An American Hospital Association study estimates financial losses for U.S. based hospitals at a staggering $320 billion for the year 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has significantly impacted IT spending and forced IT leaders to explore new ways to reduce the cost of IT while ensuring care continuity. Reducing “keep the […]
Smell loss (or Anosmia) is one of the first and telltale symptoms of Covid-19, according to the CDC. That’s why a growing number of experts advocate screening for loss of smell as a simple, cost-effective way to prevent Covid-19 spread. “My impression is that anosmia is an earlier symptom of Covid-19 relative to fever, and […]
The drive to modernize the delivery of virtual care to support the pandemic is unprecedented. More than ever, innovation is needed to deliver primary care via telemedicine and remote monitoring services, and to protect patient data and reduce medical errors. Deploying technology to enhance patient care and safety starts one hospital at a time and […]
Ready or not, price transparency is coming. On Jan 1, 2021, the much-anticipated hospital price transparency rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) go into effect. Finalized in November 2019, these rules require hospitals to publicize their list of standard charges for items and services ranging from supplies and room and board […]
Cyber security is a top-of-mind concern for healthcare organizations, especially when it comes to the medical devices that support patient care. In recent years, the vulnerability of connected infusion pumps and patient monitors has been exposed by high-profile ransomware attacks, such as WannaCry, and experts say the risks will grow as Operational Technology (OT) devices […]
Legacy systems are a challenge for all companies, especially those who grow through acquisition or need to focus on immediate profitability after a merger. Modernizing and consolidating systems is often left out of acquisition timelines. Unfortunately, this often leaves IT with a patchwork of legacy systems to manage and a lack of partnership between IT […]
One of the biggest challenges for health systems as their workforces return to the hospital and practice setting – whether it’s due to the end of self-quarantine or the easing of a work-at-home policy – is minimizing the number of shared touchpoints that employees have. Organizations are trying to do everything they can to reduce […]
As hospitals continue to reschedule the backlog of elective surgeries cancelled due to COVID-19, guidelines and best practices continue to evolve. Increasing urgency due to the cumulative effect of delays on patient health and hospital revenues has pushed hospitals to quickly implement new workflows using the best information available. Whether your organization is in the […]
“Why do I have to add the vitals to my note if I already documented them?” “I ordered and documented a procedure; why doesn’t the system know the charge?” As an Epic builder, I hear a lot of complaints, like those above, from providers who want to know why so much data entry is required […]
COVID-19 treatment scenarios are accelerating adoption of technologies that connect providers, patients and caregivers virtually without requiring physical office visits. One company well positioned to take advantage of this trend is NJ-based medtech startup, Noteworth. The Noteworth platform is designed to remove the barriers to tech enabled care, using intuitive workflows for clinicians and a […]
A key part of any Epic project is developing specifications for what actually needs to get implemented. Your client's operational leadership should have a good idea of what workflows and processes need to be accounted for, but they don't generally know how to translate their needs into functional Epic design. Conversely, as a consultant, you […]
Many hospital systems utilize workforce management solutions primarily to track schedules and manage payroll. In the last few weeks, we have seen hospitals leverage Kronos in a number of ways in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it’s providing access to new triage centers on the fly or creating new codes for additional time worked […]