We all know the health care system is broken, and that every aspect of the patient journey needs to be overhauled, optimized, and made tolerable (enjoyable might be asking too much). Unfortunately, the journey and daily activity for physicians, nurses, administrators, technologists, and schedulers needs the same level of change. Enhancing the patient experience cannot come at … [Read more...] about Health Care User Experience
Using Health IT
The Voice of Medicine
Drowning in Data Technology has become an integral part of healthcare, sometimes to the chagrin of the clinicians - not to mention the feelings of practice administrators. Most health care workers spend more time interacting with the electronic health record (EHR) than the patient. Consider this further, and it is clear - after about a decade of specialized training to take … [Read more...] about The Voice of Medicine
Because We’ve Always Done It This Way Doesn’t Work!
Follow These Four Steps to Stay Out of the Rut We Hear It All the Time “Because we’ve always done it that way.” We hear it all the time. In business, at home, and in medicine. It’s a lousy answer. In fact, it should be a warning sign that there may be something seriously wrong. Even if the process is good, it is disturbing when people do not know why they are doing … [Read more...] about Because We’ve Always Done It This Way Doesn’t Work!
Managing Phones, Emails, & Texts
Communication is essential to success Telephones—even smartphones—are not communication; phones are tools that we use to communicate with patients, staff members, referring physicians, consultants, insurance companies, pharmacies, and—the list is virtually endless. We absolutely need good communication tools, but tools without skills and training are a waste of money. … [Read more...] about Managing Phones, Emails, & Texts
Technology Needs to Solve Problems—Not Amplify Them
The disaster that is the COVID-19 pandemic will leave large numbers of chronically ill patients requiring treatment for lung scarring, neurologic conditions, and more for many years to come. A system already failing many and under-delivering to most will be further taxed. The present crisis is exposing some of the many deficiencies in our system and revealing the need for a … [Read more...] about Technology Needs to Solve Problems—Not Amplify Them