Discussion: Healthcare Information Technology Trends

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      As the healthcare industry continues to evolve and the number of the patient population using digital tools increases, it is essential that health care professionals have the skills and knowledge to evaluate and recommend digital tools for optimizing their work. The availability of medical apps has been a critical step in the modernization of the medical world. They are available for various platforms such as hospitals, clinics, universities, and training centers (Thomairy, N.A. et al., 2015).

 

      In a healthcare environment, more people use mobile apps and social media tools to improve their health care (Skiba, D., 2017). Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) refer to providing healthcare services through mobile devices, such as mobile phones and digital assistants. They are used by consumers and healthcare professionals and are available for download on various mobile platforms (Thomairy, N.A. et al., 2015).  In my organization, we utilize voalte phones. The use of voalte phones by healthcare providers has become a significant development. This technology allows my healthcare providers to receive and respond to secure messages, monitor patient calls, and provide critical alarms (Datta, N. et al., 2020). In our Emergency Department (ED), we all have a voalte phone to communicate with the physician and other healthcare teams faster. For instance, when I receive critical lab results call, I can call or text a massage physician regarding the lab results and obtained orders. Using a volate phone in an emergency medical unit can help decrease wait times for medical services, improve communication and improve the clinical decisions between nurses and physicians (Dongmo Fotsing, L. N. et al., 2021). Despite these positive effects, utilizing voalte phones remains challenging. The main challenge with voalte is the network connectivity. Most of the time, issues related to network connectivity can prevent communication between users. This can cause various issues such as failed calls, interrupted calls, and hang-up messages. Another challenge is that Voalte phones can disturb some clinicians (Datta, N. et al., 2020). This example is usually used during morning rounds.

 

      Mobile health applications are tools that help a patient manage their health and promote healthy living. They can also provide access to personalized health information anytime, anywhere (Dongmo Fotsing, L. N., et al., 2021).

References: 

 

Datta, N., Derenne, J., Sanders, M., & Lock, J. D. (2020). Telehealth transition in a comprehensive care unit for eating disorders: Challenges and long‐term benefits. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(11), 1774–1779. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23348

Dongmo Fotsing, L. N., Pang, E. M., & Shieh, L. (2021). How is mobile health technology transforming physician–nurse collaboration? Internal Medicine Journal, 51(9), 1522–1525. https://doi.org/10.1111/imj.15484

 

Thomairy, N., Mummaneni, M., Alsalamah, S., Moussa, N., & Coustasse, A. (2015). Use of smartphones in hospitals. The Health Care Manager, 34(4), 297–307. https://doi.org/10.1097/hcm.0000000000000080

 

Skiba, D. (2017). Evaluation tools to appraise social media and mobile applications. Informatics, 4(3),32-40. https://doaj.org/article/01d0b14596e4496d92ef16177ed2c5a1?

 

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Thank you Kene. Good example of how technology can improve outcomes.

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5 months ago

Tina Alino 

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Hello Kene,

I really enjoyed reading your discussion post. Because of social distancing practices and global lockdowns, the Covid-19 pandemic has inevitably resulted in an increase in the usage of digital technologies. Employees are adopting new “normals,” such as totally online meetings, office work moving to the home, and flexible workplace patterns forming (De’ et al., 2020). It’s fascinating to learn that emergency departments now interact through cell phones (Voalte Phones). I used to believe that only staff in psychiatric facilities contact physicians and other staff by cell phone.

The hospital where I work uses vocera to communicate with providers and employees. Physicians and employees can communicate and cooperate instantly with the Vocera System. It’s what allows the correct person to get the right timely information and to identify which information is by far the most significant. It enables physicians and staff, patients, and families to have more life experiences (“Vocera,” n.d.). The biggest issue I see with vocera is that it allows people to listen in on conversations that you probably don’t want them to hear, infringing on the privacy of patients. Healthcare facilities must be cautious about which technologies they invest in, as research suggests that some have poor evidence of enhancing patient safety results (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017).

Alotaibi, Y. K., & Federico, F. (2017). The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi medical journal, 38(12), 1173–1180. https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2017.12.20631

De’, R., Pandey, N., & Pal, A. (2020). Impact of digital surge during Covid-19 pandemic: A viewpoint on research and practice. International journal of information management, 55, 102171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102171

Vocera. (n.d.). Learn about the Vocera communication platform.  https://www.vocera.com/microsite/communication-platform-brand?utm_source=Paid_Search&utm_medium=Bing&utm_campaign=Brand_SEM&utm_content=vocera%20healthcare&utm_term=vocera%20healthcare&msclkid=0c18c8e7e4e0197ca9a5a9b9c1aae5c4

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5 months ago

Tanaka Ruzvidzo 

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Marisa Buffa 

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Adam Hundley 

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Tanaka Ruzvidzo 

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Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Kene Fall 

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Annisha Mcgowan 

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Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Annisha Mcgowan 

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jennifer girgis 

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Kene Fall 

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Marisa Buffa 

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Miguel Rodrigo Estrera 

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Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Paola Gaudioso 

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Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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5 months ago

Sophie Enjema Ndumbe 

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5 months ago

Mauricio De Regules 

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Paola, 

I enjoyed reading your information quite a bit, I agree that Telehealth has its flaws also in maybe the patient needing that human contact instead of just relying on looking at a screen even if it is very accessible to them. Telehealth is a rapidly growing health care delivery modality with advanced practice nurses as key providers (Rutledge et al., 2021). Another thing that I have experienced in the hospital since the pandemic is just like you said an increase in mental health patients ranging from problems with increased anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes a clinical illness Covid-19, has had a major impact on mental health globally (Leightley et al., 2021). 

