Healthcare is in great need of transformation in many areas, most significantly in the area of IT. Technology has been implemented in the form of EHRs but institutions are continually feeling the negative impacts of EHR upgrades. The improvements are seen in medical records and billing, but EHRs have not improved the quality of patient care even though it is the primary cost in Healthcare IT at the moment. Utilizing technology to transform the way we practice medicine is the key to improving the quality of patient care.
In an article in the Harvard Business Review, several key points are made on how technology can best be applied in healthcare with regards to the need for data. Improving quality, making data collection easier and better, and turning the data collected into actionable information can all be achieved from improvements in healthcare technology. Through the collection of metrics in a clinical setting, we can see how care is delivered, identify operational barriers and fix workflow issues. The improvement of clinical workflows alone contributes to an increase in the quality of care and lowers medical costs.
In the past, healthcare has relied on CIOs to take charge of the technology upgrades and implementations. Moving forward, senior healthcare leaders and clinicians must also help "establish a vision for how the collected data will be used to improve productivity" in the clinics. One of our primary clients, Crystal Run Healthcare, is mentioned in this article for the work they have done improving patient care and overall patient satisfaction. It took the vision of senior leadership to rely on technology to cause advancement in their healthcare environment.
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