STORIES & SOLUTIONS FOR THE MODERN BUSINESS USER

Last week, I wrote about some of the things your healthcare information technology (HIT) folks are working on with respect to the novel coronavirus (aka SARS-CoV-2 or 2019-nCoV) and the disease that it causes (COVID-19). To summarize, we’re creating and loading the proper diagnosis codes so we can accurately report and create clinical decision support (CDS) tools. We’re building the new lab tests so once they’re available, our physicians will be able to order them in the electronic health record (EHR). We’re updating order sets and inserting the new tests as appropriate. We’re modifying the patient portal to ensure patients who are at high risk of disease aren’t exposed to other patients or clinicians who aren’t properly protected. I mentioned last week that travel screen is a bit passé at this point because we are well into community spread now (meaning it really doesn’t matter so much if you’ve traveled internationally or not).

I was a bit of a unicorn when I began working at home in 1999. Connecting to work using a 56K modem, minimizing knowledge I wasn’t located in an office, and figuring out how to stay visible while not on site were a few of the challenges. The biggest gains, however, were enhanced productivity and ability to focus on work itself.

If you’re reading this and you’re not aware of the novel coronavirus that’s either already causing a pandemic or is about to cause a pandemic, I suggest you go back to whatever you’re doing and enjoy the bliss that must be uniquely yours. For the rest of us, I thought it might be helpful to give a quick overview of what your healthcare information technology (HIT) team is likely feverishly working on behind the scenes.

Ready or not - the digital age has arrived. Businesses across all industries are humming with the possibilities of transformations that allow improved speed and the ability to do more with less. But sadly, these efforts can seem abrupt, arbitrary, and without clear leadership driving the change. Digital transformation requires leaders to rethink not only how work is organized and managed, but also how to transform in a way that is smooth, intentional, and supported by leadership.

Last month, UCSF researchers reported on a study wherein investigators modified the default dispense number for various ambulatory prescription opioids. The goal was to determine if researchers could adjust the prescribing habits of physicians via minimal changes in the electronic health record (EHR). And the results were . . . they could indeed modify physician prescribing trends!

In today’s business technology landscape, organizations across all industries are growing increasingly dependent on digital innovation initiatives to achieve internal and external goals. At the top of the list, 52 percent of IT decision-makers report the primary objectives for digital innovation within their organizations are improving operations and business procedures.

Workday product releases take place twice a year, in March and September, and product updates continue to be delivered to customer tenants weekly. From reviewing information on Workday Community, to timeline considerations and putting it all together, there is a lot to know before the next Workday release.

Large organizational changes, like an ERP implementation or upgrade, affect many people and processes. When not handled correctly, these changes can lower productivity and morale. The Avaap Organizational Change Management (OCM) team offers some words of wisdom on how to avoid project heartbreak when initiating organizational change in this special Valentine’s Day treat.

Last week, I did something crazy: I called my cable company. Now, now, people, calm down. I predict that everyone who just read what I wrote will agree with me that my action was unhinged. If you’re my age, you think it’s insane to call the cable company because they have a reputation for hating their customers and one would only call them if one is filled with self-loathing. If you’re a youngster, you think it’s insane to call the cable company because you don’t know what that means (“Call? Like talk on the phone to another human?” “What is this thing, this ‘cable company’ to which you refer?”) Anyway, I threw caution to the wind and called them.

Innovation! Creativity! Collaboration! Who doesn’t want to spend their day focused on fun and interesting work?