Understanding current state, “as-is”, is vital to the change story because you need the starting point in order to communicate where you are going. Think of current state as the beginning of the roadmap to take you from current state, through the “messy middle” (transition), and on to the future state.
Key among concerns with Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is its rate of contagion and deadly effects on those susceptible. Recognizing that every day matters in flattening the curve, the Ohio Department of Health is increasing transparency to citizens, and using data to show if social distancing, raised awareness for proper hand-washing, travel restrictions, and other measures are buying more time for the state health systems as they prepare for potential waves and surges of the disease.
Hospitals and healthcare organizations face the increasing challenge of managing escalating costs while striving to deliver exceptional patient experiences. Looking to the supply chain and using data can help organizations identify waste and opportunities to trim costs. Connecting supply chain data with labor and other expenses provides more accurate insight into what it costs to treat a patient, linking care to quality. It also ensures that the hospital is equipped with the right materials, where and when they’re needed, especially important in the wake of the global pandemic.
A recent POLITICO article describes how “virus hunters” (public health experts charged with tracking infectious diseases like COVID-19) are forced to use archaic, 20th century technologies to investigate cases and share their findings: fax machines and Excel spreadsheets. Granted, there is no mention of typewriters and rotary phones, but still, it’s reasonable to expect much better. So, what’s the problem? Why is it that we can withdraw money from an ATM anywhere in the world, but we can’t easily share COVID-19 lab results between hospitals located across the street from one another? In other words, why can’t healthcare information technology “interoperate”?
Not too far in the distant past, the economy was going gangbusters. Companies were thriving, the stock market was at the highest of highs, and unemployment at an all-time low. In 2020, this all changed. The COVID-19 pandemic rocked our world.
As a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency, many healthcare institutions are struggling with cash flow. Elective procedures have been postponed and non-critical patients are electing to stay home rather than seek treatment. Hospitals facing a cash crunch can maximize cash flow through their EHR and other operational initiatives. Here are six things you can do right now to improve cash flow during these challenging times.
I’ve been accused of being a geek. I’m not sure why. But anyway, last week I was listening to a podcast about emojis. You know – emojis (or emoji if you prefer that as the plural): those cute little cartoony characters that are typically used in texts to convey meaning. Instead of texting the words “Thanks so much,” you can simply text 🙏. In fact, it’s possible to string together a complete dialog with a series of emojis. Imagine that some patients get a 🦠 and have to take an 🚑 to go to the 🏥. There, the patient is taken care of by a 👩⚕️ and hopefully they’ll get better and go home following safe practices and looking like 😷.
In partnership with Sonder Health, Avaap is providing a three-part series for healthcare organizations that rapidly moved to implement a telehealth solution at the onset of COVID-19 and have since dealt with a surge of virtual visits. Make sure to catch up on Part I and Part II of the series.
Earlier this week, I had an opportunity to sit down with Jeff Brown and Jason Wood from Avaap (formerly Navigator Management Partners). Avaap is an Alteryx partner and they are currently working with the state of Ohio to help run the InnovateOhio Platform.
In partnership with Sonder Health, Avaap is providing a three-part series for healthcare organizations that rapidly moved to implement a telehealth solution at the onset of COVID-19 and have since dealt with a surge of virtual visits. Make sure to catch up on Part I of the series highlighting a few simple guidelines for starting your telemedicine program.