 

References: 

 

     Leightley, D., Lavelle, G., White, K. M., Sun, S., Matcham, F., Ivan, A., Oetzmann, C., Penninx, B. W. J. H., Lamers, F., Siddi, S., Haro, J. M., Myin-Germeys, I., Bruce, S., Nica, R., Wickersham, A., Annas, P., Mohr, D. C., Simblett, S., Wykes, T., … Hotopf, M. (2021). Investigating the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on adults with a recent history of recurrent major depressive disorder: a multi-Centre study using remote measurement technology. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1), 435. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03434-5 

     Rutledge, C. M., O’Rourke, J., Mason, A. M., Chike-Harris, K., Behnke, L., Melhado, L., Downes, L., & Gustin, T. (2021). Telehealth Competencies for Nursing Education and Practice: The Four P’s of Telehealth. Nurse Educator, 46(5), 300–305. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000988 

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5 months ago

Sophie Enjema Ndumbe 

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General healthcare technology trends

The introduction of technology has brought positive changes in healthcare, both the patients and the hospital staff are satisfied with the new services.  Telemedicine is one technology which I have observed in my practice area. This is something which many patients and hospitals have started using due to reasons best known to them. It can be that a person cannot walk, or the individual is in a long-distance area where they prefer to do a virtual visit through video.

People see physicians and they consult to them using this means, it is convenient for both the patient and the physicans. The physician, do all the assessment, diagnosis, evaluation of patients through this method. Correia et al. (2021) states “telemedicine is the practice by which telecommunication and information technology are used to provide clinical health care to distant patients” (p.209). Telemedicine has made it easy for patients to talk directly to specialist regarding their healthcare conditions.  People who use telemedicine will spend less because they do not have to pay for transportation going to the hospital and their virtual visit is cheap when compared to inpatient visits.

Potential challenges or risks and Benefits

Technology might fail when it is not properly installed. When patients or physicians start having problems with telemedicine, then it means that they will not trust the system. People will prefer to go to outpatient’s clinics even for the management of minor conditions, they will have to spend more on transportation and bills. The network system can be a very serious challenge especially in remote areas. Patient’s information needs to be secured and privacy kept but if the information is not secured it will be violation of privacy. Some physicians find it difficult to do telemedicine visits on patients who have many different medical conditions (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017).

Benefit includes patient’s been happy with the services and they spend less money, even though they might still have some small bills sent to them. It increases patient care and efficiencies; patients are being monitored by their physicians by doing follow up visits. According to Potter et al. (2016) telemedicine improves quality of care especially in people in small rural areas. Privacy is maintained when this system is used so the patient has confidence with the facility providing the services.

Promising health care trends.

The use of the implanted continuous glucose monitoring machine. This is use for checking the blood sugar levels for diabetic patients. Many people now prefer to use this system because they will not have to be stick with a needle all the time to check their blood sugars. The continuous glucose monitoring machine help to control blood glucose in patients more efficiently (Kim et al., 2012). This is promising because I have met a lot of patients who are planning to get the sensors placed in them, they are happy with the results from research that they have heard from other people.  The use of this device has improved patient health outcomes.

 

References

Correia, J. C., Meraj, H., Teoh, S. H., Waqas, A., Ahmad, M., Lapão, L. V., Patakya, Z., & Golaya, A. (2021). Telemedicine to deliver diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 99(3), 209–220B. https://doi-org/10.2471/BLT.19.250068

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Kim, H.-S., Shin, J.-A., Chang, J.-S., Cho, J.-H., Son, H.-Y., & Yoon, K.-H. (2012). Continuous glucose monitoring: current clinical use. Diabetes/Metabolism Research & Reviews, 28, 73–78. https://doi-org. /10.1002/dmrr.2346

 

Potter, A. J., Ward, M. M., Natafgi, N., Ullrich, F., MacKinney, A. C., Bell, A. L., & Mueller, K. J. (2016). Perceptions of the Benefits of Telemedicine in Rural Communities. Perspectives in Health Information Management, 1–13.

 

 

 

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5 months ago

Annisha Mcgowan 

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Hi Sophie, pleasure reading your discussion post. Telemedicine is health services delivered by telecommunications ready tools, supervised, or directed by a physician (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). Telehealth has increased tremendously due to COVID-19. There was an increase volume of patients seeking appointments with doctor. Telehealth made it easier for healthcare providers to see and provide care to the large quantity of patients. Telemonitoring is an important part of telehealth. With telemonitoring patients can monitor their vital signs and give results to healthcare provider via telehealth visits. Home telemonitoring is one type of remote patient monitoring, which has shown and is showing potential to improve clinical and patient-reported outcomes and ensure cost reductions for health care practices (Azevedo et al., 2021). Telemonitoring can detect abnormal changes with chronic diseases and prevent readmissions into the hospital. I do agree with you that a risk of telemedicine is failure of technology. I have been on a video visit with my provider before where there were technical difficulties and took time to get the system back up and running.

References

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Azevedo, S., Rodrigues, T. C., & Londral, A. R. (2021). Domains and Methods Used to Assess Home Telemonitoring Scalability: Systematic Review. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, 9(8), e29381. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.2196/29381

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5 months ago

Sophie Enjema Ndumbe 

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Dorothy Chudi-Agbaku 

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Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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Dorothy Chudi-Agbaku 

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Tammy Rodgers 

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5 months ago

Mauricio De Regules 

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A Reflection of Technology use in my Healthcare Organization 

The contemporary advances in digital healthcare technology have significantly impacted a range of healthcare practices and procedures while molding the future of healthcare practice. Some of the resources related to digital tools and technologies in my organization include Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tools, Telemedicine, and Telehealth Tools. The CDS comprises a system designed to assist clinicians, staff, and patients in gaining knowledge or managing information towards enhancing health and care practices (Sutton et al., 2020).  The CDS has assisted with diagnoses in my organization by helping track negative drug interactions amongst patients. On the other hand, Telemedicine and Telehealth Tools comprise a set of technological resources that have created a much more reliable platform for distributing health care services and information. My organization uses these tools in monitoring, providing care, education, and advice to long-distance patients.   

