New Columna Flow release: Improved integration and easier equipment management

When hospital systems don't talk to each other, patients get lost and staff waste time searching.

A patient receives an appointment confirmation email with a room number. They arrive at your hospital, confused about where to go, asking directions at reception. Meanwhile, your facilities team searches through multiple screens to understand why equipment isn't where it should be - was it never tracked, or has it left the designated area?

These disconnected experiences waste time, frustrate patients and staff, and undermine the value of your technology investments.

What's new: better connections, clearer information

The latest Columna Flow release enhances integration capabilities and equipment management, making it easier to connect patient systems and manage tracked assets across your hospital.

Wayfinding that connects to your patient systems

Enhanced integration capabilities allow patient appointment and arrival registration systems to link directly to Columna Flow Wayfinding maps and routes. When a patient receives an appointment confirmation, that communication can include navigation support - not as a separate app to download, but as a direct link from the systems they're already using.

Your patient booking platform, digital letters, or hospital website can create links that open the wayfinding map showing the exact route to their appointment. No manual address entry, no separate navigation app, just seamless guidance from appointment confirmation to arrival.

This standards-based approach works with your existing communication platforms, removing the need for custom development for each integration.

Lightweight equipment management for faster implementation

Not all equipment requires complex governance. Wheelchairs, beds, and trolleys do not need the same regulatory oversight as medical devices, but they still disappear, creating delays when clinicians need them.

Columna Flow Search & Find includes simplified equipment registration for items that do not require full asset management system oversight. Register and track equipment directly within the solution, and remove complex integrations or lengthy approval processes.

This lightweight approach allows you to implement tracking for everyday equipment quickly, enabling real-time location visibility without waiting for enterprise asset management system integration. Create, edit, and manage equipment records through an intuitive interface designed for fast deployment and immediate value.

For equipment requiring strict regulatory compliance, the platform continues to integrate seamlessly with enterprise asset management systems like Medusa and Ultimo through standardised interfaces.

Built on open standards

These improvements reflect Columna Flow's continued commitment to interoperability with the wider healthcare ecosystem.

Whether you're connecting patient booking systems through Wayfinding APIs, integrating with your EMR systems through HL7 FHIR, or tracking equipment through RFID, BLE, or Wi-Fi networks, the platform's standards-based architecture ensures your systems can communicate without proprietary lock-in.