Skip to main content
Tag

HealthIT

Jul 12

Unleashing the Power of Staffing Retention: A Game Changer for Healthcare IT Leaders

By Make Health IT Easier, Motivation

Unleashing the Power of Staffing Retention: A Game Changer for Healthcare IT Leaders

Introduction

The importance of staffing retention is not overstated in today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving healthcare landscape and post-pandemic period. Healthcare IT leaders face numerous challenges in attracting and retaining talented professionals who drive innovation, optimize systems, and enhance patient care. In this blog, we explore the critical role of staffing retention and discuss strategies that can empower healthcare IT leaders to build and sustain a high-performing team.

The Cost of High Turnover

Staff turnover can profoundly impact any organization, and healthcare IT is no exception. The costs associated with turnover extend far beyond recruitment and onboarding expenses. High turnover rates can disrupt workflow, lower morale, impede knowledge transfer, and compromise patient care. The estimated cost of replacing a single healthcare IT professional can range from 50 to 200 percent of their annual salary. Thus, investing in staffing retention becomes a priority and a financially prudent decision.

Key Factors Influencing Staffing Retention

Understanding the factors contributing to staffing retention is crucial for healthcare IT leaders looking to create an environment fostering employee loyalty and longevity. Here are some key factors to consider:

  1. Competitive Compensation: Offering competitive salaries and benefits packages is fundamental in attracting and retaining top talent. Healthcare IT leaders should stay updated on industry benchmarks and ensure their compensation packages align with market standards.
  2. Professional Growth Opportunities: Today’s professionals seek growth and development opportunities. Healthcare IT leaders should invest in training programs, continuing education, and certifications to help employees stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in healthcare IT.
  3. Work-Life Balance: Promoting work-life balance is essential for preventing burnout and enhancing employee satisfaction. Implementing flexible work arrangements, promoting wellness initiatives, and recognizing the importance of downtime can go a long way in fostering a healthy work environment.
  4. Recognition and Appreciation: Recognizing and appreciating employees’ contributions are powerful drivers of engagement and retention. Regularly acknowledging achievements, providing constructive feedback, and celebrating milestones can boost morale and reinforce a sense of value among team members.

Strategies for Staffing Retention Success

 

Now that we have identified key factors influencing staffing retention let’s explore some effective strategies that healthcare IT leaders can implement:

 

  1. Cultivate a Positive Organizational Culture: Establish a positive, inclusive culture that promotes teamwork, collaboration, and open communication. Encourage a supportive environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute ideas.
  2. Provide Leadership and Mentorship: Strong leadership is pivotal in staff retention. Healthcare IT leaders should actively engage with their teams, provide mentorship opportunities, and demonstrate a genuine interest in their employee’s professional growth and success.
  3. Foster Career Progression: Create a clear career progression path for employees, highlighting opportunities for advancement and growth within the organization. Encourage cross-training and empower team members to take on new responsibilities, fostering a sense of ownership and accomplishment.
  4. Regular Feedback and Performance Evaluation: Establish a robust performance evaluation system that gives employees regular performance feedback, highlights improvement areas, and recognizes their accomplishments. Constructive feedback helps employees align their goals with organizational objectives.
  5. Enhance Employee Engagement: Engaged employees are likelier to stay committed to an organization. Implement initiatives such as team-building activities, social events, and employee recognition programs to foster a sense of belonging and increase engagement.

Conclusion

Staffing retention is a critical priority for healthcare IT leaders aiming to build a high-performing team and drive success in today’s rapidly evolving healthcare IT landscape. By understanding the factors influencing retention and implementing effective strategies, healthcare IT leaders can create an environment that attracts, retains, and nurtures top talent. Investing in staffing retention not only enhances the organization’s stability but also drives innovation, improves patient care, and positions healthcare IT leaders as industry pioneers. Let us embark on this journey together and unlock the true potential of our teams.