Timely and effective information management in healthcare is critical to improving outcomes in diagnosis and managing communication breakdowns. My organization recently adopted Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems to manage clinical data and information towards adding efficiency to our services. The EHR digitally records and stores clinical data, including demographics, medications, and problems from the clinical procedures (Schopf et al., 2019). There are hopes that the system shall improve the efficiency of services by reducing clinician workload and preventing potential medical errors.   

As the use of technology in healthcare advances, some of the likely future trends in healthcare include artificial intelligence tools, social media, and virtual concierge. Virtual concierge is a patient-based technology that can provide conversational or contextual help. The system can perform tasks ranging from answering phone calls and emails to handling payments. Trials on artificial intelligence tools have so far demonstrated the usefulness of the tools in making better judgments and reducing human errors (Davenport & Kalakota, 2019). Some of the artificial intelligence tools currently in practice include radiology and immunotherapy tools that help identify infection patterns amongst cancer patients. Finally, many healthcare organizations are adopting social media in practice. These tools have enhanced professional networking by creating a reliable platform for sharing information, debating care policies, and promoting health behaviors.  

References: 

Davenport, T., & Kalakota, R. (2019). The potential for artificial intelligence in healthcare. Future Healthcare Journal, 6(2), 94-98. https://doi.org/10.7861/futurehosp.6-2-94 

Schopf, T., Nedrebø, B., Hufthammer, K., Daphu, I., & Lærum, H. (2019). How well is the electronic health record supporting the clinical tasks of hospital physicians? A survey of physicians at three Norwegian hospitals. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4763-0 

Sutton, R., Pincock, D., Baumgart, D., Sadowski, D., Fedorak, R., & Kroeker, K. (2020). An overview of clinical decision support systems: benefits, risks, and strategies for success. Npj Digital Medicine, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-020-0221-y 

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5 months ago

Tammy Rodgers 

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Response 2 to Mauricio

Mauricio,

You stated in your post that your organization recently transitioned to EHR and I am curious to know how you feel about the change. My facility still utilizes paper charting with future plans of converting and I can foresee that it will be a learning curve for a lot of employees as the “kinks” get worked out post-implementation. EHR was largely created for billing purposes and is now being utilized for research purposes (Kim, et al., 2019). Randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard in the evaluation of healthcare treatments and with EHR, “databases can gather information on patient variables during routine clinical care” to use for data in the trial (McCord, et al., 2019). Even though EHR is costly to implement and is at risk for data breaches, the benefits that are reaped from its use are revolutionary in healthcare. I hope one day that my facility makes the move toward this technology.

Tammy

 

References

Kim, E., Rubinstein, S. M., Nead, K. T., Wojcieszynski, A. P., Gabriel, P. E., & Warner, J. L. (2019). The evolving use of electronic health records (ehr) for research. Seminars in Radiation Oncology, 29(4), 354–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semradonc.2019.05.010

Mc Cord, K. A., Ewald, H., Ladanie, A., Briel, M., Speich, B., Bucher, H. C., & Hemkens, L. G. (2019). Current use and costs of electronic health records for clinical trial research: A descriptive study. CMAJ Open, 7(1), E23–E32. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20180096

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5 months ago

salome ugwu 

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     In today’s world, we’re hardly ever without our mobile devices, and health care researchers are beginning to leverage these technologies to manage our health and behaviors. This brought about mhealth, an emerging tool for providing healthcare services to a larger world population in different healthcare domains, which allows for continuity of acute, chronic care, prompt diagnosis, and proper treatment (Moore et al., 2016). The benefit of this technology includes guaranteed privacy, different strategies, and techniques in care,  collaboration amongst providers, real-time access to dynamic information on diseases, etc.

           In view of the recent global crisis or outbreak, the benefits are focused more on remote care and source of reliable information. There is a need for good disease surveillance which is dependent on real-time, good quality data that can be shared to support analysis, modelling and forecasting. Mhealth relevancy became paramount and has increased in digital epidemiology tools, chatbot and other technologies aiming to help each country tackle the crisis.  Additionally, electronic health record (EHR) systems have a critical role to play for symptom logging, admissions reporting and management tracking. Unfortunately, due to the growth of crime, technological malware and increased remuneration for the legal and illegal data trade, information security of patient data is being regularly compromised.

Research by Alghamdi et al., (2015) postulates that “mHealth has brought with it serious security concerns, for as wireless information travels through the atmosphere, it’s prone to be intercepted, interjected, modified, or even destroyed. Resolving this will involved endless improving and refining the system. There is also an imperative need for a health information system to work together within and across organizational boundaries in order to advance effective delivery but often times technology acts as silos that do not want to communicate or share information. Lack of awareness of technology and infrastructure in a poor cellular network is another issue. This can be resolved by improving access to cellular networks which will allow more accessibility between patients and professionals.

 

            However, despite all of the common barriers listed above, mHealth is fast growing globally! Health care professionals and patients need to work together in addressing the common barriers and promote integration. This can be achieved by creating common regulations, recognizing mHealth as a medical service, minimizing costs for setup and maintenance, enforcing patient privacy, confidentiality and educating both providers and patients of the advantages of mHealth (Houser, 2018). Going forward, adopting best practices is imperative amongst professionals like strong authenticating and encrypting of standards and protocols for securing information stored on/or accessed by devices.

                                                            References

Alghamdi, M., Gashgari, H., & Househ, M. (2015). A Systematic Review of Mobile Health Technology Use in Developing Countries. Studies In Health Technology And Informatics, 213, 223–226.

Moore, M.A., Coffman, M., Jetty, A., Petterson, S., & Bazemore, A. (2016). Only 15% of FPs report using telehealth; Training and lack of reimbursement are top barriers. American Family Physician,93(2), 101.

