When It Comes to Patient Safety, ‘Good Enough’ Is Simply Not
While we will never fully eradicate safety events, we can ensure we manage safety better. This is especially critical now. We are only beginning to fully realize some of the pandemic’s far-reaching consequences, including extreme turnover among our most experienced nursing and clinical staff, pervasive budget cuts, and department or hospital closures, all of which threaten even the most robust quality and care safeguards.
Bringing State-of-the-Art Technology to Critical Care Education
Emergency medical services fill a critical need throughout the country, especially in rural areas. When there’s an accident or a patient needs higher-acuity care than a small community hospital can provide, air and ground medical transport services save lives.
5D Technology Offers Innovative Approach to Evaluate the Fetal Heart
Congential heart defects (CHD) not only cost $5.6 billion in hospitalizations annually, but also severely impact families in terms of added financial stress, increased caregiving time, and decreased mental health. To maximize the detection of CHD, all pregnant patients should receive a comprehensive ultrasound screening of the fetal heart.
How Virtual Monitoring Technology Improves Patient Safety
To overcome challenges associated with staffing shortages and improve patient safety, many leading hospitals and health systems have turned to virtual monitoring technology, in which a remote team of care providers supports a hospital’s bedside providers through audio and visual connections in patient rooms. This model of care helps health systems improve clinical safety and quality while liberating their bedside nurses to provide elevated, hands-on patient care.
AR, VR Technology Gives Clinicians a New View of Complex Surgeries
As chief of the division of neurological surgery at the Lehigh Valley Health Network, Walter Jean, MD, has been using AR and VR for more than five years, not only to plan delicate surgeries, but to actually do those surgeries as well. The technology helps him to get a better look at a patient’s anatomy both before and during the procedure.
New CMS CPT Codes Put Emphasis on Remote Therapeutic Monitoring
With nearly half of adults in the U.S. affected by musculoskeletal conditions, improved reimbursement will help expand care to patients in need, especially those faced with compounding effects of chronic pain such as depression and inactivity, as well as comorbidities like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or obesity.
Technology and Automation to Help Prevent Staff Burnout
With greater burden on staff and a rising shortage of personnel, organizations are turning to technology to alleviate the stressors that are driving staff away or preventing them from practicing at the top of their license. One way they’re accomplishing this is automating tasks wherever possible. In fact, McKinsey says that roughly a third of all healthcare provider tasks are automatable.
Engineering With Empathy: Medtech’s Missing Piece in the OR
The conversation around applying empathy in patient care commonly includes patient-facing clinicians, but it is time for that conversation to extend to product developers and engineers in medical technology companies. Many organizations are already incorporating patient-centered principles in their approach, but there is an opportunity to delve deeper.
Delivering Better Care in a More Cost-Effective Way With Point-of-Care Ultrasound
Enhanced handheld POCUS devices are simpler and less expensive than traditional ultrasound solutions, so healthcare facilities that start using POCUS will see significant cost savings when deploying the devices. Their simplicity also allows more hospitals to adopt ultrasound and offer it to more patients, which can improve the overall patient experience and health outcomes.
A Four-Step Guide to EHR System Implementation
EHR deployment is not a one-time effort but a continuous process that needs to reflect changes in industry trends and care provision methods. Providers must review, update, and optimize their systems to ensure their efficiency over time. Here’s a step-by-step plan covering all critical aspects of a future-proof EHR implementation.