 

Jun 28

From Junior to Senior: EHR Concepts Unleashes the Power of Expertise with EHR Triple Down Help Desk Solution

By Make Health IT Easier

From Junior to Senior: EHR Concepts Unleashes the Power of Expertise with their EHR Triple Down Help Desk Solution

We’re diving into the fascinating realm of EHR Concepts Help Desk Solution and how it liberates senior-level analysts from the shackles of junior-level tasks.

Unlocking the Potential of Senior-Level Analysts:

EHR Concepts embarked on a mission to empower healthcare organizations’ senior-level analysts by freeing them from the confines of having to complete junior-level tasks. Recognizing the vast expertise and the impact they could make in higher-level IT support and strategic projects, EHR Concepts now offers a cost-effective solution of a Junior-Level support option to their EHR Help Desk Solution. This innovative solution has become a beacon of liberation for senior-level analysts, enabling them to focus on bigger projects and provide top-notch client support.

Patient-Facing Support: It’s More Than Just IT:

At EHR Concepts, they understand that supporting patients is a vital aspect of healthcare IT. Gone are the days of IT teams functioning in isolation, hidden away from the needs of patients. With their EHR Help Desk Solution, EHR Concepts has embraced patient-facing support with open arms. Whether helping patients schedule appointments or accessing their patient portals, EHR Concepts has placed the patient experience at the forefront of its services.

Cost-Effectiveness: Saving Your Bottom Line:

One of the most significant advantages of choosing EHR Concepts is the cost-effectiveness they offer. Organizations can leverage their expertise efficiently by freeing senior-level analysts to focus on higher-level tasks. This optimization of resources leads to increased productivity, faster issue resolution, and reduced downtime. Clients who have embraced EHR Concepts rave about the cost savings they experience—up to an impressive 30% reduction in expenses compared to traditional IT support models.

Efficiency: Streamlining Operations Like Never Before:

When it comes to efficiency, EHR Concepts stands out from the crowd. By relieving senior-level analysts from junior-level tasks, the entire IT department experiences a surge in productivity. Senior-level analysts can dedicate their time and expertise to critical projects, system enhancements, and strategic planning, leading to innovative solutions and improved workflows. With EHR Concepts, clients witness a remarkable boost in operational efficiency, ultimately translating into enhanced patient care.

Client Testimonials: Raving About Our Supercharged Team:

Clients are excited about the efficiency and effectiveness of the EHR Concepts team. With senior-level analysts unleashed to tackle higher-level tasks, they witness a remarkable shift in the quality and speed of support. EHR Concepts’ customer-centric approach and deep knowledge of EHR systems create an unbeatable client support experience. As a result, their clients can focus on delivering exceptional healthcare while enjoying seamless IT support.

Conclusion:

EHR Concepts has revolutionized the EHR landscape with its innovative EHR Help Desk Solution. Releasing senior-level analysts from junior-level tasks enables them to channel their expertise toward higher-level projects and strategic IT support. Additionally, EHR Concepts has embraced patient-facing support, creating a holistic approach to healthcare IT. Clients have not only experienced a significant reduction in costs but also rave about the efficiency and effectiveness of the EHR Concepts team.

So, if you’re seeking a cost-effective solution, unparalleled efficiency, and a team of experts who can tackle any IT challenges, EHR Concepts is your go-to choice. Join the satisfied clients who have experienced the power of expertise with EHR Concepts. Together, let’s unlock the full potential of your IT department and revolutionize the support experience.

Learn More Here

 

Jun 14
future AI

The Future of AI in Healthcare 

By Make Health IT Easier

The Future of AI in Healthcare  

The potential for Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is enormous, and we are just scratching the surface of what is possible. We can expect to see more AI applications in patient care, such as robotic surgery, virtual nurses, and chatbots for patient support. However, it is essential to remember that AI is not a replacement for human healthcare providers but a tool that can assist those providers in delivering more effective and personalized care to patients.  

