Apella AI improves operating room safety at Tampa General

  • August 20, 2024
  • Steve Rogerson

Tampa General Hospital has transformed operating room safety and efficiency using artificial intelligence-powered insights.

The Florida hospital is using technology from California-based Apella that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to provide data and insights that enhance safety, increase efficiency and elevate the patient experience in the operating room.

“We have some of the most talented surgeons and clinical teams in the world right here at Tampa General,” said John Couris, CEO of Tampa General Hospital. “The question is how do you make the best better? Through innovation and technology such as Apella, we’re giving our teams the tools and information to enhance quality, strengthen safety and improve patient outcomes. We’re also increasing access for more patients to benefit from the exceptional, academic-based care we offer at TGH.”

Apella provides perioperative teams with a 360-degree view of operating rooms in real time so they can make more informed decisions, respond to immediate needs, anticipate next steps and plan future operations. The technology uses AI, computer vision and communications to offer predictive case durations, turnover durations and staffing suggestions. It also captures highlights to identify patterns, determine opportunities for improvement and support continuous learning and training efforts. With improved scheduling workflows, teams can better meet patients’ needs in a timely manner.

“Apella is a well-respected partner, and our opportunities to deepen this exciting partnership are extensive,” said Murray Shames, medical chief of staff at Tampa General. “The technology’s ability to look deeper into process efficiencies, predict workflow improvements and find opportunities for quality improvement in our cases are just a few ways we can use this technology to work towards better patient outcomes and improved efficiencies.”

The data and insights from this technology bring the promise of better patient outcomes. Increased efficiencies mean patients will spend less time in an operating room, which lowers risk and accelerates recovery. Improved turnover of rooms and equipment also helps increase the efficiency of each operating room, which enables Tampa General to strengthen access to high-quality surgical care for more patients.

Tampa General Hospital (www.tgh.org), a 981-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and is the region’s only centre for level-one trauma and comprehensive burn care.

Apella (www.apella.io) is a health technology company making operating rooms work better. Powered by ambient sensor technology and AI, it provides data and insights in real time to help analyse the past, manage the present and plan for the future. With Apella, perioperative teams should spend less time dealing with logistics and more time caring for patients.