By Therasa Bell

Many Pennsylvania patients will start their next visit to the doctor’s office the same way: by filling out registration paperwork. This simple act adds up to a big problem for the healthcare industry. Despite $19 billion of incentives to push digital patient records forward, many offices are buried in paperwork and other unstructured patient information that often fails to make it to the electronic medical record – whether it is paper, fax, a digital image, email attachment or smartphone app.

That doesn’t mean there’s a lack of effort to digitize these pieces of the patient record. In fact, there’s too much effort. Every source of unstructured content requires time-intensive processes to convert it into a standards-based format that any provider can access.

Typically, this process means a member of the staff scans every page, keying in patient information and other relevant details to ensure the file makes it to the right record and remains accessible. Beyond the time spent scanning and keying, the equipment also requires regular IT support to maintain functionality. And all of this must be in place before a single item is converted and connected to the correct medical record.

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By Derek Mabie

The process of finding a solution has transitioned to the online realm. We research potential solutions to our needs. We explore the steps involved in a purchasing process. We compare options from the comfort of our couch. Patients are doing the same thing when it comes to seeking health care. Whether exploring the reputation of a prospective physician or reading about different treatment options, patients use available resources to find answers.

Traditional Roles of Marketing and IT

Search behavior permits health systems to connect with current and potential patients in a fiscally responsible way, but marketing can no longer rely on its own skill sets. 

Traditionally, marketing and IT have each been built on a single skill set or goal, generating silos of intelligence and expectations across an organization. Marketing would use patient data to drive growth. Information technology would provide administrative support.

The internet changed everything. With the increased emphasis on the gathering and application of Big Data, chief marketing officers (CMOs) and chief information officers (CIO) should now collaborate to plan and reach organizational goals.

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By Theresa Zataveski

We live in a world in which every aspect of our life is fueled by technology. The healthcare industry is no different. Behind every healthcare solution is a technological innovation that transforms the way patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers interact. Case in point, you can now chat with a nurse at 2 a.m. when your elderly parent is struggling with side effects from their medication or receive a text message when your application for financial assistance in your child’s therapy regimen is approved. 

In recent years, however, the change in the healthcare landscape and regulatory environment has forced IT providers to become more agile and progressive, developing forward-thinking technologies that are easily adapted to a constantly changing world. 

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By Doug Coombs

The healthcare industry is facing an uncertain future. Governments, employers, and patients are putting pressure on healthcare providers to reduce prices even as costs continue to increase. While hospitals differ in size, specialty and many other variables, it will often be an ongoing commitment to operational efficiency that will differentiate successful providers from those that fail. Increased operational efficiency can improve the fiscal health of a hospital by improving its adherence to medical standards and improving its patient satisfaction scores.

One change that can dramatically increase operational efficiency is to simplify complex, frustrating, and outdated IT systems and replace them with processes that maximize usability, reach, and speed. The healthcare industry, like many others, is becoming increasingly reliant on computer technologies both in patient treatment and day-to-day operations. It is vital that these IT systems help, not hinder, a hospital’s commitment to operational efficiency.

Hospitals are predicted to undergo massive shifts in the near future. David Houle and Jonathan Fleece estimate that one-third of all hospitals in the United States will close or be reorganized into another kind of healthcare provider by 2020.  A range of factors are expected to contribute to this shakeup, from the exorbitant cost of healthcare in the United States to patient dissatisfaction with inefficient service and long wait times at hospitals. In no uncertain terms, it is a critical time for the well-being of these healthcare organizations.
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By Joshua Dronzek 

When discussing cloud computing, many have the misconception that it is prohibitively expensive or that it is simply not something that their business could benefit from.  The truth is that it usually more affordable than you may have thought and just about anyone stands to gain from it in one way or another. Here are the top five reasons why you may want to consider moving your business into the cloud.

Ease Of Access/Availability – Currently, your practice has hundreds, possibly thousands of patient and/or client files in cabinets stacked to the ceiling. Although this method may have worked for years, there are much more efficient alternatives. As everything goes digital, so must you. When your documents and files are stored in the cloud, searching is instant. You simply type in what you are looking for and with the click of a button, your documents can be found. Utilizing cloud storage also ensures that your data is stored at a secure offsite location that is accessible around the clock, 24/7.

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By Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan

Physicians face many struggles today, from financial concerns, to not seeing enough patients, to not caring for patients the way they want, to recruiting new physicians. Many times Electronic Medical Records (EMR) will help solve these and other challenges.

For over six years, physicians have been turning to Janice Devine at Devine Medical Practice Consulting hoping she will wave her EMR magic wand and solve their problems.

“One of the first things I have to tell them is that if you don’t have a well-run practice, an EMR will hurt you,” she says.  “Having sound operations and standardization are the keys.”

Devine works with single physicians to larger doctor groups and shares her 25-plus years of physician practice operations expertise. Early in her career, she worked at Jefferson Regional setting up newly recruited physician in their own practices. She then moved to Highmark where she was Operations Director for 400 physicians and four primary care centers. At West Penn Allegheny Health System, she prepared them for the implementation of EMR into their primary care network of 145 physicians.

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