Houser, Shannon H, PhD., Houser, H. W., PhD., & Puro, N., M.H.A. (2018). The intersection of mHealth and health informatics. Journal of AHIMA, 89(2), 36-37. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.proxy.bsu.edu/docview/1987359125?accountid=8483

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5 months ago

ZULFIQAR ABBAS 

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Hello Salome,

I agree that we are in a technology world, no life without mobile devices, computers, iPad, tablets. These devices allow us to access your required stuff anywhere and anytime whether you’re in a home, country, or out of the country. There are benefits we are getting in our daily life. Healthcare had adopted these tools and technology to get these outstanding benefits to provide a good quality of care. Outstanding benefits of technology in healthcare are emerging in smaller practices and organizations as well as in larger organizations and hospitals those adopted early (Buntin, et al; 2011). Healthcare technology is very helpful to provide and monitor acute care, chronic care, and preventative, and continuity of care in an organized manner.

Electronic Health Records proved its need in each practice with its paramount benefits. In the current century, it is a big discovery in the healthcare industry besides other medical research and discoveries. No one is unaware of great performance. However, there are issues with the technology and EHRs the most is the security, safety, and proper surveillance of the data. Data should be protected with different levels and continuous surveillance is required for the safety of data. I agree that even after having all the protective measures there is a chance of data leak. All organizations must ensure that all the healthcare data must be secured with various available tools to protect confidential information. There are different security systems out there but the most recent is the Data Leakage Prevention System (DLPs) (Alneyadi, et al; 2016). DLPs use advanced technology to detect and prevent the leakage of confidential data is used, in transit, and even in rest as well. Another Privacy Protective platform has been proposed to secrete sharing and repairing simultaneously if data loss is detected for patients’ privacy (Luo, et al, 2018). 

 

                                                                              References 

Alneyadi, S., Sithirasenan, E., & Muthukkumarasamy, V. (2016). A survey on data leakage prevention systems. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 62, 137-152.

 

Buntin, M. B., Burke, M. F., Hoaglin, M. C., & Blumenthal, D. (2011). The benefits of health information technology: a review of the recent literature shows predominantly positive results. Health affairs, 30(3), 464-471.

 

Luo, E., Bhuiyan, M. Z. A., Wang, G., Rahman, M. A., Wu, J., & Atiquzzaman, M. (2018). Privacyprotector: Privacy-protected patient data collection in IoT-based healthcare systems. IEEE Communications Magazine, 56(2), 163-168.

  

 

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5 months ago

Chaquita Nichols 

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I agree, everyone has some type of mobile device from their phone to computers. Healthcare has taken on technology in many ways. They are able to provide care without being in the hospital because of mobile technology. “In a connected care environment, more citizens are engaging in their health care through mobile apps and social media tools. Given this growing health care engagement, it is important for health care professionals to have the knowledge and skills to evaluate and recommend appropriate digital tools” (Skiba, D., 2017). According to the Laureate video, patients have access to Facebook and other social groups in which they can find people with similar health conditions. “One of the first tools to examine mobile apps was developed by the mHealth Group of the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society. The purpose is to provide support to help health care professionals or staff members in selecting appropriate mobile app tools for themselves, as well as patient populations” (Skiba, D., 2017). Patients are able to communicate with their doctor or make appointments. There are also have apps for patients to reach out to doctors from anywhere in the world. We just need to keep up with the growth of technology and its benefits.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Informatics Tools and Technologies [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Skiba, D. (2017). Evaluation tools to appraise social media and mobile applications. Informatics, 4(3), 32–40. 

 

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5 months ago

Kirsi Hoselton 

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Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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5 months ago

Kirsi Hoselton 

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Dr.Moyers,

Thank you for your response. You ask a great question that comes up daily as a triage nurse. Depending on which state you live in, the answer is that it will decipher if a nurse practitioner can practice across state lines (Telehealth licensing requirements and interstate compacts, 2021). For instance, if a nurse practitioner holds a nurse licensure compact (NLC), they are allowed to practice in other states (Nurse Licensure Compact, 2021). However, not all states are considered NLC states. For example, South Dakota (SD) is considered an NLC  (Nurse Licensure Compact, 2021). A practitioner that lives in SD will qualify for a multi-state license (Nurse Licensure Compact, 2021). Therefore, if the practitioner lives in Minnesota (MN), the practitioner must have a license to practice in SD (Nurse Licensure Compact, 2021) however, if the practitioner lives in SD and practices in MN (Nurse Licensure Compact, 2021).

Reference

Nurse licensure compact – SD dept. of health. (n.d.). https://doh.sd.gov/boards/nursing/compact.aspx.

Telehealth licensing requirements and interstate compacts. Telehealth.HHS.gov. (n.d.). (2021). https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/policy-changes-during-the-covid-19-public-health-emergency/telehealth-licensing-requirements-and-interstate-compacts/.

 

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5 months ago

April Ward 

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  Discussion week 6

       A general healthcare technology trend that I have observed in my facility is the use of electronic health records.  According to HealthIT.gov (2018c), instead of using a paper chart, there is a digital version of the paper chart used in electronic health records (EHR).  In my facility, the use of EHR has just been initiated this year, so it is pretty new to the nurses still.

       One challenge that has been associated with the initiation of electronic health records has been learning a new way of doing things.  It can be really difficult to learn totally different charting habits when you have been doing them a certain way for many years.  As stated by Laureate Education (2018), nurses are required to change old habits when presented with new technology.

       In electronic health records, one potential benefit that I have found is that the information is only available to those who are able to have access to it, such as the nurse who is caring for the patient.  One potential risk associated with data safety, legislation and potential care for the data contained in EHR is that human error can compromise the data.  Besides human error, computer hackers and viruses are other threats to data integrity (McGonigle & Mastrian (2018).

       The healthcare technology trend that I believe is the most promising to impact healthcare technology in nursing is that of telehealth.  According to McGonigle & Mastrian (2018), healthcare is given through the use of technology when telehealth is used.  In my facility, we use telehealth to be able to have our medical providers, such as the doctor or nurse practitioner, see the patient and obtain information from the nurse who is at their home.  The nurse who goes to the home will make contact with the provider and show them the patient via secured app on their cell phone and be able to give and receive information to benefit the patient.  For example, when the patient is not able to come into the facility, I will go to their home and contact the doctor or nurse practitioner through telehealth.  I will let the patient communicate with the provider, give any pertinent information and then will follow orders, such as medication administration or assistance with hospitalization.  In the age of Covid, I believe that telehealth has been invaluable in continuing to provide care while protecting the health and safety of others.

