Case Studies

The Challenge

VCU Health is located across 8 buildings in downtown Richmond with corresponding parking locations to choose from, covering a total of 52.4 acres. The facility performs around 25,000 surgeries per year, has 850,000 outpatient clinic visits per year, and employs approximately 800 physicians over 200 different disciplines. With a variety of buildings scattered across the city dependent on their specialism, it’s crucial that patients and visitors are able to navigate to the correct destination as quickly and as easily as possible.

The Solution

The VCU Health Way Finder app covers all 8 buildings at the VCU Medical Center in Richmond as well as their corresponding parking decks. The app, which is available to download on Google, Apple, and Android, can help patients to find their way from their homes directly to their appointment using blue dot navigation and integration with popular map platforms such as Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze. The app gives turn-by-turn directions to the exact unit or clinic location of the appointment, to help patients to arrive on time and anxiety-free. Visitors can also search for facilities, such as food and dining facilities, and return to their car or other saved locations.

What VCU Health has said about Purple

Keith Marcum: Digital Marketing Wayfinding & Engagement Specialist @ VCU Health said:

“One of the great aspects about working with Purple is their timely responses to our questions, as well as making you (the client) feel empowered to customize their solution (when applicable). In our case, we are seeking to improve VCU Health’s overall indoor navigational experience for patients, visitors, staff, and contractors to our downtown Richmond (Virginia) medical campus.

Purple knows their tech but it’s their people and their dedication to their jobs and professionalism that stand out. They understand that digital wayfinding in a healthcare environment is more than just downloading a mobile app. It’s a partnership between the client (us) and them to potentially reduce the anxiety a patient might feel before going to a medical appointment, in an unfamiliar location.

The last thing a patient should have to worry about when going to their medical appointment is where do I park when I arrive, where do I go once inside, and how do I find my car when I’m done? We’re striving to improve the overall experience for our visitors. Our digital wayfinding solution, VCU Health Way Finder, wouldn’t be where it is today, without the continued guidance and support of Purple.”