Future of AI 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a buzzword in many industries, and the revolution is also taking healthcare by storm. Many of us are familiar with healthcare’s apprehension around EHR adoption, so it is no surprise that similar hesitations are arising around the use of AI in patient care. Although there are still risks and challenges in using AI tools, they have the potential to revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered, leading to more accurate diagnoses, personalized treatment plans, and improved patient outcomes. Let’s explore how AI will start to affect healthcare and what the future may hold.   

Improved Diagnostic   

One of the most promising applications of AI in healthcare is improved diagnostics. AI algorithms can analyze large amounts of patient data, including medical history, test results, and imaging scans, to identify patterns and predict diagnoses. As a result, AI could lead to more accurate diagnoses, earlier detection of diseases, and more effective treatment plans.   

Personalized Treatment Plans   

Another promising application of AI in healthcare is the development of personalized treatment plans. AI algorithms can analyze patient data to identify the most effective treatment options based on medical history, genetic information, and lifestyle factors. As a result, these algorithms could lead to more personalized and effective treatment plans tailored to patients’ needs.    

Drug Development   

AI can even play a critical role in drug development. Drug development is a time-consuming and expensive process that involves testing thousands of compounds to identify potential drug candidates. AI algorithms can analyze large amounts of data to identify potential drug candidates more quickly and efficiently than traditional methods. These algorithms could lead to faster drug development and more effective patient treatments.   

Remote Patient Monitoring   

With more patients interested in healthcare at home, AI will make this possible with advanced remote patient monitoring. Remote patient monitoring involves using technology to monitor patients’ health outside a traditional healthcare setting. AI algorithms can analyze patient data in real-time to identify potential health issues before they become serious. This insight level could result in more proactive, effective healthcare delivery and better patient outcomes.   

Challenges   

While there are many promising applications of AI in healthcare, there are also several challenges and understandable fears. Some of the concerns are patient data privacy and security. Patient data is highly sensitive, and there are concerns about how AI algorithms will handle this data. In addition, concerns about whether AI complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules regarding healthcare data have risen. Other fears include AI becoming too powerful, underscoring the need for regulatory frameworks to ensure that AI algorithms are safe, effective, and ethical.   

In Conclusion

 

May 16
HIPAA and AI

HIPAA Plan & AI

By Make Health IT Easier

How Does HIPAA Plan to Address AI Data Privacy Concerns

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted in 1996 to protect the privacy and security of patient health information. As AI becomes more prevalent in healthcare, there are concerns about how HIPAA will address patient data privacy concerns.

HIPAA requires covered entities to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect PHI from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure. These safeguards include access controls, audit controls, encryption, and other measures to protect PHI’s confidentiality, integrity, and availability. HIPAA also requires covered entities to conduct periodic risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities in their information systems and implement measures to address them.

Regarding AI, HIPAA applies the same privacy and security requirements to using PHI by AI algorithms as it does to using PHI by human healthcare providers. Therefore, covered entities that use AI algorithms to process PHI must ensure that the algorithms are designed and implemented to protect that information’s privacy and security. This includes implementing appropriate technical and administrative safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, use, and disclosure of PHI by AI algorithms.

HIPAA also requires covered entities to enter into business associate agreements (BAAs) with third-party vendors that handle PHI on their behalf. This includes vendors that provide AI algorithms or other services that involve using PHI. BAAs require vendors to comply with HIPAA’s privacy and security requirements and to implement appropriate safeguards to protect PHI from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure.

It is important to note that HIPAA regulations provide the federal floor of privacy and security standards. AI developers and vendors should review the mHealth App Guidelines developed by Xcertia and now managed by HIMSS to find other state and federal laws that can apply that pre-empt HIPAA – particularly concerning healthcare adjacent data – or apply to more organizations than Covered Entities and Business Associates.

