Lost at Cedars-Sinai? New Navigation Tool Available for Smartphones

Patients and visitors looking to navigate Cedars-Sinai now have a valuable tool at their fingertips: their phones.

The latest update to the Cedars­-Sinai app provides users with access to an interactive map and a range of new navigational features, allowing them to locate points of interest and receive real­time directions— similar to using Google Maps. Points of interest include areas such as department reception desks, parking structures, elevators, pharmacies, bathrooms and cafes.

The update is part of the medical center's comprehensive wayfinding project, which aims to simplify campus navigation for patients and visitors. The project includes a designated pedestrian route—the Plaza Pathway—which connects major campus buildings and is supported by new signage and map kiosks.

Both the Plaza Pathway and the app also reflect new simplified building names.

"The opportunity to create a positive experience starts well before our patients walk through the doors," said Alan Dubovsky, chief patient experience officer. "With these exciting digital tools working hand ­in ­hand with the medical center's new physical wayfinding resources, we've crafted a holistic approach to getting people where they have to be so that they can focus on receiving the care they need."

By downloading or updating the Cedars­-Sinai app, users can access walking directions from the home screen or main menu. Points of interest can be found by searching by name, keyword, floor or category, or by locating them on the interactive map. Routes are then created in a similar way to those in other navigation apps, such as Google Maps.

To build a route:

1. Open the Cedars­-Sinai app and select "Medical Center Walking Directions" on the home screen or main menu

2. Choose a destination by selecting one from the map or using the directory

3. Select the "Guide Me" or "Route" buttons and the app will provide turn­ by­turn directions using your current location

Upon arriving at their destinations, users receive arrival confirmation messages as well as images of the points of interest to ensure they can identify them.

By selecting the parking symbol at the bottom of the app screen, users also can mark where they parked their vehicles. This feature works at any of the medical center parking structures. Once marked, users can select the parking symbol again to receive directions back to their vehicles from anywhere in the medical center.

Unlike other GPS services, the app's new navigational features have been specifically designed for Cedars-Sinai, with more than 2,000 "beacons" installed around the campus to send and receive Bluetooth signals to allow for accurate navigation.

The use of Bluetooth means Wi­Fi connections are not necessary to use the new features, however, users who do not have Bluetooth connectivity will not receive automatic updates to their directions as they walk. Turn­-by­-turn directions can be advanced manually, however.

The new medical center map and certain route planning features also can be accessed on the Cedars­-Sinai website, with links on each location page.

The Cedars­-Sinai app is available for download from the App Store or Google Play.