Unlocking IT Success in a Rural Healthcare Haven
Meeting Community Needs with Legacy Vendors
In our journey with a legacy vendor, we've managed to fulfill our community's needs while staying adaptable to new technology. We communicate with providers to ensure they can address patient needs promptly. It's our top priority to bring the right tech investments at the optimal time. Facilitating cross-department relationships is crucial as it leads to productive enhancements. The right partner should involve stakeholders throughout the facility, and we should take time to evaluate the best technology.For instance, when a new end-user requirement arises, we work in partnership with our legacy vendors to find solutions. This ensures that our IT systems remain agile and meet the evolving needs of our community.
We also understand that collaboration with the EHR partner is an enterprise-wide effort. By involving all departments, we can address pain points and enhance our systems effectively.
The Value of Optimizing Current Systems
Optimization over rip and replace offers several benefits. We initially faced meaningful use challenges and needed to migrate to one EHR system. A vendor that understood our small, acute care health system was crucial. Now, with proper tools, we deliver high-quality care at the right cost.Regular adaptations and improvements keep our systems up to date, preventing the need for new integrations. Optimization saves clinicians time, allowing them to focus on patient care. We aim to enhance our current technology rather than implementing new, costly systems.
Through this process, we've learned that the patient journey is at the heart of successful implementation. Regular dialogue between IT teams, leadership, and vendors is essential for continuous adaptation and relationship building.
Facilitating Social Determinants of Health Data Capture
Our facility values social determinants of health (SDOH) as it provides insights into our community's overall well-being. In a rural setting, we face unique challenges in patient privacy.We tapped case managers to perform SDOH data capture. Since nurses already had a lot of paperwork, additional documentation was not ideal. Case managers meet with patients before discharge and collect data at the bedside, increasing compliance and providing a comprehensive view of our community's social needs.
We also respect patient privacy by taking an educational approach. Patients and their families are willing to share sensitive information when they understand its importance in providing better care. Additionally, we evaluated our SDOH data and discovered transportation gaps. In response, we started an Artesia General shuttle service to transport patients to appointments. With accurate SDOH data, we are better equipped to meet our patients' and community's needs.
Eric Jimenez, the CIO at Artesia General Hospital, has shared these insights based on his experiences. As the hospital looks to the future, it continues to seek growth avenues and improve patient and employee experiences through technology.