Amid limited health care resources, OHSU coordinating critical care for patients across the state

OHSU answering the need for statewide collaboration, centralized resources, real-time coordination of care

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WATCH: Learn more about OHSU Mission Control.
Click here for photos of OHSU Mission Control.
READ MORE: Critical Care Explorations publication, June 2020: “Statewide Real-Time Tracking of Beds and Ventilators During Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Beyond”
READ MORE: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine publication, June 2023: “Using Two Statewide Medical Operations Coordination Centers to Load Balance in Pediatric Hospitals During a Severe Respiratory Surge in the United States”
WATCH KGW-TV: OHSU's new command center becomes the air traffic control of patient flow, monitoring

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OHSU - Oregon Behavioral Health Coordination Center

Several teams work together in the OHSU Mission Control Center. The new center centralizes OHSU Health Mission Control, Oregon Medical Coordination Center and Oregon Behavioral Health Coordination Center. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

OHSU Mission Control Center

Matthias Merkel, M.D., Ph.D., explains the data being displayed on screen tiles in the OHSU Mission Control Center. The new center centralizes OHSU Health Mission Control, the Oregon Medical Coordination Center and the Oregon Behavioral Health Coordination Center. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

Mission Control

Matthias Merkel, M.D., Ph.D., checks hospital data across multiple hospitals at OHSU Mission Control. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

New tool allows OHSU partners to coordinate behavioral health bed capacity across region

Stephanie Gilliam, MN, RN, director of Mission Control at OHSU, left, and Rachel Adair, MSN, RN, assistant director of the transfer center at OHSU, discuss data on the new Oregon Behavioral Health Coordination Center dashboard. The tool allows mental health care providers in the Portland region to see behavioral health bed capacity in real time—urgently needed amid limited inpatient resources and increasing need for both adult and pediatric patients. Ultimately, OHSU and partners aim to fund dedicated OBCC staff who will assist in coordinating placement of both adult and pediatric patients. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

Mission Control and Coordinated Care

Stephanie Gilliam, MN, RN, director of Mission Control at OHSU, explains Oregon Medical Coordination Center, or OMCC, data. The new behavioral health tracking tool is based in the successful OMCC model, in which an team uses real-time data about hospital bed availability and available critical care services to efficiently place patients in facilities where they can be treated. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

Mission Control at OHSU

In July 2020, Matthias Merkel, M.D., Ph.D., checks hospital data across multiple hospitals at OHSU Mission Control. What started as a coordination effort initiated by OHSU during the coronavirus pandemic grew into a permanent information-sharing initiative among the state and other health systems, providing centralized resources and real-time coordination of patient care. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

Mission Control at OHSU

The technological wizardry that makes Mission Control possible was created through the partnership with GE Healthcare. The data is organized into “tiles” showing information such as where openings are available, when patients are waiting to be admitted, transferred, and even when beds need to be cleaned. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

OHSU's Mission Control

Carl Eriksson, M.D., M.P.H., OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital medical capacity officer, (right) along with others on the team, work a shift at OHSU's Mission Control, in May, 2018. The operation is 24-7 and includes nurses, doctors, transport coordinators and patient placement officers. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

OHSU's centralized command center for statewide coordination of patient care

Matthias Merkel, M.D., Ph.D., explains data displayed in the newly expanded OHSU Mission Control Center. The new space houses data tracking for the OHSU Health system, statewide hospital capacity, and regional behavioral health capacity. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

Statewide emergency department availability

Stephanie Gilliam, RN, MN, explains data on a screen tile displaying statewide emergency department availability. The large screen in the new OHSU Mission Control Center can also convene statewide health care leaders in the event of a public health emergency. The new center centralizes OHSU Health Mission Control, Oregon Medical Coordination Center and Oregon Behavioral Health Coordination Center. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

OHSU - Oregon Capacity System

Data is displayed on multiple screens in the newly expanded OHSU Mission Control Center. The new space houses data tracking for the OHSU Health system, statewide hospital capacity, and regional behavioral health capacity. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

OHSU Mission Control Center

Driven by the coronavirus pandemic, OHSU grew its original Mission Control concept — monitoring and tracking bed and resource capacity across the OHSU Health system — to coordinate data sharing among health systems across the state. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

OHSU Mission Control Center