From EHR systems to patient mobile applications, hospitals and health systems are deploying digital tools that have transformed the way they deliver patient-centric care.
Becker's spoke with CIOs from four health systems to learn about their best digital technology investments and how they have benefited their organizations.
1. Electronic health record systems: EHRs have represented a transformation in how hospitals provide healthcare and will serve as a critical foundation for future advances, said Daniel Nigrin, MD, chief information office of Portland-based Mainehealth. He said despite EHRs' flaws, Mainehealth's rollout of its system has been the hospital's best investment yet.
2. Patient portals: Patient portals have been an essential tool that allows patients to participate in their care in a deeper way, according to Ellen Pollack, MSN, RN, interim CIO of Los Angeles-based UCLA Health. She said UCLA Health's portals allow patients to schedule appointments, view laboratory results, read clinician notes, monitor upcoming tests and procedures, message their care teams and ask questions.
3. Mobile applications: Mobile apps are the best way to connect patients with health systems, according to Micheal Saad, CIO and senior vice president of Knoxville-based UT Medical Center. UT Medical's mobile app provides patients with patient portal access, price estimator tools, prescription refills, directions and wait times for the nearest urgent care, access to test results and the ability to schedule telemedicine visits.
4. Data analytics: "Harnessing the power of data is now essential to any progressive healthcare provider," said George Hickman, interim CIO of San Diego-based San Ysidro Health. Investment in analytics allows health systems to curate and triangulate data from multiple sources of origin, address proper statistical approaches to assure decision making quality and precision, present data and data findings through visualizations, and the use of predictive and pattern recognition tools, according to Mr. Hickman.