Christina's Considerations

Patient Care in a Crisis

By now, many of my regular blog followers should have figured out I'm a girl from New Orleans and I also have a specific interest in emergency preparedness and disaster planning, especially for hospitals.  Once again, I get to post about something that blends several interests.

I received a link to the premier issue of the enhanced digital magazine Security Management . It includes an article, Patient Care in a Crisis, that looks at the decisions healthcare providers made in New Orleans in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina came ashore. It explores issues, such as, security and the choice between shelter-in-place and hospital evacuation.  The lessons learned and information shared will certainly be of value to those readers with an interest in disaster planning and preparedness.  One fact that I did not know before this article was that 35% of the dead bodies recovered after Katrina were found in hospitals.

However, the interactive nature of this eMagazine with embeded short video clips, podcast and an expandable digital map of the U.S. with the number of staffed hospital beds available for all U.S. Zip Codes will be especially interesting to those of you who enjoy new media and emerging technologies. The more interactive nature of this digital magazine does enhance the reader's experience.  

For those of you who like apps, you may also be interested in the article that follows on Life Safety Apps.  It also includes interactive presentation of content.

The digital issue and healthcare feature is available publicly for the month of May - so check it out soon!

Health IT ROI - Value to the Enterprise and Patient

Building Out Your Health IT ROI - The Value to the Enterprise and the Patient This latest article for HIMSS Clinical Informatics Insights explores how enterprise portals can help hospitals tie disparate systems together, so that the data and information already being collected can be used (meaningfully).  Going beyond the typical departmental information systems, it also addresses the accommodation of non-traditional Health IT technologies, such as, remote monitoring, telemedicine and social networking technologies.

Social Media in Healthcare Infographic

Via: PowerDMS

Appropriate Use of Social Media and Social Networking in Medical Practice

The Federation of State Medical Boards has released Model Policy Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Social Media and Social Networking in Medical Practice. It addressed the physician-patient relationship, professional and ethical standards and provides recommendations for state medical boards to consider in educating their licensees on the proper use of social media and social networking websites.

The following recommendations are also included:

• Physicians should only have online interaction with patients when discussing the patient’s medical treatment within the physician-patient relationship – and these interactions should never occur on personal social networking or social media websites.
• Patient privacy and confidentiality must be protected at all times, especially on social media and social networking websites. Although physicians may discuss their experiences in non-clinical settings, they should never provide any information that could be used to identify patients.
• Physicians should be aware that any information they post on a social networking site may be disseminated to a larger audience, and that what they say may be taken out of context or remain publicly available online in perpetuity.

One study in JAMA found that 92% of state medical boards in the United States have received reports of violations of online professionalism, so this guidance is really a bit overdue.  But, I'm glad both the boards and licensed physicians now have some clearly defined expectations and guidelines for moving forward.

For all of my nursing followers, similar guidance is also available in a previous post.

Social Media and the Patient Experience

I'm currently working with a healthcare system and one piece of the project is to incorporate social media into the patient experience.  There are truly innovative opportunities to apply the technologies to solve operational, care and support challenges across the continuum from the worried well through pre-treatment, treatment and post-treatment.  It has been exciting to talk with staff about their specific needs and matching technologies that will help accomplish the job.

I've shared examples of these over the years in my blog posts, book and articles (see left column).  Some of my early favorites are outlined as my best practice examples.  All it takes is a little imagination, thinking thought the purpose, goals and processes and building in the appropriate management structure.

Once you get beyond the initial thinking and planning, consider these 4 social media strategies to build patient loyalty by engaging consumers in two-way conversations. 

• Incorporate humor
• Integrate your social media channels
• Keep the budget low
• Tie Social Media to Service Lines

 

NLRB Report on Social Media Cases

The Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board released a second report  on outcome investigations involving social media that were submitted by regional offices and it underscores two main points:

• Employer policies should not be so sweeping that they prohibit the kinds of activity protected by federal labor law, such as the discussion of wages or working conditions among employees.
• An employee’s comments on social media are generally not protected if they are mere gripes not made in relation to group activity among employees.

I share this because I'm not sure how many of my readers even saw the first report  (Wonder if they tweeted it!).  In this report there were/was:

• Four cases involving employees’ use of Facebook where the Division found that the employees were engaged in "protected concerted activity" because they were discussing terms and conditions of employment with fellow employees. In five other cases involving Facebook or Twitter posts, the Division found that the activity was not protected. 
• One case where it was determined that a union engaged in unlawful coercive conduct when it videotaped interviews with employees at a nonunion jobsite about their immigration status and posted an edited version on YouTube and the Local Union’s Facebook page. 
• Five cases where some provisions of employers’ social media policies were found to be unlawfully overly-broad and an additional case involved an employer’s lawful policy restricting its employees’ contact with the media.

These cases aren't limited to healthcare, but they will be helpful as your organization's human resource department monitors it's policies with the rapidly evolving new media.  For more, visit a related post on social media risks.

By the way, does your organization's social media policy address managers "recommending" employees on LinkedIn?  Can you think of reasons why it should?

 

Patient Engagement & Their Experience: The Virtual Touch Points

My new collegues at Tower seem to like the fact that I envision and write about the application of technologies to improve the work that has to get done in hospitals.  Since my work is now focused on re-defining patient experiences across all touch points (physical and virtual), we created a paper that highlights opportunities to engage consumers and patients using technologies for an enhanced web experience.

Patient Engagement and Their Experience: The Virtual Touch Points was prepared just in time for this week's Patient Experience Conference and it ties my long-term passion for improving care for the benefit of our patients to the role of information technology.  

The paper explores the drivers for transforming the way healthcare organizations engage consumers, patients and their families and the web-based opportunities across the continuum of care from pre-admission through post treatment follow-up and across all departments.  It describes how virtual engagement can enhance patient experiences and satisfaction with provider encounters.  It also highlights the role of key technologies, such as, enterprise portals, social media, mobile applications, business intelligence and telehealth.

According to our CEO, Sue Sutton, RN, PhD, “It is important to address the needs of patients where they are in their experience and tie disparate information systems together to present a seamless interaction for patients and their family caregivers.  Providing access to self-management tools and creating opportunities to help enhance their encounters with the system contributes to more engaged and accountable patients.”

The team at Tower has helped expand my view of technology applications, which we all agree, is an important strategy to enhancing today’s patient experiences, as well as, contributing to more efficient business and care processes, better outcomes and lower costs.

Trusted Source: Certified Medical Apps and Products

Not long ago I referenced Continua in an interview about securing and optimizing iPads and don't believe I've included them in a blog post.  So, it is probably a good time to share a little more information.

Continua is a pioneer in establishing industry standards and security for interoperable connected health technologies such as smart phones, gateways and remote monitoring devices. They were established established six years ago with the mission to empower information-driven health management and facilitate the incorporation of health and wellness into the day-to-day lives of consumer.  Their 250 members represent companies from around the world; including Intel, Microsoft, IBM, GE Healthcare, and Cisco.

The risk manager in me recommends that apps be downloaded from trusted sources, so I was really pleased to learn that they are certifying medical apps, as well as, devices and services for personal health management and healthcare delivery. Their certification is granted to technologies that meet their guidelines and to date, 45 diverse products have been certified.  This includes weight scales, glucometers, and blood pressure monitors.  Their first Apple mobile solution enables developers to build custom health applications and connect with other certified personal health devices and facilitates integration with various interoperable servers to relay health information.

While there is no absolute protection, this is a good start!

 

Liking, following, linking, tagging, stumbling: social media is changing the nature of health-related interactions

Earlier this year I was invited by the eHealth Initiative to participate in a focus group for PwC Health Research Institute's newly released report entitled, “Social media likes healthcare: From marketing to social business.”  It included both consumer and industry surveys.

