The Missing Link

A recent article grabbed my attention with the headline “Missed, wrong diagnoses most dangerous errors.” In their study examining 25 years of U.S. medical malpractice claims, the authors concluded diagnostic errors are the most common, costly, and dangerous of medical mistakes. What was not clear to me were how many of missed diagnoses were because of poor communication of incidental findings. We can’t help a pathologist interpret a biopsy or a radiologist read a scan, but we can help hospitals with the missing link to managing incidental findings. If you would like to see how, here’s a great video overview.

Improve Interoperability, Save $30 Billion

I recently read an analysis by West Health Institute which estimates the U.S. healthcare industry could save $30 billion per year by implementing better system interoperabilities. The paper cites waste from repeated exams, manual data entry, and several other examples. Increased length of stay alone is estimated to add $17.8 billion in unnecessary costs. I frequently hear from our customers that even simple communication changes can have a big impact on reducing length of stay. Here are just two examples:

• Critical Test Results Management – Tuomey Healthcare is speeding emergency department test results reporting and measured an 11% improvement in patient discharge times 

• Coordinated Messaging to Staff – PinnacleHealth System is improving patient care by ensuring efficient patient flow 

Have a story you would like to share with us? Leave a comment below.

The Magic Pill Bottle

I’ve said before that there is no magic pill to patch healthcare’s communication woes, but I‘d never thought before about the pill bottle. Announced in March, a new breed of pill bottle, imbued with smartphone technology, will not only be able to transmit information about when and how often patients are taking their medication, but it will also prompt patients with lights, sounds, and even reminder text messages. And if the programmable reminders fail to work, the bottle can escalate notices to the patient’s provider or a loved one. 

Beyond improving patient health, this technology has large potential for hospitals working to reduce readmission rates and the overall healthcare system looking to coordinate care. A quote from Benjamin Franklin comes to mind: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Patient care continues to evolve, creating larger roles for outpatient nursing care and primary care providers (PCPs), precisely where I think this technology has the potential to integrate with smartphone messaging and provide that ounce of prevention. Imagine a PCP receiving an alert on his/her smartphone for immediate follow-up if too much time lapses between medication doses, or a visiting nurse receiving a message if his/her patient fails to pass a weekly biometric goal. The opportunity for immediate professional involvement can help keep patients healthier and safer. 

What other magic mobile health tools do you see on the horizon?

Big Headaches From Big Data

When I hear ‘Big Data,’ I typically imagine the reams and reams of information out there about every medical interaction I’ve ever had: tests, notes from annual visits, shots, etc. What I don’t typically think of is the in-patient side of healthcare’s Big Data: alarms.

In a study at Johns Hopkins Hospital, staff measured an average of 350 alarms, per bed, per day. In the ICU that number was 771. No wonder nurses and physicians are overwhelmed with information! So what’s the solution? 

There is no single magic pill, of course, but one way to start is to use software that sorts and prioritizes alarms and sends them directly to caregivers on smartphones and other devices. That way an alarm meant for one person isn’t going to five or six people who don’t need to be distracted from what they’re doing. It’s also quieter for patients who aren’t hearing quite so many buzzes and beeps.

This recent PinnacleHealth case study may give you some inspiration. Do you have an Alarm Management Team? What is your facility doing to help minimize alarm fatigue?

Connecting the Care Dots

I recently read an article Can the benefits of hospitals acquiring practices be achieved by other means?, which has sparked a lively bit of conversation on the HIMSS LinkedIn page. The author writes that hospitals are acquiring private practices primarily to increase Accountable Care Organization (ACO) reimbursements.

Whatever the motivating factor, private practice acquisition alone does not solve the underlying issue: providing continuous, connected care for patients. The challenge is to fill in the communication gaps between the primary care provider (PCP) and specialist, the emergency room physician and admitting hospitalist, and the hospital back to the PCP. Here are just three of the opportunities I see that can make strides toward connecting the care dots for patients:

·         Give employees access to both your full staff directory and on-call schedule info on their mobile devices (smartphone, tablet, Wi-Fi phone, etc.)

·         Helps coordinate care across multiple hospital departments by facilitating communication among staff for patient admittance, transfers, and discharges

·         Provide a practice’s after-hours answering service using the hospital call center

·         Reduces the cost of external answering services and expedites communication with providers on call

·         Implement technology and policies to ensure follow-up of incidental findings discovered during radiology and lab tests

·         Enhances patient care and safety while decreasing liability from unexpected, non-critical findings potentially getting lost in the shuffle