John Riggi, national advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association, sees a fraught cyber threat landscape that's being transformed by artificial intelligence. He previews his keynote at the HIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Forum.
Friday, September 1, 2023
< + > Covenant Health advances hospital-at-home program
Dr. John Busigin, Covenant Health's Advanced Care at Home medical director, said that 20-30% of patients who traditionally received high acuity care at hospitals could receive virtual care through the program.
< + > Life As a CIO Humor – Fun Friday
Happy Friday everyone! Another week has almost come and gone and you know that that means. It means it’s time for another edition of Fun Friday where we let our hair down and try to entertain you to kick off the start of your weekend. Plus, sometimes humor is a great way to inspire and put things into perspective. This week’s edition of Fun Friday comes from one of the top healthcare CIOs in the country, Aaron Miri (@AaronMiri) Not only is he a great CIO, but he keeps the work of CIO in perspective with some great humor that I think you’ll enjoy.
Look how well he rides those waves though. Which is true for a lot of healthcare CIOs too 🙂
— John Lynn (@techguy) August 29, 2023
I included my response to Aaron which is true. It’s a mess out there and there are some incredible CIOs that have amazing talent to be able to ride the waves and not just get wiped away. Aaron did reply that “the Barrell roll is what I identify with most…” That’s a very advanced move.
Startups trying to impress #CIOs ….pic.twitter.com/BWay7XkCXC
— Aaron Miri (@AaronMiri) August 1, 2023
I think that both CIOs and startups can relate to this video. Granted, it’s hard for a startup to stand out. I’m not sure this will ever change.
Every #HealthIT system Sundays at 2am….. pic.twitter.com/8ATHzuXkUA
— Aaron Miri (@AaronMiri) July 30, 2023
This is so true. Why does it always happen at 2 AM on a weekend?
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
~ Confucius pic.twitter.com/KKDUn0m31J— Aaron Miri (@AaronMiri) August 21, 2023
This one isn’t that funny, but it is quite profound. We’ve all heard about baby steps and not biting off more than you can chew, but this illustrated it in such a beautiful way that I’d never seen before. Hopefully it inspires you as well.
That’s all for this week. We hope you enjoyed and that you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
< + > Guardrails, data governance key to solid generative AI outcomes
IT leaders need to take a step back and ensure they are truly prepared to use large language models, says one computer scientist who offers detailed deployment advice.
< + > Security When Lives are on the Line
Computer vulnerabilities, threats, and security practices are similar in every industry. But health care presents particular challenges, discussed in this video with John Wilson, Director of Sales, SLED and Healthcare at SolarWinds and Scott Pross, Vice President of Technology, Monalytic, a SolarWinds company. Wilson and Pross make up part of the new dedicated team that SolarWinds has put together for healthcare.
Several factors make health care challenging. Patient data is particularly sensitive and highly regulated, leading Pross to say “We treat our health care customers the way we treat our DoD customers” because “lives are on the line.”
Citing a “tool sprawl,” Wilson said that clinical environments have many different types of systems with different purposes. Although each system may work well by itself, security gaps are left when they come together.
Because IT resources are stretched thin at health care environments, Pross said that staff might not configure a security feature until an incident occurs. SolarWinds stresses “proactive versus reactive.”
Some of the advanced topics discussed included the demands of cloud computing and the needs posed by Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which Wilson said were underappreciated.
Pross pointed out that companies needed help dealing with hybrid environments and multicloud environments. The move to the cloud may take a year or ten years: “It’s a journey.” SolarWinds is strong at sharing data seamlessly in these mixed environments.
Wilson said that the challenges of IoT include compliance with privacy and security regulations, security flaws, and the volume of data created
Watch the video for more insights into security, including SolarWinds’ “leadership dashboard” that lets managers understand the impact that an IT failure has on theit business activities.
Learn more about SolarWinds: https://www.solarwinds.com/
Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.
And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter.
Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.
< + > Finding Balance in Patient-Centric RCM
The following is a guest article by Laxmi Patel, Chief Strategy Officer at Savista
Achieving a delicate equilibrium between automation and human engagement is critical. In the world of healthcare, this balance not only enhances the patient experience but also enables systems to effectively manage patient communication and financial obligations while delivering optimal clinical care. As the industry shifts focus to automation and processes to lower cost-to-collect, it is vital to ensure that these efforts remain patient-centric.
Instead of being seen as just a series of numbers, financial statements, and outcomes, a successful revenue cycle should encompass the entire patient journey – which should continue to be the central focus and the heart of healthcare. Unfortunately, in pursuit of efficiency and cost-cutting measures, many patient advocacy programs have been eliminated or downsized. In today’s evolving landscape where margins are thin, patient advocacy and patient experience throughout the revenue cycle becomes neglected.
Balancing Financial and Care Perspectives
Within one single patient appointment, there are some 14 connection points a provider must make, providing many opportunities to demonstrate a patient-centric approach. Here are just a few of the steps providers can take to ensure that their processes and patient connections are patient-centric.
