The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently issued an RFI focused on IT solutions for perioperative workflow. In the aftermath of EHR implementations, hospitals are facing the harsh realization that, following great expense and organizational pain, EHR’s actually add to the complexity of clinical workflow. This is evidenced by lower patient throughput and increased costs. Thus, hospital executives are starting to search for more robust “workflow” assistance, especially in areas, like surgical services, that can account for 40%-60% of hospital revenue.
The AHA request begins by stating:
“Clearing patients for a surgical procedure is a lengthy process that involves managing several logistics. It requires coordinating members of the care team, allocating the necessary staff and equipment, reserving a room/ space for the procedure, preparing the patient physically and mentally prior to the procedure and administering the necessary medication and drugs for the procedure. Hospitals that effectively manage these logistics can avoid delays and cancellations of the patient’s procedure, prevent clinical errors and reduce readmissions.”
The RFI goes on to say: “Perioperative care management solutions can improve care coordination and achieve greater efficiency in resource utilization and workflows. Therefore, AHA Solutions is engaged in the process of identifying a partner who will provide the AHA and its associated hospitals with a perioperative care management solution.”
Furthermore, in an article written for EHR Science, Jerome Carter writes: “According to Google, “clinical workflow analysis” is the most popular search term that brings visitors to EHR Science. I am not surprised. Workflow disruptions are increasingly being recognized as workarounds, usability issues, safety concerns, and CDS problems. The first step to solving any problem is recognizing that it exists.” Follow this link for the entire article: https://ehrscience.com/2014/12/15/a-place-for-everything-clinical-workflow/
Optimium Health applauds both EHR Science and the AHA decision to open an RFI and has submitted OPTIMI$ER as a candidate to fulfill its perioperative workflow solution goal. The time has come, now that the dust has settled on EHR implementations, for hospitals to see for themselves that EHR’s are not the Holy Grail to fix systemic clinical workflow inefficiency that costs time, money, and patient safety and satisfaction.
If you would like more information on how Optimium Health can help your organization improve IT interoperability while lowering operational costs and enhancing care delivery, please contact: heather@optimiumhealth.com