Our Blog Is Moving!

Exciting news at Amcom this week – our new website is up and running! We’re a company focused on making communications more efficient for healthcare, emergency dispatch, government offices, and more, so we’ve updated our site to make searching for communication solutions more efficient, too. 

My Mobility in Healthcare blog is also transitioning to the new website at: http://www.amcomsoftware.com/blog, so check back weekly for my update on topics from big data and bring your own device to critical test results and alarm management.

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Down Under, Same Problem

I wrote last week about a study that identified diagnostic errors as the most common and costly of medical mistakes. The authors’ work was focused on malpractice claims made in the U.S., but this article is also getting attention on the other side of the globe. The Medical Journal of Australia spoke with Dr. Michael Smith, clinical director of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, and he had this to say:

“About half of all diagnostic errors… are system errors — the lab result that goes missing, for example. A classic is the abnormal result that gets put into a patient’s file, but the GP isn’t informed, and if the patient doesn’t come back, the diagnosis is missed or delayed.”

“There are systems that can be put in place by medical practices to reduce those errors,” Dr. Smith said. “That’s the sort of work that’s starting to happen nationally.”

It’s actually happening internationally. In addition to the interest our Australian office has been hearing from customers, we’re already helping many hospitals manage their test results more efficiently, including Tuomey Healthcare in South Carolina, EMH Healthcare in Ohio, and Quinte Health Care in Ontario, Canada.

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?