Technology has unrealized potential to elicit powerful changes in healthcare. Breaking down barriers and coming together as a community benefits everyone, since we’re stronger as a group than we are as individuals.
Was COVID-19 the “shot in the arm” we needed as a community, to work together toward the advancement of digital health?
Collectively, as well as personally, it’s been rewarding to see the shared collaboration throughout our industry, as a result of the pandemic. A few of the stories include: Cerner Corporation offered select U.S. health systems and academic research centers complimentary access to critical de-identified COVID-19 patient data to help fight the pandemic. HIE Networks, a Florida health information exchange (HIE), deployed a new system that allowed health systems to access patient records throughout the state of Florida. Epic shared travel screening documentation and infection status information with both Epic and non-Epic organizations through Epic’s interoperability network. Allscripts set up “virtual triage” with CDC-defined screening measures, to address immediate concerns regarding identification and screening for COVID-19. And at Boston Software Systems, we made our productivity dashboard free for the first year to healthcare departments looking to manage work-from-home expectations, set clear and concise goals, and display results in a meaningful way.
Much of our “group” potential lies in the ability to share actionable information across system silos, but also to shift the focus for physicians and clinicians, by adding tools like automation as an ally, releasing the grip of manual processes that weigh people down.
It can be as simple as completing repetitive, easily replicated tasks without the need for additional effort. The goal is to reduce burnout and increase the quality of patient care. Another post-COVID-19 goal may be as simple as building out basic reporting information so that we can compare patient data across multiple systems without risking patient safety. Sounds simple, right?
All of these things influence how we will respond to future pandemics in a timely manner, connecting disparate data sources, and providing optimal patient care. There is always a steep learning curve in our response to a public health emergency, particularly when it involves a new disease. It will take continued collaboration on the part of vendors, working together, to ensure that we meet our own high standards and are able to respond, recover, and reopen in the most responsible way.
Why Boston Software Systems?
Boston Software Systems understands that people drive the processes in caring for thousands of patients every day.
If we can help to optimize the processes of data management so that your people can concentrate on higher priority tasks, give us a call. We won’t take up much of your time and we can get the process started quickly: 866-653-5105. We’re also available to connect via Twitter, @bossoft.