Source: CMSA Today
BY ANNE LLEWELLYN, MS, BHSA, RN, CRRN, CMGT-BC, BCPA, FCM
Health information technology is touching each of our lives. Examples include electronic health records, practice management software, patient portals, remote patient monitoring technologies, clinical decision support systems, staff scheduling and bed management systems.
Whatever sector of the healthcare system you work in, you are or will soon be dealing with artificial intelligence and machine learning. This article is a call to action for case managers to get involved and become part of a committee to provide input to ensure new systems are meaningful, user friendly and meet the needs of healthcare professionals and the consumers.
The goal of health information technology is to help healthcare providers and patients use tools and platforms to access and exchange health information. To put this goal into action, all stakeholders have to be part of the process of development, testing and rollout.
Recently, I attended the 2024 HIMSS, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s annual conference, which was held at the Orlando Florida Convention Center. The conference brought together close to 30,000 health professionals from around the world to learn, discuss and understand how we, as an industry, can use health information technology to address the challenges we face in healthcare. One thousand one hundred exhibits were on hand to explain, demonstrate and showcase products and services in this industry.
The 2024 theme of “Innovations for Better Healthcare,” HIMSS 2024, focused on addressing the healthcare industry’s pressing challenges while leveraging technological innovations to enhance patient care, streamline operations and drive efficiency. One of the events that caught my eye was a program called NursePitch
. NursePitch is an interactive event that allows nurses working in the area of health information technology to submit a project that addresses a problem and provides solutions.
The finalists were invited to pitch their proposals to a panel of judges at the HIMSS Conference before a live audience. Based on the judging, prize money was awarded: $8,500 to the first-place winner, $2,500 to the second-place winner, and $1,500 to the third-place winner. The finalists of the 2024 NursePitch competition were:
- Colin Plover, CEO of Nightingale Caring Solutions
- Patience Gitau, CEO of NurseBridge
- Ilana Borkenstein, CEO of M7 Health
I talked to each of the finalists to better understand their focus. Here are some insights from each of the finalists.
Colin Plover, the CEO of Nightingale Caring Solutions, said that his company aims to provide nurses with the sophisticated analytics they need to achieve better patient outcomes, more efficiently, and in ways that improve their experience of care delivery. “One area we are focusing on is the nurse-patient assignment because these assignments have significantly impacted nurses, patients, and the healthcare system. Charge nurses are pulled away from the bedside to develop nurse-patient assignments, and some identify this as the most stressful part of their job. Nurses can be negatively impacted when they receive sub-optimal nurse-patient assignments, in some cases experiencing avoidable injury and stress. Patients can be negatively impacted when nurses receive sub-optimal nurse-patient assignments because they can experience avoidable negative outcomes. Overall, we are leveraging advanced training to develop an innovative approach to optimizing nursing operations, saving time and improving outcomes for nurses, patients and healthcare systems. Furthermore, the fundamentals of this work extend beyond nurse-patient assignments and can inform a host of nursing operations including staffing, scheduling, training and more in evidence-based ways.”
Patience Gitau, CEO of NurseBridge, shared that her project is designed to cater to the needs of healthcare workers, particularly focusing on the well-being and professional growth of nurses. “NurseBridge is a data-driven platform aimed at addressing the growing staffing crisis in healthcare, particularly in rural areas. The technology bridges the gap in fair compensation and equitable opportunities for healthcare workers while providing transparent and innovative solutions for healthcare facilities. Understanding the challenges faced by nurses, such as burnout, inadequate compensation, and limited opportunities for career advancement, was paramount in designing the program.” She shared that by addressing issues related to fair compensation and transparent job opportunities, the aim is to improve the overall satisfaction and quality of life for healthcare workers. “Through features like real-time pricing analytics, customized staffing recommendations, and comprehensive bi-directional reviews, the platform prioritizes the needs and concerns of nurses, ensuring they can find fulfilling employment opportunities that match their skill set and preferences. Ultimately, NurseBridge seeks to empower nurses by providing them with the resources and support they need to thrive in their careers, thereby contributing to a more resilient and sustainable healthcare workforce.”
Ilana Borkenstein, CEO of M7 Health, was the first prize winner of the 2024 NursePitch Award for her work in developing a workforce management platform that offers shift scheduling to nurses. “Nurse staffing presents significant challenges to the nursing workforce, compounded by increased patient complexity, rising healthcare costs, an aging population, and increasing workforce shortages. It’s a vicious cycle—poor staffing levels drive dissatisfied nurses out, which leaves less nurses to staff. M7 aims to change the narrative.”
SO HOW CAN YOU, THE CASE MANAGER, GET INVOLVED IN THE HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION? HERE ARE 10 TAKEAWAYS THAT I HOPE YOU CONSIDER:
- Health information technology is a force that will touch every healthcare organization and professional. Everyone in healthcare will see substantial disruption over the next few years. Take every opportunity you have to read and learn about it.
- Health systems, payers and providers must include patients and their families as health information technologies are introduced. Their impact and voices will be one way to determine which systems are right and whether they are making the expected difference.
- We will need to continue to use data better to address issues and identify areas of improvement. Help in identifying the metrics important to your work—so the data can show the value case managers bring.
- We are in the infant stages of health information technology implementation, but the industry is racing to understand what is needed to survive. Be part of a team to develop and roll out systems in a way that complements the work we each do.
- Start today to identify areas that could benefit from HIT, such as workflow inefficiencies, data silos and areas where technology can improve patient care.
- Set up teams to define goals and objectives so you can clearly outline the specific goals and objectives the organization wants to achieve.
- Identify problems and areas for improvement, and then find what technologies are available to address the issue.
- Get the buy-in of different professional stakeholder groups, such as doctors, nurses, clinical and administrative staff, managers, senior management and other strategic leaders.
- Think about going back to school for formal education in the field.
- Get involved now—volunteer to be on a committee as your organization moves forward with implementing health information technologies.
She shared that the M7 platform provides staffing technology that automates scheduling, and gives healthcare professionals access to real-time staffing metrics and insights. This allows them to match shifts and career opportunities that align with their skills, competencies and their personal and professional needs and goals. Input from nurses is critical to the design of the program and the outcomes.
Everyone I heard speak at the conference says that the human aspect of healthcare will never be replaced by artificial intelligence or machine learning. Be the voice that keeps the human and caring aspect in place.
As case managers are educators, I encourage you to bring learning opportunities to your staff as technology changes the workforce. Retraining and learning will be a big part of the implementation of health information technologies in every sector of the healthcare system. All of our voices and insights will be critical to the process.
I highly recommend that you follow HIMSS Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society to keep up to date on this industry at https://www.himss.org.
Anne Llewellyn, MS, BHSA, RN, CRRN, CMGT-BC, BCPA, FCM, is a registered nurse with 50 + years of clinical experience. She is nurse advocate and a digital journalist writing for various e-newsletters on topics of digital health, workers compensation, case management and the importance of educating people to be their own best healthcare advocate.
Anne has a strong following from healthcare professionals who follow her for information, events and trends impacting health and healthcare. You can learn more about Anne at www.nursesadvocates.com. You can reach Anne by email at allewellyn48@gmail.com.
The post Health Information Technology: A Revolution in Healthcare appeared first on Case Management Society of America.