Emerging technologies are helping hospitals and health systems improve efficiency and the experience of both patients and providers.
During a DocuSign-sponsored virtual featured session at Becker's Hospital Review 11th Annual Meeting in May, leaders from two provider organizations discussed how to choose and implement technology. Panelists were:
- Manish Goomar, director of system solutions with Chicago-based physician group Mimit Health
- Michelle Stansbury, vice president of IT innovation with Houston Methodist Hospital
Four takeaways from the conversation:
- Technology should solve actual problems. Providers are looking to technology to help them solve real problems, by bringing together data and information to better understand the perspectives of patients, clinicians and employees. Houston Methodist Hospital employs a "Know Me" approach to improve how the hospital can know each stakeholder and provide them the tools and services they want.
- Document management improves efficiency by digitizing workflows. DocuSign partners with over 1,400 healthcare providers to reduce paperwork and simplify documentation. Document workflows including consent forms, vendor contracts, HIPAA releases, human resources paperwork and supplier agreements can be digitized. Digitization of documents speeds preregistration and improves efficiency, which benefits patients, staff and physicians. This was amplified during COVID-19 as more care migrated to virtual.
- The growing use of voice technology can help reconnect clinicians and patients. Voice will play a fundamental role in the future of healthcare, Mr. Goomar and Ms. Stansbury agreed. As Ms. Stansbury said, "I want my physicians in front of patients," and not in front of a computer. Use of voice solutions by physicians and other clinicians, combined with ambient listening tools, is growing in hospital, nursing home and other clinical settings. Personal virtual assistant devices are being piloted, with the hope to scale this technology to nurses so they can focus on the patient while documenting in the EHR.
- There are multiple options for developing innovative technology solutions, including better use of current technology. Innovation does not necessarily mean starting over. Improvements can stem from "looking at what you already have in-house, and what more could you be using it with," said Ms. Stansbury. Sometimes it means partnering with current vendors to develop a solution, or the solution might involve a process change. Mr. Goomar emphasized that aligning workflow with operations is critical to successful improvements.
Mr. Goomar recommends prioritizing short- and longer-term goals to allow for incremental investments. "When you invest in the technology, you will see that return on investment once you execute it through," he said. Options for technology partners include new vendors starting in the healthcare space, established vendors and working with existing vendors to expand the functionality of existing products. Both Ms. Stansbury and Mr. Goomar agreed that for any new investment, if it does not work, act quickly and take those lessons forward. The healthcare community is generous in sharing technology lessons.
To view the session on-demand, click here.