The hospitals' telemedicine system lets St. Nick hear patients' holiday wishes in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
Santa used collaborative video technology to broadcast live from the "North Pole" to patients at three Shriners Hospitals for Children last week.
Children at Shriners Hospitals in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia could virtually interact with Santa to tell him their holiday wishes and toy lists.
During the visits, each patient received a special holiday blanket from Santa and spent time with Santa's helpers from Shriners Hospitals for Children and Dimension Data, the company that provided the video technology. The helpers were in full elf dress.
"Shriners Hospitals' partnership with Dimension Data brings innovative video and collaboration technologies to our medical professionals," Eugene D'Amore, vice president of hospital operations and CIO at Shriners Hospitals for Children, said in a release.
"These programs deliver significant benefits to our entire ecosystem—allowing us to provide expert care to our patients and bringing the families that we serve closer to their loved ones while reducing their travel and cost burdens."
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Shriners posted photos from the events on its Facebook page on December 9. "The season is in full swing at Shriners Hospitals for Children," the Facebook post states.
"So far, we've decorated Christmas trees, seen snow in Honolulu, met Santa in person and by video feed, and had special visitors bringing gifts for children. We can't wait to share more of the happenings!"
A corresponding photo shows children and a parent gathered in a room decked with holiday posters and Christmas lights to view the live broadcast.
"Direct from the North Pole, Santa visited kids by live video chat at our hospitals in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago," the caption says.
The Shriners organization held a similar event last holiday season when it surprised children with a virtual visit from Santa as a way to test its new telemedicine system, according to a report in the Deseret News.
That event occurred at Shriners locations in Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, and Galveston, TX.