Most healthcare providers can say their facilities are “wired,” but not everyone can say they are
taking advantage of what being wired truly means. For instance, harnessing data, reviewing it, taking steps to reduce errors and maximizing efficiency is something truly “wired” facilities are mastering.
A wired hospital will have fewer negative consequences, like “patient harms,” as a result of human error. It’s the health IT system that can help a healthcare provider use structured data to make progress in everything from patient harms to patient outcomes, reduced admissions to improved quality in every department. It is the IT system that hospital leadership counts on bringing a facility to the next level where physicians and non-clinical staff throughout an organization can be a pivotal part of the continuum of care.
Archived structured data is important in this process of becoming a more wired facility. If it’s data that helps to bring results to an organization, it has to be available without roadblocks and certainly without downtime. Unfortunately, this is an area where too many providers are missing out. As an example of how many providers are slow to get on the technological bandwagon, just look at the struggles so many had when attempting to comply with federal mandates regarding health IT systems and electronic health records.
While providers rushed to live up to what was expected of them, they often overlooked how new technology would impact workflows. This is evident in Stage 1 of the Meaningful Use requirements where some providers took on archived structured data systems that have become difficult to manage, which means they’re now looking to find more efficient ways of complying.
Take some advice from the wired hospitals that have made their technology work for them:
- More than 80 percent of wired hospitals have a portal that allows patients to check on their tests and doctors’ notes.
- More than half give patients with chronic illnesses the ability to manage their health through tools in the portal.
- Secure messaging is a priority in around 40 percent of wired hospitals.
- Nearly 60 percent of wired hospitals have an “mHealth” app offering access to patients to the portal.
Increasingly, hospitals know they need to do a better job of communicating not only to the patient, but also on the patients’ behalf. Medical imaging is an area where there should be no roadblocks, which is what some vendors are working toward today.
If your facility has had difficulty with Meaningful Use requirements, it might be because of the proprietary systems you’ve adopted that make transmitting medical images a practically impossible task. OffSite Image Management, Inc., has solutions that can assist you in meeting all the latest requirements regarding medical images. Our archiving structured data solutions are second to none. Contact us today for more information.