Solutions for a Broken Healthcare System
The cost of healthcare in the U.S. is remarkably high compared to other industrialized countries. There is no equity in access, and even when care is available, it is too varied. A list of reasons why our healthcare system could be considered broken would go on and on. Activist groups and healthcare professionals alike are calling for change, and while some solutions are being offered, we must develop a starting point if we intend any lasting change to occur.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 60 – Using Reminders to Boost COVID Vaccination Rates
On episode 60 of PSQH: The Podcast, Jeff Gartland, CEO of Relatient, talks about using technological reminders to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates.
New Substance Abuse Partnership Aims to Reduce Unnecessary 911 Transports
Bicycle Health, a San Francisco-based provider of virtual opioid addiction treatments, in joining forces with Tele911 to develop a platform that helps first responders direct patients with substance abuse issues to the appropriate resources. The service is designed to replace the standard practice of transporting those patients to the hospital for treatment.
Why Virtual Simulation is Beneficial to Nursing Students
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and nursing students were unable to do in-person clinicals in hospitals, Wayne State University College of Nursing in Detroit, like other nursing schools, had to rely on simulation to provide students with the education they needed. And although nursing students are returning to in-person clinical rotations, simulation labs remain in important part of their education.
Can Tattoos Accurately Measure Blood Pressure?
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University have created an electronic tattoo that can be worn on the wrist comfortably for hours while providing accurate, continuous blood pressure measurements.
Cutting Through the Noise Among Digital Health Solutions
Digital health technology has become a huge market—and an overwhelming one. With all of the new options to bring patients online through portals, apps, and other touchpoints, it’s easy for health systems to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. This may be contributing to the dissatisfaction healthcare leaders report with their digital health strategy, at least according to the Hospital Digital Health Technology Report: 2022 from Panda Health.
How Automation Helped Weather the Pandemic and Beyond
The Steele Institute’s automation team focuses on delivering business processes that offer measurable benefits for partners, constant improvement, and a scalable platform that consistently decreases delivery times. There are plenty of hurdles when introducing a new technology, particularly one involving automation—and one of those hurdles is how to best utilize the technology.
Rural Hospitals Use New Technology to Efficiently Manage Beds and Transfers
At Rice County District Hospital in Lyons, Kansas, staff are using patient placement technology to coordinate care for both patients inside the 25-bed, level 4 hospital, and those needing to be transferred to another facility. The platform integrates local EMS and other transport services, such as helicopters and planes, with health systems hundreds of miles away who have the specialists necessary to treat a critically injured patient.
Care Coordination and the Labor Shortage: How We Can Prepare
Today’s care coordination is often a manual and time-consuming process that depends on hard-copy patient lists, notes, and other physical documentation. Improving this state of affairs has historically involved throwing people at the problem—dedicating hours and staff to tasks like closing care gaps, securing referrals, placing follow-up calls, and more.
Using Technology to Improve Observation Rates and Drive Appropriate Admissions
The suburban Philadelphia healthcare network, centered around an independent 270-bed hospital, is using predictive analytics technology from XSOLIS to improve medical utilization management. In the first six months of use, officials say they’ve improved observation rates by 20% and observation to inpatient conversion rates by 37%. And three years later, the initial return on investment of 4.6x has now improved to 7.3x.