LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO STREAMLINE YOUR RESPONSE TO COVID- 19

Fighting against COVID-19 requires a collaborative approach.

During a webinar on April 22, healthcare leaders joined Modern Healthcare Custom Media to discuss how technology can be used to address COVID-19. Our four experts — Rick Gannotta from Masimo, Annie Haarmann from Reputation.com, John Jesser from Amwell and Dr. Ben Kanter from Vocera — shared their insights on why providers must harness the power of technology to bolster the patient experience and improve quality of care during the pandemic and long after. To access the full webinar, visit: www.modernhealthcare.com/COVID19TechWebinar.

Communication is an essential component of COVID-19 care.

Effective communication is vital for health systems to operate efficiently and safely in the midst of chaos. There is a heightened need to support staff — especially in isolation settings — while also optimizing patient throughput. Clear communication is critical for both clinical and operational purposes and is considered an important part of PPE. While it may not be protective equipment, being able to effectively communicate ensures smooth processes within a system, between staff members, patients and their families. When possible, hands-free digital communication ensures staff members are getting the right contextual information to their team members, including critical diagnostic data like COVID-19 test results. This can potentially free up isolation rooms and improve throughput.

As health systems begin to reopen facilities, it’s important to focus on consumer relationships and the patient experience to rebuild a positive consumer environment.

In preparation for the aftermath of COVID-19, health systems need to place a focus on driving patient volume toward revenue-building services and connecting with patients across digital platforms, including social media and patient portals. COVID-19 has caused fear among patients in their health system, wondering if they will have access to safe patient care. The focus after the pandemic should be on reimagining the patient experience and reassuring consumers. A positive patient experience will make patients feel safer in the post-pandemic world.

Healthcare organizations are stretched thin as they manage quality care.

Leaders are eager to find innovative ways to manage patients and staff safely and effectively amid crisis. Reliable communication has become essential to the frontline staff caring for infected patients and capacity management has become a significant priority as emergency department volume surges and hospital beds dwindle. As many patient encounters shift to virtual, leaders must ensure care quality is maintained and that the patient experience remains positive. This is particularly important as leaders consider how this new normal will impact their patient acquisition and retention strategies.

Capacity management is a critical concern for health systems battling cases of COVID-19 alongside normal care.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 across the world, hospitals have been forced to devise innovative strategies for avoiding overcapacity. Some are diverting care into the homes of patients, enabling remote monitoring of heart rate and other vital signs to free up space within hospital walls using sophisticated diagnostic technology platforms. Remote patient monitoring should be a component of providers’ surge plans, which should focus on maintaining quality of care amid unprecedented events.

Moving to virtual care has proved to be efficient, affordable and safer for patients at risk of infection.

The risk of infection has driven patients to avoid getting in-person examinations. As a result, wait times on telehealth platforms have increased ten-fold and the number of patients calling their care physicians has blocked phone lines. As health systems look to meet this demand, they’re also considering how telehealth may be used more widely in the future. Providers should consider whether shifting certain clinics to virtual care can allow some clinicians to see more patients without the costly investment of building facilities, which also carry risk for healthcare-associated infections. Moving care to virtual settings can be more flexible for patients and staff, and more cost efficient for already-strained health systems.