References

HealthIT.gov. (2018c).  What is an electronic health record (EHR)?  https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr

 Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Electronic records and managing IT change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

 

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5 months ago

Kirsi Hoselton 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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April,

Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed reading your post. 

Post One

A newer technology implemented within the clinical setting is telemedicine and telehealth. According to the textbook, telehealth is described as “ telecommunication technologies used to deliver health-related services to connect patients to healthcare providers to maximize patients’ health status” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). Telehealth refers to various healthcare services distributed through tools such as; computers, video, or telephone (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). In contrast, telemedicine refers to telecommunications distributed through the supervision or direction of a healthcare provider (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022).

           In 2019, the meteoric spread of the coronavirus caused an abrupt change in how medical care was delivered throughout the healthcare systems ( McElroy et al., 2020). With changes implemented to federal policy on telehealth, patient care was changed from in-person visits to visits by telephone or video (McElroy et al., 2020). This shift puts patients with critical health diseases at risk for exacerbations (McElroy et al., 2020). Although the clinics are starting to see more patients in person, telemedicine or telehealth is still an option for all patients. Most of our providers are doing half in-person visits and half telemedicine.

           There are a variety of benefits that telemedicine and telehealth can bring. For instance, it allows collaboration for small-town hospitals to discuss some instances with providers who specialize. According to Medical News Today, telemedicine can lower health care costs (Medilexicon International, 2021). There is an improvement in access to healthcare and preventive care(Medilexicon International, 2021). Telemedicine can provide comfort to patients by allowing them to have visited in the comfort of their own homes (Medilexicon International, 2021). Finally, telemedicine can slow the spread of infection (Medilexicon International, 2021). Therefore, telemedicine and telehealth bring significant benefits to patients with limited access and providing comfortable patient care.

Reference

MediLexicon International. (n.d.). 2021 Telemedicine benefits, disadvantages, and uses. Medical News Today. Retrieved October 6, 2021, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/telemedicine-benefits#benefits.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Jones et Bartlett Learning.

McElroy, J. A., Day, T. M., & Becevic, M. (2020, July 16). The influence of telehealth for better health across communities. Preventing chronic disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7380287/.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Electronic Records and Managing IT Change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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5 months ago

Tiffany Turner 

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5 months ago

Jessica Ferrin 

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5 months ago

Chaquita Nichols 

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I do like the fact they are doing away with paper charting and upgrading to electronic health records. “EHR is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users” (HealthIT, 2018). Human error is a major risk factor. A risk with EHR is that we must trust that the other healthcare workers are charting the correct information on the correct patient. Nothing and no one is perfect and mistakes happen. So, we must get out of the habit of just clicking because we are used to certain things when we are charting. “Our world has been radically transformed by digital technology-smart phones, tablets, and web-enabled devices have transformed our daily lives and the way we communicate” (HealthIT, 2018). According to the Laureate video, EHR patients can communicate with their providers using portals. They would also be able to keep track of labs or VS. In the video it also stated other benefits such as accessibility (no matter where you are, you can pull up the information), Information organization (can find information easily), and Decision support (Able to see Dr. Notes, PT/OT, nurse’s notes, etc). I like the fact that doctors can access the patient’s information even when they are not at the hospital. They are also able to put in their orders if needed.

Reference

HealthIT.gov. (2018c). What is an electronic health record (EHR)? Retrieved from 

https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr

 Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Electronic Records and Managing IT Change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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5 months ago

Mauricio De Regules 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

COLLAPSE

April,  

It was very interesting to read you and I agree it can take a huge challenge to get used to a new system. The results demonstrate that the practical implementation of computer-based nursing documentation calls, alongside technical adaptations, for the consideration of organizational learning, defined as learning undertaken by a social unit comprising a range of groups with distinct interests (Eberl & Siegert., 2021). Coming from a work that used paper charting for a long time I really understand the frustration that this might bring to learn the whole system, but at the it is all worth because even for time management it’s an upgrade. Quality in nursing documentation holds promise to increase patient safety and quality of care (Moldkred et al., 2021). 

 

References: 

Moldskred, P. S.; SNIBSØER, A. K.; Espehaug, B. Improving the quality of nursing documentation at a residential care home: a clinical audit. BMC Nursing, [s. l.], v. 20, n. 1, p. 1–7, 2021. DOI 10.1186/s12912-021-00629-9. Disponível em: https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=151001174&site=eds-live&scope=site. Acesso em: 10 out. 2021. 

SIEGERT, T.; EBERL, I.,(2021). Organizational learning in hospitals: Evaluation of the implementation of IT-supported nursing documentation. Zeitschrift fuer Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualitaet im Gesundheitswesen, [s. l.], v. 161, p. 1–8, 2021. DOI 10.1016/j.zefq.2021.01.002. Disponível em: https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edselp&AN=S1865921721000027&site=eds-live&scope=site. Acesso em: 10 out. 2021. 

