inpatient beds at the end of their life cycle with 1,500 cutting-edge Hillrom smart beds and surfaces. Hercules patient repositioning technology will be added to the new beds, allowing a single caregiver to reposition a patient safely and comfortably in bed in less than 10 seconds, according to a Prisma Health news release.

The high-tech design of the beds makes it easier for nurses and other team members who provide direct patient care in critical areas such as intensive care units, labor and delivery, medical/surgical units and bariatrics to provide specialized individual patient care, the release said. Additionally, the beds optimize safety and satisfaction through advanced technology for fall prevention, pressure injury reduction, increased comfort and improved communication.

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“This investment underscores our commitment to placing patient safety and satisfaction at the center of everything we do,” Mark O’Halla, president and CEO of Prisma Health, said in the release. “Incorporating the cutting-edge technology of these beds will streamline clinical workflows and reduce manual tasks, significantly reducing the risk of injury to both caregivers and patients and enabling our team members to provide more efficient, accurate and compassionate care to improve patient outcomes.”

Features include:

• New birthing beds prioritize safety, comfort and convenience for the mother, baby and caregivers throughout the labor and delivery experience.
• The bariatric beds enable safe, efficient and dignified transport of patients.
• The new intensive care beds have the latest technology to help care for highest-need patients.
• Easy-to-read, colored projections under the bed onto the floor indicate the status of the bed alarm, bed position and side rails — all viewable from the hall.
• Powered transport allows a single caregiver to easily and safely transport the bed with precise stopping and turning controls and a built-in fifth wheel to aid portability.
• A built-in USB port for the patient’s personal devices, a storage area for personal belongings, illuminated side rails and an under-bed light.

The rollout of Prisma Health’s new fleet of smart beds is underway, with completion expected by mid-September, the release stated.

Prisma Health serves almost 1.5 million unique patients annually in its 21-county market area that covers 50% of South Carolina from the Upstate through the Midlands. The organization has 18 acute and specialty hospitals and is licensed for 2,827 beds.