According to The HIPAA Journal, “…it is the responsibility of each Covered Entity and Business Associate to determine what health information is PHI, what health information is adjacent, and how each should be managed. It is also the responsibility of each Covered Entity and Business Associate to conduct due diligence on any AI technologies that are implemented to improve efficiency and the patient experience to make sure that they are compliant with the HIPAA Rules, especially with respect to disclosures of PHI.”

May 11

10 Healthcare IT Trends to Consider in 2023

By Make Health IT Easier

10 Healthcare IT Trends to Consider in 2023

Healthcare has gone through a lot of change in the last few years, and with Chat GPT and other AI tools making a big splash in just the last few months, information technology and tools will continue to snowball in the healthcare industry. Of course, COVID threw the industry for a loop, accelerating the adoption of tools, technologies, and resources to manage the pandemic. Still, it also introduced the need for that change and innovation to stick around. As a result, we compiled a list of the top 10 emerging trends in healthcare IT in 2023.

  1. The evolution of IT in healthcare

As technology aids and enhances everything in our world, healthcare is no longer the exception. As a result, CIOs and IT teams will need to evolve their strategies to keep up. Risk management, virtual care, remote work, telehealth, blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, augmented reality (AR), wearable technologies, and all the security to operate these technologies safely are essential innovations we will be seeing more broadly adopted in hospitals this year.

  1. Healthcare at home

Not only did COVID generate fear in patients, keeping them from entering healthcare facilities, but it also proved that some healthcare can be done at home. Not only can it be done, but now this convenience is a prerequisite for some patients seeking care. According to a Harris Poll conducted on behalf of Tegria, a convenient healthcare experience is more important than having a designated healthcare provider for 59 percent of consumers. Telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and even wearable devices are just a few of the technologies making this possible.

  1. Opening the digital front door 

The digital front door is becoming a more common term in healthcare IT. The proverbial front door describes the patient engagement technologies needed to access care virtually and in person quickly. These efforts improve the consumer experience and help empower patients.

  1. Clinical support from artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning

AI and machine learning are being introduced into the clinical setting and can potentially improve productivity for clinical staff and care for patients by using predictive tools and natural language processing alert clinicians of secondary issues that may need follow-up. Clinical workflows and augmenting or automating clinical staff work enable them to be even better at their jobs. AI and machine learning have untapped potential that could lead to enormous value-adds for healthcare facilities.

  1. Friendly robots 

Over 200,000 healthcare workers left the industry in 2021 amid COVID-19, physician burnout, and staff shortages. The industry is still trying to recoup those losses, making it even more difficult for the remaining staff. Although movies like iRobot and The Terminator have made us apprehensive about the idea, robots may revolutionize healthcare in 2023, filling in some gaps for teams already spread thin by performing routine and mundane tasks.

  1. EHR Evolution

EHRs have finally become commonplace in most healthcare facilities, but they must continue to grow wiser. They will evolve to become powerful technology with new tools and updates to help them truly be able to talk to other systems, eliminate the need for manual entry, catch and fix human and system errors, integrate with telehealth systems, the cloud, and more.

  1. Big data management 

Centralized, efficient, accurate data management is the cornerstone of decision-making in all industries, especially when dealing with valuable patient data. There is so much to learn from data. Still, with vast amounts of it, extensive data management cleanses and interprets the data for broad business areas, enabling enhanced insight, decision-making, and process automation.

  1. Predictive analytics 

Through bid data management, predictive analytics provide the technical capabilities to practice precision medicine. For example, Analytics can help identify patient populations with certain risk factors or health issues, informing providers so they can take preventative measures or create personalized treatments and care plans based on a patient’s characteristics.

  1. A new age of cybersecurity

Each new technology brings with it more risk of cybersecurity attacks. According to a recent survey, there was a rise from 14 million total victims of healthcare attacks in 2018 to 45 million in 2021, and there is no sign of this letting up. Therefore, healthcare organizations must prioritize cybersecurity to avoid financial catastrophes and improve patient outcomes.