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5 months ago

Tammy Rodgers 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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5 months ago

Kirsi Hoselton 

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5 months ago

Tiffany Turner 

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During my first job as a Registered nurse I worked in a Psychiatric facility and one of the Psychologist would have the staff line his patients up to video conference with him. It was the early 2000’s and telehealth was not that popular during this time. This would have to be my first experience with telehealth and I found it quite impersonal to be honest. However, according to the institute of medicine Physicians has been treating and diagnosing their patients remotely since the 1920’s (HGA, Aug 2 2021). Since COVID telehealth and virtue offices has skyrocked (Roth, 2021). Currently at one of the facilities in which I am employed, the Physicians were utilizing cell phones to provide care to their patients. The Dept. of Mental Health is currently no longer holding Probably Cause Hearings within the hospital, hearings now take place via video conferencing or by telephone if there’s technical difficulties. Potential challenges with telehealth methods is technical difficulties which often occurs that collectively cause hours of unproductive over time and the loss of being able to accurately gage the personal appearance is loss. When the Dept. of Mental Health make decisions on rather to release the patient against medical advice, they use their five sense to make that determination. If a patient is malodorous and poorly groomed, the hearing officer and/or judge will miss those cues and the “opponent” of the patient will not tell the judge in the presence of the patient that he/she smells and is poorly groomed. Therefore, a patient maybe released but is unable to adequately care from themselves. The potential benefits of telehealth is reducing disease transmission and the capability to be more productive due to being able to see more patients within a shorter amount of time. The popularity of telehealth has infiltrated every aspect of healthcare and will forever be a part of patient care (Nesbitt, 2012). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

HGA Insight. (2021, February 8). The history of telehealth – hga. https://hga.com/the-history-of-telehealth/

Nesbitt, T. S. (2012). The Evolution of Telehealth: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207141/

ROTH, M. (2021, January 7). Telehealth usage rises with increase of covid-19 cases. HealthLeaders. https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/innovation/telehealth-usage-rises-increase-covid-19-cases

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5 months ago

Tina Alino 

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5 months ago

Amy Birkenstamm 

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5 months ago

Mercy Ambe Mbu 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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Health Technologies are software or information technology applied to improve patient safety, improve workflow, achieve the quality of care, reduce cost, improve access, and restructuring services. (McGonile & Matrian, 2017). Trending technologies in healthcare include Artificial intelligence, Virtual Concierge, Virtual reality, Mobile apps, barcodes, computerized physician order entry (CPOE) in electronic health records (EHR), telehealth, etc. Physicians now enter orders directly into the EHR, reducing or eliminating order transcription and interpretation errors. Nurses no longer have to interpret the difficult-to-read writing of physicians.  

Despite the tremendous positive impact of trending technologies on patient care outcomes, there are challenges involved. In 2008, the Joint commission cautioned clinicians that challenges related to technology use exist despite the positive effects of technology in healthcare advancement. (McGonile &Mastrian, 2017). The challenges associated with the use of trending technology include but are not limited to inadequate knowledge, insufficient personnel, experts use, and maintenance of IT. For example, EHR used in our institution has no backup plan. During downtime or upgrades, nurses have to document on paper. Such care written on paper might not readily be available to providers who depend on EHR to obtain patient information for quick decision-making (HealthIT.gov, 2018c).  Hence, Nurses, clinicians, and other users of health information technology require adequate training and caution during use, and health institutions will benefit from stand-by EHR for use during downtimes.

Telehealth is a trending technology that is significantly contributing to the improvement of patient outcomes. Psychiatry is one of the specialties that will benefit tremendously. According to Hubley et al. (2016), Patients and providers are generally satisfied with telepsychiatry. About 66% of primary care physicians in the United States report poor access to outpatient mental health services for their patients. Nearly 50% of rural hospitals have mental health professional shortages. (Cowan et al., 2019). Telepsychiatry is one way that technology is offering to help link providers and their patients in the community. Psychiatric patients who do not often qualify for home care services or transitional institutions and lack transportation to appointments will benefit from this technology. Telepsychiatry will provide a platform where patients and providers meet more often, and without displacement resulting in improved access to care, reduced appointment wait times, and reduces travel time and costs.

The success and advancement of telepsychiatry are evident. Due to its outstanding benefits, it is adopted by large organizations like the department of veteran affairs. In a study, Telepsychiatry use increased from 15.2% of facilities in 2010 to 29.2% in 2017. (Spivak et al., 2020). Telepsychiatry has the potential to deliver video conferencing to those living in rural areas or communities with limited healthcare access, thereby reducing health disparities. The challenge faced with this innovation is the reduction of patient-provider contact. In a study, patients reported that telepsychiatry was less personal and more difficult to establish rapport. (Cowan et al., 2019). For example, If there is a need for contact during a physical assessment, the physician will not perform such tasks through telehealth. Therefore, supplemental services might be required to improve this technology.

 

References

Cowan, K. E., McKean, A. J., Gentry, M. T., & Hilty, Donald M. (2019). Barriers to Use of Telepsychiatry: Clinicians as Gatekeepers. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 94(12), 2510-2523. http://dx.doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.04.018

HealthIT.gov. (2018c). Benefits of Electronic Health Records (EHR)? Retrieved October 4, 2021,  from https://www.healthit.gov/topic/health-it-and-health-information-exchange-basics/benefits-ehrs

Hubley, S., Lynch, S. B., Schneck, C., Thomas, M., & Shore, J. (2016). Review of key Telepsychiatry Outcomes. World Journal of Psychiatry, 6(2), 269–282. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v6.i2.269

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Spivak, S., Spivak, A., Cullen, B., Meuchel, J., Johnston, J., Chernow, R., Green, C., & Mojtabai, R. (2020). Telepsychiatry Use in U.S. Mental Health Facilities, 2010–2017. Psychiatric Services, 71(2), 121–127. https://ps-psychiatryonline-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.201900261

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5 months ago

Annisha Mcgowan 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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Mercy I enjoyed reading your post. Telehealth refers to providing health care remotely and is not a new concept (Guinart et al., 2021). Telehealth is more common now due to the COVID19 pandemic. Prior to COVID Telehealth was growing and becoming the new visit option for busy people not able to have a in person visit. Advantages of telehealth is the convenience for patients, cost efficient, able to reach more patients especially in rural areas, and increases quality of care. Technology makes it possible to increase access to health care using real-time, interactive videoconferencing that allows clinicians and patients at different locations to interact as if meeting in the same room (Clinical Update, 2017). Working as an emergency room nurse I encounter a lot of psychiatric patients. Many of the patients do not have adequate psychiatric help addressing their needs. Telepsychiatry makes it possible for those psychiatric patients I see often to have access to care that is needed.