The report finds that social media activity by hospitals, health insurers and pharmaceutical companies is miniscule compared to the activity on community sites. While eight in 10 healthcare companies (as tracked by HRI during a sample one-week period) had a presence on various social media sites, community sites had 24 times more social media activity than corporate sites.

Highlights from the consumer survey found:

• One-third of consumers now use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and online forums for health-related matters, including seeking medical information, tracking and sharing symptoms, and broadcasting how they feel about doctors, drugs, treatments, medical devices and health plans.

• When asked how information found through social media would affect their health decisions, 45% of consumers said it would affect their decision to get a second opinion; 41% said it would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital or medical facility; 34 % said it would affect their decision about taking a certain medication; and 32 % said it would affect their choice of a health insurance plan.

• As is the case more broadly, young adults are leading the social media healthcare charge. More than 80 % of individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 said they were likely to share health information through social media channels and nearly 90 % said they would trust information they found there. By comparison, less than half (45%) of individuals between the ages of 45 and 64 said they were likely to share health information via social media. But, keep in mind that 45% is a really big group of aging Boomers.

• Sixty-one percent of consumer respondents are likely to trust information posted by providers, and 41% are likely to share with providers via social media, compared to 37% trusting information posted by a drug company, and 28% likely to share information with a drug company.

Findings from the surveyed eHealth Initiative members include:

• Eighty-two percent said their organization’s social media efforts are managed by marketing/communications. Few organizations said their IT departments and digital teams owned social media strategies.

• One-half said they are concerned about how to integrate social media data into business strategy and processes. 

As I often advise, it is important to include a social media strategy in your hospital's plans for engaging patients and consumers.  The plan should include a balance of engagement on community and corporate sites, as well as, promote innovation for applying the technologies as solutions to clinical challenges.

Apps for Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention

The Office for the National Coordinator recently announced the winners of their "One in a Million Hearts Challenge," which invited developers to create software applications aimed at promoting heart health. The contest supports HHS' Million Hearts Initiative and the goal to prevent one million deaths from heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.

The winning apps are: 

• THUMPr,  first place, enables users to easily create personal heart health profiles and provides individualized heart health recommendations based on the Million Hearts Initiative's ABCS framework, which stands for aspirin, blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking cessation ($50,000 prize);
• mHealthCoach, second place, incorporates 11 unique data feeds, supports social media integration, peer communities, and fitness groups to educate users about heart health ($20,000 prize); and
• Wellframe, third place, focuses on patient engagement, evidence-based information and resources, targeted and actionable information and ease of usability to provide heart disease risk assessments, social comparisons, educational information and preventive care notifications ($5,000 prize).

The challenge was designed to foster innovative health IT solutions that empower patients to pursue healthy lifestyles and improve their heart health.  These new tools go a long way toward engaging patients and their families to take a more active role in their care and will, hopefully, also contribute to fewer admissions/re-admissions and a better experience with the healthcare system.

Strategic Planning and IT

I recently joined forces with some other powerful consultants at Tower, a national consulting group focused on re-defining patient experiences across all touch points (physical and virtual).  I'm particularly excited to have the opportunity to leverage my many years experience on the front lines of healthcare delivery to guide institutions as they transform their patient experience -  as perceived by the patient. 

Tower engages top-level executives who are responsible for the operations of the enterprise, as well as, ‘patient-facing’ staff and others across the organization to enhance operational processes and change the organizational culture to achieve long-term transformation of patient experiences.  And, a recent article in Healthcare IT News offering 5 tips for creating a strategic plan for IT provides some insight as to how we look at the role of technology in the hospital workplace of the future.

1.  Think about the patient experience

2.  Consider best practices

3.  Remember the staff experience

4.  Don't forget about social media

5.  Employ integrative planning

The list above provides just a glimpse, so also read the full article

 

Securing and Optimizing Your iPad Experience

The hospital risk manager in me is at it again!  It has been wonderful to think through the emerging technologies and share the risks I see along with available solutions.   

