Physicians and CIOs Partner for Change During MEDITECH Forum
Physicians, chief information officers, and leaders in the MEDITECH community gathered to discuss how leveraging EHR technologies and building new relationships go hand-in-hand with their quality improvement initiatives.
WESTWOOD, Mass., Oct. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Perhaps the most important tools in today's modern medicine bag are communication and collaboration - both of which were in abundance at MEDITECH's 2018 Physician and CIO Forum this month. This event showcased how successful partnerships between physicians, executives, and EHR vendors are improving the ways that healthcare organizations use technology to lead meaningful change and better serve patients.
"Healthcare organizations all have different experiences and backgrounds, just like people do," said Event Moderator K. Nadeem Ahmed, MD. "Coming together at an event like this one, to network and learn from one another, will help all of us on our journeys."
Taylor Davis, vice president of analysis and strategy at KLAS, stressed the importance of solid executive leadership and collaboration in motivating clinicians to adopt new technologies. He discussed his results working with the Arch Collaborative to measure physician satisfaction with their EHRs.
"What we found is that the EHR adoption leaders are not necessarily the large, well-known medical centers. In many cases, community hospitals are leading the way," he said. "And that's because people - not the technical aspects of EHRs - are the primary drivers of success. 97% of the time, the number of 'clicks' is not the real problem. Two different organizations can have radically different experiences, even working with the same system. You just need a solid EHR and quality training with a tailored approach."
Davis also said that his research found no correlation between EHR costs and overall satisfaction. "There's a good chance that spending more on your EHR will not result in better physician satisfaction. But a sense of teamwork and trust will."
Keynote speaker Ted James, MD, MHCM, FACS, Clinical Chief, Medical Director and Professor of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, told attendees that strong partnerships with patients is another important way to leverage the benefits of healthcare IT. With patient portals and telehealth, patients can be more proactive with managing their health on a daily basis. However, physicians must still support them along the way.
"Uninformed, disengaged patients often delay care to the point where it becomes more expensive and less effective. That's why patient engagement is the blockbuster drug of the century," he said. "We need to be transparent and communicate regularly, to get patients onboard with us. People are very unlikely to make changes to their health habits, unless they understand why these changes are necessary. Physicians need to influence those changes and involve patients more in their own care, if we want to see better outcomes."
Throughout the forum, many MEDITECH customers shared how they're leveraging their EHR to secure better outcomes for their communities, such as the opioid stewardship program established at Lawrence General Hospital (MA) to help tackle the epidemic that's impacting millions of people.
As we head toward 2019, there are many more challenges for us to tackle together. We're looking forward to discussing them with you again, at our events next year. In the meantime, visit MEDITECH's website to see presentations from the 2018 Physician and CIO Forum.
About MEDITECH
The next digital transformation of healthcare is underway, and MEDITECH is leading the charge with Expanse, the only full-scale EHR designed specifically for the post-Meaningful Use era. As a leading EHR vendor for over 45 years, MEDITECH's solutions have empowered 2,350+ customers across 22 different countries to provide higher quality care, with greater efficiency, to more people, at a lower cost. Today, our cutting-edge solutions are helping organizations to see healthcare through a new lens and navigate this virtual landscape with unparalleled vision and clarity. Whether your destination is clinical efficiency, analytical prowess, or financial success, MEDITECH's bold innovation, passion, and expertise will get you where you want to go. Visit ehr.meditech.com, our Newsroom and Blog, and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to start your journey today.
Contacts
Paul Berthiaume
Senior Manager, Marketing Communications
MEDITECH
781-774-5742
[email protected]
Liz Carroll
Manager, Public Relations and Media Relations
MEDITECH
781-774-3297
[email protected]
SOURCE MEDITECH
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