  1. Rise of unlikely competitors

Providers are challenged to keep up with all these trends to compete with other providers, in addition to the rise of unlikely competitors breaking into the healthcare space like Amazon, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. These retail competitors are striking up deals left and right to expand their primary and in-home care offerings, which could cause traditional providers to lose their younger and healthier patient population.

May 03

Bring Healthcare Training Into the 21st Century

By Make Health IT Easier

3 Ways to Bring Employee Healthcare Training Into the 21st Century

The healthcare industry is constantly evolving and changing. Healthcare employees must stay up to date with the latest developments in their field and with their skills. It’s not surprising that, at the same time, clinician burnout is a threat facing many healthcare organizations.

A recent study indicated that the utilization of the EHR is negatively impacted due to a lack of understanding of what the EHR can do. Physicians and their staff are working harder to stay ahead of the ever-changing guidelines, mandates, and quality metrics while improving patient satisfaction, with little time left to invest in antiquated learning methodologies surrounding their EHR.

As adults, we are using the power of the internet to learn quickly on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and even Instagram reels.  When we want to know something, we search our favorite browser and have the power of learning at our fingertips. So why are we not taking that methodology and applying it to Health IT?

Training is one of the most critical aspects of ensuring that healthcare professionals are adequately prepared for the demands of their industry. Yet here we show several ways in which current healthcare employee training is lacking:

Outdated methods: Many healthcare organizations still rely on traditional training methods, such as in-person lectures, which can be ineffective in engaging learners and promoting long-term retention. While this approach benefits some types of learners, it is often associated with long classroom sessions showing very little value for the time spent. It can also be challenging to ensure that every employee receives the same level of training. Additionally, classroom training costs can be high, especially when you factor in need for travel time and accommodations for trainers or learners in our ever-evolving remote world.

Limited use of technology: While technology has transformed many industries, healthcare training has only recently adopted new technologies such as eLearning and mobile learning apps and VR/Augmented reality, which can provide a more engaging and interactive learning experience.

Insufficient continuous learning opportunities: Healthcare is a rapidly changing field, and ongoing training is essential for employees to stay updated with the latest developments. However, many organizations do not prioritize ongoing training, leading to a knowledge gap between experienced and newer employees.

Here are some ways to bring healthcare employee training into the 21st Century that you can start in your organization today.

Utilize an E-Learning Platform

Incorporate an E-learning platform and allow employees to access training materials from anywhere with an internet connection, saving time and money. E-learning platforms can be designed to be interactive and engaging and can function the same way your favorite browser search does when learning something new! These platforms make it easy to customize curriculum plans that meet each healthcare organization’s and learner’s unique needs.

Due to the on-demand design of Learning Management Systems and e-learning modules, employees can learn at their own pace or be required to reach learning milestones within a specific timeframe. Search for an eLearning platform that provides knowledge pathing and career planning for employee retention, engagement, and productivity.

Provide a Breadth of Content

Providing employees with a breadth of learning content is essential for promoting continuous learning, accommodating different learning styles, being interactive, addressing different skill levels, and encouraging creativity and innovation. Therefore, when shopping for a learning management system for your organization, consider platforms that provide various topics and courses to meet your organization’s goals.

Want a Free Demo of What EHR Concepts Offers Around Health IT Education? CONTACT US HERE

Track Performance with Analytics

Analytics plays a crucial role in employee learning management systems (LMS) because it provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of training programs and the performance of employees. With analytics, you can identify employee knowledge gaps, measure the effectiveness of the training programs, personalize learning based on an individual learner’s progress, improve employee performance, and predict future employee learning needs.

Bringing healthcare employee training into the 21st Century is essential for ensuring that healthcare professionals are adequately trained and up to date with the latest developments in their field. By utilizing e-learning platforms, providing a breadth of content, and tracking and adjusting the learning based on analytics, healthcare organizations can provide employees with practical, engaging, and flexible training programs to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

 

Close Menu