STORIES & SOLUTIONS FOR THE MODERN BUSINESS USER

I recently read an article in Wired magazine about what sound design is with respect to information technology (IT) and why sound design is so important. I admit that I’ve rarely thought about this field of software development, but it really is important. What exactly is sound design? The author introduces the concept this way: “How do you know whether Siri heard you? Just as in human interaction, good communication is about the flow of conversation, the ongoing exchange of information.” Sound designers try to ensure that the two-way communication between humans and technology works, intuitively and naturally.

The electronic health record (EHR) problem list is . . . well, it’s a problem. I’ve worked with many of the leading EHR vendors and their tools, and no one has solved this quandary. While I haven’t met a physician (or any clinician for that matter) who doesn’t want a well-maintained and curated longitudinal problem list for their patients, I have met many doctors who don’t want to take on the responsibility. “I’m just the specialist” or “I’m in the ED” are common statements, but one might argue (I might argue) that these are the very folks who benefit the most from an up-to-date list of patient issues and concerns.

Anyone who has been part of an ERP implementation knows the importance of having the right people on the project team. While emphasis is typically put on the technology itself, in the end, it is the people of the organization who are using the system. They are the ones who need to know the ins and outs of the software. Dedicating the right resources who know the business, the vision for the future and how the system will be used can drive a more seamless implementation.

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the 2019 Cerner CommunityWorks Summit in Kansas City, MO. Avaap was honored to be included as one of a few select vendors to exhibit at the summit. It was a whirlwind week full of education, networking, and happy hours hosted by Cerner. We had great conversations with hospital executives, clinicians, operations leaders, and IT liaisons about the challenges rural, community, and critical access hospitals face. At the same time of the summit, Avaap announced the Columbus Regional Health System go-live with Cerner CommunityWorks after a year-and-a-half long partnership, beginning with system selection through go-live. Seeing their journey and comparing it with stories from other sites in their same domain, whether currently implementing or live for several years, led me to a few key takeaways from the week:

There hasn’t been a sense of urgency to update ERP until recently. Now, digital transformation is atop many CIO’s agendas and with many older solutions ready for retirement, it is time to start thinking about what’s next.

I recently attended the second annual KLAS Arch Collaborative meeting in Salt Lake City. If you’re not aware of the Arch Collaborative, it’s a group of hospitals, healthcare systems, and clinics which survey their clinical users about the technology they use to do their jobs. The Collaborative members then benchmark against peer institutions to see how they’re doing. Some crazy Arch Collaborative findings:

You probably recall the child folk song Dem Bones. The song helps children learn and remember how bones in the human skeleton system are connected to each other.

In my last post, I described the Last Mile Problem in healthcare information technology (IT). To summarize: The Last Mile Problem originated with supply chain and delivery. It is relatively easy to get a manufactured good from the factory to close to the purchaser (note the word relative!). That last mile – from the post office or local storage depot – is by far the most difficult. Are the roads big enough for the truck? Will the driveway support heavy equipment? Will the customer be there when you deliver? Will the object fit through the door? You get the picture.

I started my career many years ago in a mid-sized community hospital in the tri-state area of IN, IL, and KY, in the acute behavioral health field. I was fortunate to work at a great hospital with strong nursing and physician leadership that taught me as a new graduate nurse the value of quality patient care and doing everything with the patient and family in mind. Many mentors helped to guide my approach to nursing care, and what type of nurse and eventual leader I would be. Many of these mentors I still think of and reach out to for advice today.