Reinvest in Patient Advocacy to Enhance the Patient Experience
Education lies at the heart of a patient-centric approach. Simple education initiatives, such as informing patients about their annual preventative checkup covered by most insurance plans, can drive more regular preventative care visits. This, in turn, leads to earlier identification of treatable conditions, reducing the need for urgent care or ER visits. Seemingly small efforts can have a significant impact.
Adopt an Omnichannel Communication Strategy
It is critical to reach the patient with relevant messages when, where, and how they are receptive to it. By providing multiple communication options based on preference, we ensure they are well informed about the next steps in their care and financial obligations.
Take the Time to Map out the Patients’ Care Journey
This allows for better care as well as provides an opportunity for patients to understand costs related to care and their financial obligations. When patients have a better understanding of the care continuum, they are more likely to actively participate in their treatment plans and are able to make informed choices for themselves.
Provide a Simplified Description of the Payment Options and Process
Ensure price transparency. Healthcare costs are often unknown, confusing, or misunderstood, which prevents patients from getting the care they need.
Offer Payment Plans Early and Upfront
Empower patients with knowledge about financial assistance programs and encourage them not to limit care due to financial constraints. This balances empathy and education, ensuring patients receive necessary care without compromising their financial well-being.
Train Staff in Empathy
Develop a regular cadence of trainings to ensure your staff understands the value of empathy and that they consistently employ a patient-centric approach.
Regularly Survey for Feedback and Act on the Feedback Received
This feedback loop should consist of patient feedback surveys and confidential, interdepartmental peer-to-peer surveys. Once feedback has been gathered and action steps are obvious, have the courage to act upon that feedback for an improved patient experience.
When we consistently apply a patient-centric approach across all touchpoints, patients feel valued as individuals, develop trust in our organizations, are more likely to seek care without apprehension, and become more loyal to our practices. It takes just one negative interaction for a patient to consider switching providers or neglecting their healthcare needs altogether. Investing in the patient journey pays off by empowering patients to make better decisions about their healthcare, utilize available care pathways, and ensure a stable revenue cycle for healthcare organizations.
Adopting a patient-centric approach alongside harnessing the power of automation will allow healthcare institutions to drive better health outcomes. I challenge the RCM industry to personalize interactions, when possible, approach patients with sensitivity and empathy, educate and inform them, and resolve issues with a human touch.
By finding this balance, we can build stronger bonds with our patients, improving the entire healthcare continuum for both patients and healthcare organizations.
About Laxmi Patel
Laxmi brings a unique perspective with her background in consulting, human resources, and strategy. She is responsible for growth strategy, service line management and expansion, automation, continuous improvement, and M&A. She utilizes a data-driven approach to align processes, people, and technology to create a positive impact for our colleagues and clients. Her goal is not only to design strategies and solutions but to improve performance and drive sustainable change.
< + > Experity Acquires OnePACS, the Leader in Teleradiology PACS
Acquisition Further Strengthens Experity’s Position as the Leading Urgent Care Teleradiology Provider
Experity, the national leader in on-demand healthcare solutions, has acquired OnePACS, a SaaS PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems) platform purpose-built for teleradiology.
OnePACS is the only PACS platform to offer a fully location-agnostic, distributed multi-user, cloud-based PACS with a cloud-based modality worklist and its own automated structured reporting solution with both native OnePACS and third-party voice recognition integration. With the addition of OnePACS, the leading teleradiology PACS platform, Experity extends its position as the leading urgent care teleradiology company. In addition, this merger enables Experity Teleradiology to offer a fully tech-enabled service offering.
“As the trusted partner and solution provider for over 50% of the U.S. urgent care market, Experity is always looking to identify and fill gaps for urgent care clinics, particularly where our services can improve the delivery and accessibility of high-quality on-demand care,” said Dr. David Stern, CEO at Experity. “OnePACS and Experity complement each other – OnePACS is the best PACS platform for teleradiology, while Experity’s software platform is the best operating system for on-demand healthcare.”
Thomas Bryce, MD, PhD, Co-Founder and CTO at OnePACS added, “The entire team at OnePACS is thrilled about the possibilities we can achieve together with Experity. Their offering is a natural complement to OnePACS’ role in the teleradiology ecosystem, and their focus on urgent care dovetails well with OnePACS’ teleradiology sweet spot. Benefitting from their resources and expertise, we are confident we’ll continue to innovate and grow the OnePACS platform to benefit providers, teleradiology groups, and patients.”
To learn more about Experity Teleradiology, visit here.
To learn more about Experity OnePACS, visit onepacs.com.
About Experity
Experity is the leading software and services company for on-demand healthcare in the U.S. urgent care market, providing an integrated operating system complete with electronic medical records, practice management, patient engagement, billing, teleradiology, business intelligence, and consulting solutions. Nearly 50% of the U.S. urgent care market runs on Experity solutions. With Experity, providers can best meet the demands of the evolving on-demand space and deliver high-quality, high-velocity care by streamlining operations, improving patient experiences, and optimizing revenue. A GTCR portfolio company, Experity’s leadership is comprised of growth-minded urgent care experts and business leaders committed to improving on-demand healthcare for all. For information and resources, visit experityhealth.com.
Originally announced August 14th, 2023
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)