We need to think differently about EPR deployments and redefine the pre-implementation approach
In recent weeks there have been a number of announcements in the UK from NHS trusts and Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) about their digital transformation plans. Most notably, Norfolk and Waveney ICS, is rolling out the MEDITECH EPR solution across its three acute trusts, with plans for a March 2025 go-live. Having been dubbed a […]
Securing healthcare data: The critical need for cyber resilience
Healthcare providers are in the midst of a tech-driven evolution. Technologies that were new to healthcare are making the leap from test cases to maturity, including regular telehealth visits and remote patient monitoring/therapeutics. Next-wave equipment is being enabled by 5G connectivity, like the deployment of augmented reality technology in various clinical care settings. As viable […]
The importance of land acknowledgment
As I write this reflection, I respectfully acknowledge that I am living and working on the traditional territory of many indigenous nations. This land has been cared for by the Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation as well as many other peoples who have come before us. This territory is subject […]
Want to improve patient safety? Up your EHR’s usability
Astute readers (for the record, I assume all my readers are astute, thank you very much!) will surely know that I’ve been writing and talking about human-centered design and its application to healthcare for a while now. Even more astute (astuter?) readers will know that my colleague, Jerome Pagani, PhD, and I recently published a […]
Diagnosing, optimizing, and funding your next EHR implementation to combat provider burnout
The current healthcare landscape is challenging as costs continue to rise across the industry, with experts predicting an additional seven percent increase next year. Additionally, hundreds of hospitals, especially in rural communities, are at serious risk of closing their doors permanently, which not only impacts access to quality care but a primary employment source for […]
EHRs or social interactions: Can’t we have both?
Everyone knows that every doctor hates their electronic health record (EHR). Have I gone a bit too far with this proposition? Perhaps. How about this: many doctors dislike many aspects of the EHR software that they use every day. That’s probably more accurate. While some physicians might say that the practice of medicine was easier/better/more […]
Building long-term ROI with BI modernization
The amount of data created by healthcare organizations has grown astronomically in the last few years, yet the full power of that data is still waiting to be unleashed. Most data is collected but left either underutilized or not used at all. For example, the amount of data on social determinants of health is growing […]
Shared decision-making: The standard of care we need
Back in the bad old times of medicine (defined by many of us as “before I was practicing medicine”), most physicians were easy to spot. They wore long white coats, had a stethoscope hanging around their neck, and carried a prescription pad in their pocket. Oh, and in the United States, they were virtually all […]
The dream of patient access and flow
Imagine a healthcare system where there is system-wide coordination, visible real-time data to inform action, properly allocated care resources, automation to reduce administrative burden and cognitive load, minimized delays and wait times, and happy patients and clinicians. This is a common dream for most of us in healthcare. Instead, we are used to hearing a […]
The Pan-Canadian Interoperability Roadmap: Does it get us where we need to go?
The fragmented nature of care in the Canadian health system has a direct impact on the daily experiences of both patients and physicians. While this fragmentation has its origins in long-standing structural features of the healthcare ecosystem, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated its effects. Without burnout-inducing amounts of extra work, the result is a less […]