What happens when teams unite around a shared challenge? At Texas Children’s, the answer is innovation, impact and more than $1 million in savings.
Thanks to the partnership between the Simulation team and Information Services (IS), we have launched a new in-house video system at Texas Children’s Medical Center and the North Austin campus. The upgrade delivers improved video quality, increased reliability and a smarter, budget-friendly way to power simulation training across the organization.
“With the new high definition video system, our group is able to look in on encounters between learners and the simulated patients,” said Dr. Dan Lemke, associate medical director for the Simulation Center. “This allows expert debriefs to provide our learners feedback based on their performance without having to be a distraction in the room.”
Built in-house, built to last
The previous system was more than 15 years old, with frequent technical issues, grainy video feeds and high annual maintenance costs. By transitioning away from the vendor platform, Texas Children’s is saving approximately $115,000 per year.
Video playback remains a key part of simulation education, allowing learners to review scenarios, reflect on their actions and collaborate during team debriefings.
“The technology in the new audio and video system has taken our simulation encounters to a new level,” said Royanne Lichliter, director of Quality Education, Simulation and CME. “This innovative system will help us continue to provide service throughout our simulations centers, including Austin.”
Collaboration behind the scenes
The project began when the Simulation team explored new ways to use video with mobile carts. From there, Simulation Technology Specialists Dan Feux and Geran Barton partnered with IS leaders Paul Zuniga and Mike Cormier to design and test a full system that would serve the entire center. The solution combines fixed cameras with existing video conferencing tools already in use at Texas Children’s.
The success of this project is a powerful example of what can be achieved through internal partnerships. The Simulation and IS teams hope it inspires others across Texas Children’s to explore similar collaborations.
