In an era marked by predictive screenings, advanced diagnostics and cutting-edge treatments, the integration of technology in healthcare goes beyond its individual components, shaping the very landscape of healthcare providers’ day-to-day operations. Every healthcare provider is intertwined with technology in some way. At the heart of this integration lies the electronic medical record (EMR), which serves as the single source of truth for patient records, billing transactions, regulatory compliance and a host of other medical functions. Other clinical tools such as smart scales and smart blood pressure monitors automate data collection and enable healthcare providers to make well-informed clinical decisions. The path towards achieving a fully integrated healthcare technology ecosystem is an ongoing evolution, characterized by continuous progress. Technology’s integration into daily clinical operations has reached unprecedented levels, reflecting its ever-expanding role in the healthcare landscape. Looking ahead, the future of this technology is particularly promising, with opportunities for further growth and innovation on the horizon.
A Source of Truth for Cross-Speciality Collaboration
The promise of technology lies in its ability to improve collaboration among healthcare teams and improve operating efficiencies. Notably, the integration of EMRs has revolutionized how providers are able to share patient data to make informed decisions. EMRs serve as a single portal, accessible to all members of the care team, offering real-time insights into patient status and progress. A single source of truth streamlines patient rounds, increasing efficiency by consolidating data from various specialties like speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing, physicians, and others into the patient’s EMR. This unified perspective facilitates more efficient decision-making during rounds.
While challenges persist in healthcare technology, including issues with provider experience, ease of use, and reducing redundant data entry, such as duplicate fields, there’s a growing need for innovative solutions. It’s crucial that healthcare technology is crafted with the provider’s perspective in mind, ensuring it’s intuitive for those at the bedside and seamlessly integrates into their daily workflow. When technology is designed with an administrative-centric approach, it often hinders clinicians’ ability to incorporate it effectively into patient care. Achieving streamlined workflows hinges on presenting technology and data to providers in a user-friendly manner, accompanied by actionable insights, thereby enhancing provider efficiency and overall patient care.
Personalized Patient Care
One of the most promising contributions of technology in healthcare is its capacity to facilitate personalized patient care. The recurring challenge of redundant patient questionnaires, which can adversely affect patient satisfaction, can be effectively mitigated through passive data collection within the patient’s natural environments. These technological advancements offer profound benefits for healthcare providers. Passive data collection provides a comprehensive understanding of a patient’s overall well-being, transcending the limitations associated with in-clinic assessments or relying solely on voluntary patient disclosures. For example, OneStep discreetly captures data on a patient’s gait patterns as they engage in their daily activities, conveniently utilizing their smartphone. This approach eliminates the need for lengthy discussions during clinic visits about recent mobility habits, as clinicians are already well-informed. Nevertheless, the efficacy of such technology hinges on presenting passive data in a manner that serves the needs of both providers and patients, ensuring that the information is both meaningful and actionable.
Provider-Centric Technology is Key
Technology can unintentionally create challenges for healthcare providers when it inundates them with an overwhelming volume of data that transforms into noise rather than meaningful insights. To determine whether technology genuinely benefits both providers and patients, various factors must be considered. The data shared with providers should be insightful, actionable, and seamlessly integrated into their workflow. The key lies in developing data that aligns with the provider’s decision-making process, ultimately enhancing their ability to personalize patient care. While the ultimate decisions should always remain in the hands of the providers, technology can serve as a valuable support tool, simplifying their tasks. One effective approach involves the implementation of intelligent EMRs that incorporate clear visual cues, such as stoplight concepts, to promptly highlight a patient’s status and prioritize those requiring immediate attention. Above all, technology should not demand an advanced level of technical proficiency from providers; it should be designed to be accessible and user-friendly. When technology is not designed with providers in mind, it can become counterproductive, detracting from patient care rather than enhancing it.
Responding to Labor Shortages
Technology presents a viable solution to address the pressing challenge of healthcare labor shortages, an issue of great concern to providers and administrators alike. Firstly, it significantly enhances efficiency by enabling healthcare providers to extend their reach to a larger number of patients through online consultations, surpassing the limitations of in-person visits. This capability becomes particularly crucial as the industry grapples with staffing shortages and diminishing reimbursements from payers. Secondly, the growing preference among healthcare professionals for delivering care virtually underscores the pivotal role of healthcare technology and telehealth solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic played an instrumental role in normalizing online healthcare, establishing it as a socially acceptable and effective means of care delivery for both providers and patients. Moreover, clinics have the opportunity to address staffing shortages by recruiting providers who specialize in remote work, thus expanding their client reach and mitigating workforce gaps.
To ensure that technology does not add to the challenges faced by healthcare organizations, it is imperative for them to engage in ongoing collaboration with providers at every stage of adoption. This collaborative approach entails actively involving providers in the decision-making process, workflow development, and the implementation of technology solutions. When providers have a voice in selecting the tools they use and determining how these tools are integrated, technology becomes a valuable asset rather than an impediment.
In an era marked by numerous healthcare challenges, the collective impact of technology emerges as a beacon of hope. By embracing technology solutions that prioritize providers and patients at the core, healthcare organizations can not only address labor shortages but also cultivate a healthcare ecosystem characterized by efficiency, collaboration, and personalization. The path ahead is laden with opportunities where technology’s full potential is harnessed to positively transform the lives of healthcare providers and the individuals they serve.
Patrick Tarnowski
Patrick Tarnowski is chief commercial officer at OneStep.
