WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. - Reid Health is taking the initiative as one of the first hospitals across the country to implement "smart patient rooms." These rooms are equipped with AI-assisted technology.
“We actually made the intentional decision nearly seven years ago,” said Misti Foust-Cofield, Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer. “We are finally having that plan come to fruition so that we can have a complete smart room, for all of our patients.”
Each hospital room now features a wall-mounted smartboard positioned across from the patient’s bed. The display provides real-time medical information, including charts, medications, care plans, and staff assignments. Patients and families can also view lab results, imaging, daily schedules, and even order meals directly through the system, helping everyone stay informed and on the same page.
Outside each room, a tablet-sized display provides updates for staff, showing the visitor status and any necessary precautions before entry. It can also facilitate video calls between patients and staff, especially when patients are too ill for in-person visits.
These AI smart room features were implemented a year and a half ago.
“The desire behind the smart technology is to allow our clinicians to spend time with the patients that we serve and everything that we can to advance their care through allowing technology to assist them and not be a barrier,” said Foust-Cofield.
In addition to improving care coordination, the new system also incorporates ambient AI, a tool that allows nurses to document their patient assessments verbally. As they speak, the system securely transcribes the information into the patient’s medical record, saving time while keeping nurses fully engaged with patients.
“Historically as nurses, we would complete that assessment and not really share with the patient out loud as to what we are seeing,” said Foust-Cofield. “As we're assessing them head to toe, we're sharing that so we can educate them on why they are there or things that are outlying normal standards that we see.”
According to Foust-Cofield, feedback has been positive, with one patient feeling more informed. Reid Health has already implemented the smart room system across all patient rooms, with AI technology now active on one medical-surgical unit and plans to expand to all care areas. The hospital also partners with Ivy Tech Community College, whose simulation lab mirrors Reid’s smart room, allowing nursing students to train on the same technology used in the hospital.
This initiative reflects a growing trend toward more technology-driven care. Looking ahead, Reid Health hopes to expand smart technology into surgical suites, labor and delivery, and even EMS settings.
“The sky’s the limit,” she said. “I would hope that the community would see and identify that the things we are doing are very special and unique, and that we are doing our best to provide compassionate, empathetic care by giving our clinicians the time back to be in the moment.”