 

References

Clinical Update: Telepsychiatry With Children and Adolescents. (2017). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(10), 875–893. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.07.008

Guinart, D., Marcy, P., Hauser, M., Dwyer, M., & Kane, J. M. (2021). Mental health care providers’ attitudes toward telepsychiatry: A systemwide, multisite survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatric Services, 72(6), 704–707. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202000441

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5 months ago

Dorothy Chudi-Agbaku 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

COLLAPSE

Hi Mercy,

Good post. In addition to telehealth that you mentioned as one of the general healthcare technology trends related to data/information, I wish to add remote patient monitoring and wearables as another promising trend. This enable patient monitoring remotely and real time data are documented, transmitted and accessed (Dunskiy, 2021). Use of telehealth and patient monitoring wearables are promising technology trends that would improve patient outcome, efficiency, assist in data management especially in the face of looming shortage of nurse in the country. The sensors in the wearable technology devices are common and very reliable reliable in the management of some chronic diseases such high blood pressure and diabetes. For example, using the ECG feature in Apple Watch to detect health challenges such as atrial fibrillation, alerts the provider timely and has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Readings like blood pressure and pulse can be transmitted to the provider continuously from a digital blood pressure cuff. According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2016), studies have shown that 30 to 50 percent of treatment failures encountered in the management of chronic diseases and 125,000 deaths in a year are as a result of non-adherence to medication (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2016).  Another example in improvement of patient outcome is the use of Smart Pills which have edible sensors that notifies the healthcare providers including nurses if a patient is using medication as prescribed.

Dorothy.

References

Dunskiy, I. (2021). 8 New Healthcare Technology Trends to Track in 2021. https://demigos.com/blog-post/major-healthcare-technology-trends/

U.S. Food and drug Administration. (2016). Why you need to take your Medications as Prescribed or Instructed. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/why-you-need-take-your-medications-prescribed-or-instructed

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5 months ago

Chaquita Nichols 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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Technology has advanced in so many ways. Because more facilities are switching to technology, we have to make sure we are kept up-to-date and knowledgeable with how to properly use this technology in a way that would be beneficial. We all know that Electronic Health Records (EHR) is trying to do away with paper charting. “EHR is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users” (HealthIT, 2018). EHR is an easier way to keep up with patients’ information and an easier and quicker way to access patients’ information. They could either type in a certain word or enter a date to access what they are looking for. But it also depends on the particular system that is used. Some systems are more user-friendly than others, but everyone has their preferred choice. With the EHR, patients are also able to access their information through different apps.

One of the challenges is the different age groups that try to access their information via mobile device or computer. Some of the older generations may not be able to pull up their information because they aren’t technology savvy. Another challenge would be accessing the information you are looking for. Because some patients have such an extensive history, it may pull up way more than you are looking for which means you must really search for what you need to find, which becomes time-consuming. As I stated before, some systems aren’t that user-friendly. I have worked in different areas and used different charting systems. Right now, I am using epic, which is one of the systems I am not to fund. I guess once I learn the system I would like it more, at least that is what I have been told. One thing I don’t like is that you must chart the same thing in different areas. That is risky because you may chart one thing in this area, then you must go to another area, and it is charted differently. Another risk with EHR is that we must trust that the other healthcare workers are charting the correct information on the correct patient. Nothing and no one is perfect and mistakes happen. So, we have to get out of the habit of just clicking because we are used to certain things when we are charting.

The EHR does have many benefits. According to the Laureate video, EHR patients can communicate with their providers using portals. They would also be able to keep track of labs or VS. In the video it also stated other benefits such as accessibility (no matter where you are, you can pull up the information), Information organization (can find information easily), and Decision support (Able to see Dr. Notes, PT/OT, nurse’s notes, etc). There are many trends that have developed in the healthcare system. They have iPhones that can take pictures of wounds and automatically sends them to computers. There are also social media groups that patients can join and talk about related health issues. The Laureate video mentioned EHR being good to collect information and perform surveys which would be beneficial to someone working in public health. They would be able to monitor trends of healthcare-related issues. As the healthcare field continues to grow so will its advances in technology.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Informatics Tools and Technologies [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Public Health Informatics [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Electronic Records and Managing IT Change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

HealthIT.gov. (2018c). What is an electronic health record (EHR)? Retrieved from

https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr

 

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5 months ago

Mercy Ambe Mbu 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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Hi Chaquita,

I enjoyed reading your post. I agree with you that older adults face challenges using technology to follow up their care because of lack or insufficient knowledge. A study revealed that older adults were up to five times less likely to access health technologies. (Florida Atlantic University, 2021). If healthcare then becomes completely computerized, then older adults will be left out. When Vaccinations against the COVID 19 started, older adults were the first target. Appointments were made online, so older adults who were not computer savvy or did not have people to help set up their appointments were left unvaccinated.

Otherwise, Health information technology would have been very beneficial for older adults. It is said to improve health outcomes and reduce cost. (Ramprasad et al., 2019). Older adults are the greatest users of the health care system. They are vulnerable, living with many chronic diseases, and lack transportation to health visits; they are forgetful and sometimes lonely (all children are adults and left home). Health information technology devices would function as reminders, disease monitoring, promote education consistency, and through telehealth, they can interact with their providers without displacement.

 

References

Florida Atlantic University. (2021, February 3). Digital Health Divide Runs Deep in Older Racial and Ethnic Minorities. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210203090539.htm

Ramprasad, C., Tamariz, L., Garcia-Barcena, J., Nemeth, Z., & Palacio, A. (2019). The Use of Tablet Technology by Older Adults in Health Care Settings–Is It Effective and Satisfying? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical Gerontologist, 42(1), 17–26. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1080/07317115.2017.1322162

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5 months ago

Jessica Ferrin 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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Chaquita,

            I enjoyed your post! I appreciate your concern for the elderly and their understanding for electronic health record (EHR) access. In a study conducted by Caleres et al (2018), discharge summaries with medication changes for patients averaging 86 years of age were found to be improperly updated to primary physician medical records after two weeks. Every other case studied was missing medication information or follow-up care (Caleres et al., 2018).  This breakdown can cause medication errors and adverse effects. I have found this to be true working acute care leadership. Oftentimes, I would get phone calls from family members or patients with multiple questions regarding medication regimen after discharge. I believe the EHR system my facility uses has discharge paperwork that is very confusing for many patients due to the number of phone calls I received for clarification over the years. Hydari et al (2015) states that elderly patients with multiple medical conditions taking several medications benefit from a well-designed EHR. Good luck with your endeavors with EPIC, my facility will be transitioning from Meditech to EPIC in January!

