The COVID-19 pandemic understandably highlighted the work of frontline CHOP doctors and nurses. But as Giles Bruce reported for Becker’s Health IT, another set of healthcare professionals was also diligently meeting patient needs: the CHOP health IT team.

In fact, with COVID cases having ebbed, the health system’s tech professionals have gotten no real respite from an active caseload, said CHOP CIO Shakeeb Ahkter.

Pediatric respiratory illnesses have seen a surge lately. And virtual urgent-care consultations are still occurring at a rapid-fire pace.

Among the IT department’s recent efforts was a relocation of the King of Prussia urgent care center. The necessary move, concurrent with heavy usage, was undertaken to accommodate an emergency department surge in young patients.

Further, Ahkter said the health IT team was key in enabling CHOP to not only treat patients without them coming into the hospital but also consult with them after discharge.

This latter capability proved effective enough to enable appropriate early discharges, with the assurance to patients and their parents that diligent medical follow-up care would continue as recovery continued at home.

Ahkter said CHOP tech experts enabled the health system to work “…in an agile manner to intake new ideas, prioritize and respond quickly.”

More on CHOP’s health IT team at is King of Prussia location and elsewhere is at Becker’s Health IT.

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This video considers the ongoing influence of technology in the healthcare field.