My latest contribution to a HealthcareIT News article almost seems to be an unintentional follow-up to my wildly popular post on Tablets in Healthcare.  If you are an iPad user, especially those of you applying it to your work in healthcare, I urge you to review these 10 simple ways to secure and optimize your iPad:

1. Use the password, auto-lock, and auto-erase functions smartly
2. Limit access to confidential information to that on VPNs when in a public place or on unsecured networks and disable the Blue Tooth function after use
3. Permanently mark or engrave your iPad to help with identification
4. Consider cases with tethered locks
5. Only download apps and open files from trusted sources
6. Look for apps that take advantage of the iPad's native capability
7. Consider GPS tracking technologies or apps to help locate a lost or stolen iPad
8. Consider a mobile device management (MDM) solution for security and convenience
9. Ensure any apps downloaded are optimized for an iPad
10. Carry adapters for iPad to VGA and HDMI

It is all about protecting the patient's health information and securing the data we entrust to our providers!

 

Making Patient Experience a Priority - Infographic

Source: berylhealth.com via Nrip on Pinterest

Financial Impact of Breached Protected Health Information

I believe we all realize that as the industry moves to electronic health records, patients' PHI is more susceptible to exposure. Last year, in an article on the cost of data breaches, I referenced the a project of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and 100 industry leaders who were tackling the big question what can healthcare organizations do to better protect patients' information?

They first needed to understand the value of patient protected health information and then could develop a method for healthcare organizations to estimate breach costs, so they can make appropriate investments to better protect PHI security.  The result is their report:  The Financial Impact of Breached Protected Health Information: A Business Case for Enhanced PHI Security.

It includes tools to estimate the overall potential costs of a data breach to an organization, and provides a methodology for determining an appropriate level of investment needed to strengthen privacy and security programs and reduce the probability of a breach.  A detailed example of costing a PHI breach using the PHIve method is also provided.

Template RFP for App Development

mHIMSS recently shared a template RFP that can help organizations identify capable firms to provide application (app) development services.  But, I'd like to back up a minute and stress the importance of the planning process and developing a clear purpose and functional requirements.

This basic planning worksheet can help you get started and ensure that the type of app you envision is truly needed and worthy of the investment of resources.  It should also help you minimize the risk of costly re-work or development of an unusable app.

Remember to keep the intended device, user and workflow in mind throughout the process and involve users in the planning, vetting and testing processes. And, don't forget to build in the necessary safeguards to protect confidential information.

If you do create a new app, like Community Health Network's Pillbox, feel free to share a link on this post so we can check it out!

BYOD or BYOT

Just before HIMSS12, I learned about BYOD/BYOT (Bring Your Own Device/Technology).  Evidently, businesses and some healthcare organizations are encouraging, or allowing their employees, to use their latest and greatest (personal) mobile gadgets (smartphones, tablets, etc) to connect into their information systems. 

Now, it may seem that this policy will help reduce equipment costs and allow employees to use the latest technology, but it makes my Mobile Governance and Tablets in Healthcare posts even more important reads for healthcare leaders.  Why, because the organizations may find themselves paying out much more for costs associated with data breach assessments, reporting, fines, liability, etc.

For those of you who like data, consider iHealthBeat's report on a healthcare mobility survey that found:

• 85% of respondents said their organization has a BYOD policy, but the organizations vary in the amount of data they allowed personal mobile devices to access.
• 53% of respondents said their organization only allows personal mobile devices to access the Internet;
• 24% said their organization provides personal mobile devices with limited access to hospital applications; and
• 8% said their organization provides personal mobile devices with full access to the hospital network (Dolan, MobiHealthNews, 2/23).

Additional findings include:

• EHR applications are the most widely supported application on mobile devices, with 60% of respondents saying their organization supports the use of mobile EHR apps. The next most widely supported mobile apps include picture archiving and communication systems, secure messaging and voice-over IP (Computerworld, 2/24).
• More than 75% of respondents said their organization provides Internet access to patients and hospital visitors, but 58% said they use open networks without password protection to do so (Jackson, FierceMobileHealthcare, 2/23).

