The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is testing the use of "smart rooms" equipped with computer screens that display patient's vital signs, medications and other personal information. The computer system also presents reminders to patients to ask for help in getting out of bed if they are at risk for falls.
While reporting December's feature article, Not Just 'Techies' Anymore, I was struck by how much my sources realized the value of the intangibles in workplace motivation. The two "Eds" I interviewed--Ed Marx and Ed Martinez--just seemed to "get" what many managers don't. That it takes much more than a paycheck to motivate today's staff. "People thrive on recognition," said Ed Martinez, the CIO at Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. Likewise, Ed Marx, the former CIO at University Hospitals in Cleveland, talked about "connecting the heart" of the people in IT.
Now neither of the two Eds is what you would call a touchy-feely type. They both understand that any good business operation functions on accountability and responsibility. Ed Marx went so far as to publicize his department's performance metrics in upholding service level agreements. It's a practice he hopes to continue at his newest challenge, as CIO at Texas Health Resources.
Both of these fellows acted on the same premise: that the analysts, engineers, and even help desk staff in the IT department want--if not need--to feel connected to the medical mission of their hospitals. Oftentimes, "computer staff" are dismissed as just techno-geeks with little ability to relate to us regular folk (Dilbert, take a bow). Truth is, they can be every bit as dedicated to the mission of the hospital as the most overachieving physician. You just need to get them opportunities to work--and mingle--together.
That was the driving philosophy behind Ed Marx's long-running "Connections" program, in which IT staff--all the way up to the CIO himself--would shadow clinicians on the job. Marx described it as his most successful communications program, and said he will definitely try to replicate it at Texas Health Resources.
Having IT staff follow physicians, nurses, and other allied health professionals on the job created a two-way flow of information that resonates throughout the year. Not only did it teach the computer people what clinicians really need (like easily-portable devices), it informed the clinical staff just who they could turn to in the IT department. It was, in the current parlance, a "win-win." All it took was creativity to bring the cliché to life.
A new system provides approximately 200 patients at the 750-bed Spectrum Health/Butterworth campus in Grand Rapids, MI, the technology to surf the Internet, communicate electronically with healthcare teams, watch patient videos and enjoy movies and games powered by Xbox 360 software. Other features will eventually be added, including interpreters to communicate with foreign-language patients; video-conferencing and messages chaplains can leave for patients they have missed on their rounds. The "Care Console" is a partnership between Cerner Corp. and Microsoft.
Champions in Healthcare, a new consulting firm founded by clinicians, hopes to overcome one of the greatest barriers to widespread use of health-IT by concentrating on how physicians and nurses think and work. The group had a "soft launch" in early January but is aiming to make a bigger splash at the annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in late February.
The California Regional Health Information Organization has announced that Cisco Systems, Inc. has agreed in principle to participate with its technology partners, in building the the largest statewide health information exchange service in the United States. Cisco will participate in strategy development, infrastructure design and deployment, and implementation services for the not-for-profit CalRHIO Health Information Exchange Utility Service.
Spectrum Health has announced a strategic relationship with Cerner and Microsoft Corp. in developing a consumer-centric technology that empowers patients to take an active role in their care. The Care Console system keeps patients informed about their condition, medical care and provider team during their hospital stay. Spectrum Health is piloting implementation of the Care Console system in one of its units at its 750-bed Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI.