PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Jefferson Health unveiled its new state-of-the-art outpatient medical facility, the Honickman Center, at 11th and Chestnut streets on Wednesday, which will be home to the Honickman Breast Imaging Center, the Sydney Kimmel Cancer Center, the Jefferson Transplant Center, and more.
The 19-story facility has more than 300 exam rooms, 58 infusion chairs, 10 operating rooms, six endoscopy rooms, an onsite lab, a pharmacy, radiology services, and more. Jefferson touts the facility as a place where technology and compassionate patient care seamlessly intersect.
“This is one of the largest ambulatory buildings certainly on the East Coast, second only to the Koch Center in New York,” said project clinical lead Dr. Catriona Harrop.
She said the advanced technology improves the patient experience and makes visits more efficient. For example, the exam chairs are equipped to take automatic readings.
“Blood pressure, weight. Everything flows directly in and actually helps reduce the cognitive load of the staff,” Harrop said. “All of the vital signs automatically get into the electronic health record so there’s no more writing down on little bits of paper and then inputting the data into the electronic health record.”
Screens in the exam rooms, called digital whiteboards, allow family members to virtually join a patient’s appointment, or invite other physicians on the call. Patients can even have multiple appointments in a single day, in one facility. Patients will also use those screens to check out.
“It takes on average between three and four minutes, so there’s no waiting at a desk,” Harrop said. “It’s all done here in the exam room.”
The facility has accessible features too, like sensory-friendly quiet spaces, textured walls and seating designed for neurodiverse patients. For example, some seats have high backs and sides to support people who need less stimulation.
Construction of the Honickman Center was a four-year, $762 million project. It opens to patients on April 15.