My hope is that these organizations (especially the 8% allowing full access to their network and the 15% without a policy) have already implemented the necessary safeguards to protect their systems and personal health information from accidently beaches, malicious attacks and HIPAA violations.

Hospitalists: Continuing to Evolve

Not long ago I agreed to my first audio interview -- a podcast for Executive Insight.  It was on the subject of hospitalists and how their role is evolving to include:

• nocturnists,
• pediatric, surgeon, intensivist, neurointensivist and other specialists, and
• use of telemedicine technologies.

It is great to see traditional news outlets expanding their use of multimedia.

Listen at:  Hospitalists:  Helping Hospitals Reduce Costs (less static) or on YouTube!

 

Also see the print article, Rising Role of Hospitalists (page 40) and an online companion article Meet the New Coach

 

Tools Help Foster Communication Between Patients and Clinicians

I'm a big fan of the AHRQ's tools and have a new one to share.  I realize that some people aren't impressed by some of the tools, but overall I think that they are good -- and they are free.  If for no other reason, they will help stimulate ideas among providers who that then improve upon the resources they provide.

The latest tools are part of the “Questions Are the Answer,” a new public education initiative that encourages patients and their clinicians to engage in effective two-way communication to ensure safer care and better health outcomes.  An added benefit, or as we say in Louisiana a little "lagniappe" is the contribution improved safety and outcomes has on the patient experience.

To promote safer care and the importance of Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 4–10), AHRQ offers these free multimedia tools that health care providers can use with their patients:

• A 7-minute video featuring patients and clinicians who give firsthand accounts on the importance of asking questions and sharing information—this tool is ideal for a patient waiting room area and can be set to run on a continuous loop.
• A new brochure, titled "Be More Involved in Your Health Care: Tips for Patients," that offers helpful suggestions to follow before, during and after a medical visit.
• Notepads to help patients prioritize the top three questions they wish to ask during their medical appointment.
• An interactive “Question Builder” tool that enables patients to create, prioritize and print a personalized list of questions based on their health condition.

For more information, go to www.ahrq.gov/questions. To request free copies of the DVD, brochure and notepad, email AHRQpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or call 800–358–9295 and include the following reference numbers: DVD (AHRQ Pub. No. 10-(12)-0094-DVD); brochure (AHRQ Pub. No. 10(11)-0094-A; notepad (AHRQ Pub. No. 10(11)-0094-1).

  

 

What I saw/learned at HIMSS12 - Highlights

It has taken me a while to catch up and recover from being at HIMSS12 last week, but I've finally had a chance to sit down and reflect on what I saw and learned during that busy week.  So below are my higlights:

• Thoughts from Biz Stone: 
  • Opportunity can be manufactured! You can create it!
  • Creativity is a renewable resource. It is infinite! Challenges are fun puzzles; not problems!

• Thoughts about the Future from the Smith and Hobbs presentation on Clinical Mobile Applications: 
  • 500 million people are expected to manage health concerns with smartphone apps by 2015 according to Research 2 Guidance 2010.
    
  • "Drive discovery about behavior, adapting to person and optimizing behavior"
  • The convergence of biology and machine
  • We need to establish risk model taxonomies for consumers, providers and manufacturers for safe & secure apps.
  • We need sensors to pick up signs that an intervention is needed in healthcare, just like our cars are doing today.

• CMS' ICD 10 and Version 5010 Implementation Timeline widget

• Guam HIE Project that demonstrate its Secure Messaging capabilities using the Nationwide Health Information Network Direct Project for coordinated care and disaster communications.

• Kaiser Permanente launched its new Mobile Optimized kp.org app giving members access to their medical records, refill prescriptiosn, appointments and messaging via mobile devices.

• Learned about iTriage's ER CheckIn smartphone app service that hospital staff of incoming patients. iTriage is the same one that made it to my list of top apps for the flu season late last year.