           

References

Caleres, G., Bondesson, A., Midlov, P., & Modig, S. (2018, October 11). Elderly at risk in care transitions when discharge summaries are poorly transferred and used- a descriptive study. BMC Health Services Research, pp. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-018-3581-0#citeas.

Hydari, M., Telang, R., & Marella, W. M. (2015, November). Electronic health records and patient safety. Communications of the ACM, 58(11), 30-32. doi:https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2015/11/193342-electronic-health-records-and-patient-safety/fulltext

 

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5 months ago

Dorothy Chudi-Agbaku 

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5 months ago

Adam Hundley 

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

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5 months ago

April Ward 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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Hi Chaquita,

       I enjoyed reading your discussion post.  I agree with your perception that we must all be kept up to date in how to use technology.  You are also correct that it depends on the particular system that is used, to determine if your facility is really up to date.  My facility has started electronic health records with a very antiquated system, so we have a long way to go in order to be up to date with other facilities.

       According to HealthIT (2018), a patient’s old paper chart is replaced by computerized charting, or electronic health record.  This may mean ease of use to most people, but to others can mean a loss of information that may not be seen as important enough to scan into the electronic health record.  For this reason, many nurses are having trouble making the change to electronic health records.   Making sure the integrity of the electronic health record is intact is one of the main areas of securing health record information (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018).

References

HealthIT.gov. (2018c).  What is an electronic health record (EHR)?  https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr

 McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

 

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5 months ago

Paola Gaudioso 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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Chaquita,

         Great post about EHR. EHRs are great for real time records for patients and also having a whole picture about a patient. HealthIT.gov (2018) states that authorize providers can have access to these records and can be shared through different organizations with EHR. There seem to be many benefits to EHRs, and with technology becoming even more prevalent having these records electronically will be good for patients as well as providers. Paper charts are hard to access and obtain for appointments, so if your records can be found on the internet patient care can increase. Many providers state that electronic medical records ae able to be kept safe (Alshahrani, 2021). Safety of medical records is an always a controversy when it comes to computers. Many contrived have national medical records which allows any provider with the correct access to see the information.

 

 

Alshahrani, A., Jamal, A., & Tharkar, S. (2021). How private are the electronic health records? Family physicians’ perspectives towards electronic health records privacy. Journal of Health Informatics in Developing Countries, 15(1), 1–16.

 

HealthIT.gov. (2018). What is an electronic health record (EHR)? Retrieved from 

https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr

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5 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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Class,

Today is the last day of this discussion thread.  We have covered a lot of ground discussing and sharing information about technology in health care.  Our last discussion thread will be Module 5 Week 9.

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5 months ago

Bailey Schaal 

RE: Discussion – Week 6

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A new healthcare technology trend I have seen come up in my current practice is the use of electronic visit verification (EVV). My company recently had to change licensures to be under the 245d Licensing for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). One requirement under this license is to use EVV. EVV is a way for employees to clock in and out of working with each individual client based on GPS location. This was put in place due to home care and community-based workers saying they were with a client longer than they were. The EVV allows for the employer and Medicare to verify the employee was with their client for the correct amount of time (New York State, 2021).

            I understand why this technology is necessary and that it is put in place to benefit clients, however, as a manager, I see the challenges that come with it. We are having difficulty finding a software that is accurate and able to link to our charting and billing software. We also have the challenge of knowing how to bill for medication and office services that are completed without the client present. EVV prevents staff from billing when they are in the office away form the client doing things such as scheduling appointment and medical rides, speaking to providers, or checking in medication deliveries. A lot of our supervisors also spend many hours working on client care plans and benefit paperwork. EVV has made our reimbursements from Medicare decrease significantly which makes it very difficult to adequately staff our facilities.

            The biggest benefit of this software is that the client gets care during the time they are being billed for. Some clients are unable to advocate for themselves when their caregivers are not doing what is expected of them. EVV ensures the client is at least having a caregiver present during the allotted time. By tracking visits, EVV also prevent healthcare fraud (Olowu, 2015).

            The most promising healthcare trend I have seen since the COVID-19 pandemic has been telemedicine and digital therapeutics (DTx). Digital therapeutics is defined by the Digital Therapeutics Alliance as evidence-based software products providing patients with therapeutic interventions to prevent, manage, or treat medical conditions (n.d.). As DTx improves and evolves, it has the potential to greatly improve patient care outcomes, healthcare access, and efficiency in patient care. For my clients specifically, they have been able ot have access to their healthcare providers and treatment all through the pandemic due to DTx. The main aspect being therapy. Even after in-person appointments became available, many of my clients opted to stay with telehealth due to saving time and money when staying home. DTx also has the potential to engage patients in their care by allowing them to be more involved which improves outcomes (Traynor, 2018).

 

References

Digital Therapeutics Alliance. (n.d.). Changing the face of healthcare worldwide. https://dtxalliance.org/value-of-dtx

New York State. (2021). Medicaid electronic visit verification program (EVV). Department of Health. https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/evv/index.htm

Olowu, A. (2015). Delivering proof of care at the point of care. Health Management Technology, 36(4), 16. https://web-b-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&sid=169cb4d1-1b0e-4e66-a941-d8e5db01704c%40pdc-v-sessmgr01

Traynor, K. (2018). Clinic finds benefits from digital therapeutics. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 75(17), 1263–1264. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.2146/news180055