Advanced Technology: Tools for Better Clinical Outcomes

HCA's Capital Division invests millions of dollars each year to ensure that our caregivers have advanced and innovative technology to diagnose and treat even the most complex medical conditions. Below is a sampling of the technology available at Terre Haute Regional Hospital:

• PACS (Picture Archiving & Communication System) – A system for electronically storing, manipulating, retrieving and sending diagnostic image scans and reports to workstations in the emergency department, operating room, patient floors and physician offices. Coming February 2008.
• 4D Ultrasound – A powerful ultrasound tool that helps physicians better view and assess the health of babies through improved clarity and several diagnostic benefits. The images provided by 4D technology offer physicians and sonographers increased visibility of an unborn baby’s blood flow and organ development.
• IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) – An innovative treatment for cancer, IMRT delivers a high dose of radiation with pinpoint accuracy, resulting in less damage to adjacent structures, fewer side effects, and a better chance for recovery.
• Radiology Technology -- In April 2008, Regional Hospital completed the installation of a $2.7 million radiology package that includes a digital EKG, digital ECHO, digital mammography, digital bone densitometer, 4D Ultrasound and a 64-slice CT with angiography. 
• 64-slice LightSpeed VCT – A non-invasive technology that captures images of any organ in a second, scans a whole body in fewer than 10 seconds and captures heart and coronary images in fewer than five heartbeats. These top-quality images combine into a three-dimensional view of a patient’s anatomy.
• Smart Pumps – “Smart” drug infusion pumps help prevent medication errors in hospitalized patients. The hospital purchased the Alaris medication safety system, which offers several layers of additional patient safety features. Each infusion pump is programmed with Guardrails safety software that acts as an automatic safety net to alert nurses to potential medication errors.
• eMAR –  Terre Haute is the first medical facility in Terre Haute to implement this new bar-coding system that is in place in virtually all hospitals operated by HCA, its parent company.  eMAR has several benefits, including the ability to ensure a positive patient identification, to provide real-time online medication updates, and to verify that the right patient receives the right medication in the right dose at the right time via the right delivery method.  
• IGRT – Terre Haute’s Cancer Treatment Center is the first in a 70-mile radius to provide this new technology. Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) helps to target prostate cancer in patients more accurately than ever before. This system provides the ability to maximize radiation dosage to the tumor while protecting healthy cells that surround it.