• The There's an App for That presentation demonstrating apps for vision, hearing, sleep, sobriety test, contractions/labor, smoking cessation, heart rate, spirometry, Airstrip, AED, allergy alert, EKG, podiatry, and more.

• The Patient Safety Company promoted their cloud environment and apps for safety and risk.  Also, help you develop your own apps. 

• Seeing MicroBloggingMD a microblogging platform used for secure hospital communications.

• Learning about Happitique which classifies apps for professionals which helps with the sorting process of the thousands of available apps and provides an enterprise mHealth solution. 

• Talking to several people about the move toward BYOD (bring-your-own-device) and the associated risks (including data security) in healthcare environments. (Stay tuned for an BYOD post to come.)

• Experiencing my first "hat interview" as tweeted by @EHRworkflow

• Learning about HealthInfo Island, Health Support Coalition, Cancer Co-Op, AIDS and HIV Support, etc  -- communities on the virtual world 2nd Life.

• And, getting an update from Zac on Louisiana's HIT/HIE activities.

But, the absolute best part of the week was finally meeting several of my blogger friends in person! Talking with them in person gave us a chance to bring our relationship full circle.  Some I just met this past year, but I've known two since first starting to blog in 2005 -- @hospitaltony and @techguy.

Convergence of HIE and Social Media

The San Diego Beacon eHealth Community is one example of how we are starting to see the convergence of health information exchange (HIE) and social media technologies.  They recently shared the details of their pilot study, which is designed to use SMS technology to improve childhood immunization rates. Highlights include:

• Purpose:  determine the impact and cost effectiveness of text messaging to improve child vaccination rates (all, on-time by age 19 months)
• Parents of childrent 9 - 13 months who speak either English or Spanish will be recruited.
• Participants receiving the intervention will receive monthly text message reminders to schedule or keep an existing appointment for their child's 15- and 18-month well-baby visits, as well as, educational messages.
• The control participants will only receive general milestone and health information during the study period.
• Some messages for both the intervention and control groups require a response (making the communications bi-directional.)

In addition, the involvement of a cell phone (mHealth) also makes this another great example of the convergence of telehealth and HIE.

A Challenge of Ethics on Facebook

Ben Dillon has posted on a truly difficult ethical situation shares the story on GeoVoices. It involves a mom who blogs on the challenges of raising a child with a genetic defect and this naturally attracts a sympathetic following.  

The mom's posts include her disappointment over being told hospital nephrologists have denied a kidney transplant for her 3 y.o. daughter, because of her genetic defect - which is also known to cause mental retardation.  We don't know the actual reason for the denial, but the family believes it is because of the child's mental retardation and this is shared in the mom's blog posts and it ultimately made it's way to traditional media, including the Washington Times.

 

The result is that the hospital's Facebook wall now includes passionate pleas to reconsider the decision. Like Ben, I believe Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is appropriate in their handling of the social media aspects of this truly unfortunate situation.  It should be a guide to others.

• CHOP is carefully avoiding any discussion of the patient’s case or health situation and remains respectful of the opinions and feelings of everyone engaged in the discussion.
• They appear to be leaving all visitor posts on their page - the good and the uncomfortable.
• CHOP has issued a statement acknowledging that they are listening and reiterating their policies, values and history as relates to this issue. 
• CHOP and the family have issued a joint statement on Facebook as a result of the significant public interest.
• The organization is discussing the issue with the family offline.

 Let's all say a prayer for the child and her family!

Reach Out To Consumers, Measure & Control Your Domain

Not long ago, I read an article reporting that 1 in 5 Americans are using social media for healthcare information.  It made me wonder if hospitals are calculating their market share -that is, the portion of those info seekers in your service area(s) who are accessing online information sponsored by your organization, rather than that of a competitor or sites that may have questionable trustworthyness.

Then, over the weekend I picked up on a tweet about efforts to smack down ROI.  Basically, some in social media, not necessarily in healthcare, are promoting an anti-measurement agenda.  My feeling is that we in healthcare must measure our performance.  If it is important that we measure for evidence-based medicine, outcomes, patient satisfaction, compliance with regulations, improving quality and performance, managing risks, reporting, effective and efficient use of resources and more; then it is important that we measure the performance of our social media applications.

So this takes me to actually leveraging the technologies and learning to use social media in our healthcare environments and a couple of new resources that can help us all keep up with the rapidly evolving world of social media.

While at HIMSS last week, I came across two new social media white papers.  The first is the Health IT Social Media Primer from HL7 Standards.  It answers questions like "what do I need to know?" and "what should I tweet?", presents some important "how to" details and also reviews newer social media channels like Google+ and Quora (a question & answer forum). 

The second is a new white paper from the HIMSS Social Networking Work Group, Healthcare "Friending" Social Media:  What Is It, How Is It Used, and What Should I Do?  It also reviews recent social media developments, but I found the reference to there being 787 hospitals on Foursquare, but less that 10% having claimed their listing to be most interesting.  It reminds me of the teen patient who started a Facebook page in his childrens hospital's name, so he and the other patients could connect and support each other anytime.  

I was also happy to see that the HIMSS workgroup included the example an HIO delivering virtual education for electronic health information exchange (HIE).  And, I can't be more pleased that they also referenced my work. The topical review is publically available.

So, hospitals, do me a favor and:

• do reach out to the growing number of healthcare consumers searching for healthcare information from a trusted-source.
• do measure the performance and impact of your social media activities.
• don't let others control your domain name and brand.

HIMSS So Cal Healthcare IT Conference

Just as I'm getting ready to experience the big HIMSS Conference, the Southern California Chapter has released its agenda for their upcoming Healthcare IT Conference in Los Angeles.  

The conference is a great opportunity to hear from National and California leaders on HIEs, EHRs and Meaningful Use, wireless health IT applications, development of the HIT workforce and job search strategies, and accountable care organizations. It is also a perfect networking event.

I'm excited for the opportunity to return to my roots in Health IT and participate on the HIE panel. Register here to join us at the Center for Healthy Communities at the California Endowment near downtown Los Angeles on April 4, 2012 from 8am to 4pm.  I hope to see you there!

Caring for the healthcare givers!

Not long ago I posted on a shocking example of un-compassionate healthcare.  An agency employee made fun of and posted a picture of the patients medical records on his Facebook pages.  Worse, he refused to see is error or accept responsibility for violating the patient's rights and privacy.

So, last week I ran into a friend of mine who is the Executive Director of Adventures in Caring Foundation, a nonprofit organization that cultivates and teaches compassion in healthcare. Their volunteers visit hospital and nursing home patients and are often undergraduate students who will pursue a healthcare career. They also teach and train staff on delivering compassionate care and having those difficult conversations.

We discussed this shocking example of un-compassionate care and wondered if it is possible that this employee isn't managing their stress -- leading to poor judgement and actions.  In other words, is this employee letting the pressures of caregiving and life wear him down to the point that he exhibits self-destructive behaviors?

I'm especially interested in the thoughts of those of you in direct care roles, or who work and support caregivers.

Shift Bidding and Staffing the Unit

I had been seeing @MatthewBrowning on my TweetDeck and then realized we were on the HIMSS12 mHealth Meet the Bloggers panel together.  After our prep call, Matthew tweeted that he wanted to have a follow-up discussion because of some of our shared interests.  

Earlier this week, during our call, he described how he is using texting and microblogging technologies to help efficiently find nurses and other professionals to staff shifts.  Having seen nursing supervisors go through this daily pain first-hand, I can attest to the inefficiency of the process.  

In 2009/10 while writing my book I included staffing/shift bidding as one way of applying microblogging technologies for operational purpose.  Next week, @MatthewBrowning will demo YourNurseIsOn.com for me so I can actually see the idea in action.  And, this is what HIMSS is all about!

For more info review YNIO's Fact Sheet.