Patient Engagement

NCQA says the physician group earned the Patient-Centered Medical Home designation for coordinated care and evidence-based medicine.

A roundup of big ideas from experts on interoperability, patient engagement, security, cloud computing, innovation, policy and more during HIMSS18.

Experts from Penn Medicine, Sutter Health and VAL Health say psychological insights into decision-making processes can lead to big improvements in health habits.

The MyHealthEData Initiative, announced by CMS' Seema Verma at HIMSS18, is too light on detail to make much of a difference, said the former VP – who offered his own way forward.

In the age of consumerism, how you react to a breach, relay information to patients, and interact with people can mean the difference between customer retention or an expensive mass exodus.

With the new subsidiary, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association bets on technology and strategic alliances to help improve socioeconomic factors for health.

Why is now the time they’ll finally join together? Patients expectations are evolving, the tech is now mature enough, and apps are emerging to integrate with legacy clinical systems.

Mayo Clinic and IBM Watson Health have announced the results of a cutting-edge project putting the supercomputer to work for patient matching: Watson brought in more patients than before to participate in recent breast cancer clinical trials. Only 5 percent of patients with cancers participate in clinical trials nationwide, according to Mayo Clinic officials, who noted that that low enrollment makes for many clinical trials that are slow to finish or not completed. That delays advances in research and results in less access to better therapies. [Also: Next-up for EHRs: Vendors adding artificial intelligence into the workflow] What’s more, matching and enrolling patients in appropriate trials has proven to be a time-consuming, manual process. “Novel solutions are necessary to address this unmet clinical need, advance cancer research and treatments, and, in turn, improve the health outcomes of patients,” Tufia Haddad, MD, a Mayo Clinic oncologist, said in a statement. Watson for Clinical Trials Matching is programmed to accurately and consistently match patients to clinical trials for which they might be eligible, so that healthcare providers and patients can consider appropriate trials as part of a care plan. Mayo Clinic implemented the system in July 2016 in its ambulatory practice for patients with breast cancer. In the 11 months after implementation, there was about an 80 percent increase in enrollment to Mayo’s systemic therapy clinical trials for breast cancer. Also, the time to screen an individual patient for clinical trial matches was lower when compared with traditional manual methods. “This has enabled all patients to be screened for all available clinical trial opportunities,” Haddad noted. Based on the initial testing phase, Mayo and IBM agreed to continue developing the system to include trials for other types of cancer and aspects of cancer care beyond medical therapies, such as surgery, radiation and supportive care. Watson is programmed to support clinical trial matching for breast, lung and gastrointestinal cancers, and training on trials for additional cancer types is underway. Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com

In his first State of the Clinic, Cleveland Clinic CEO Tom Mihaljevic, MD, called on the health system’s 57,000 employees around the world to focus on caring: “how we care for patients, care for each other, care for the organization, and care for our communities,” he urged. Mihaljevic succeeded Toby Cosgrove, MD, who held the top executive position for more than 12 years. Mihaljevic joined Cleveland Clinic in 2004 as a cardiothoracic surgeon, served as CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi since 2015 and took over the post here in the U.S. on January 1, 2018. In his speech, Mihaljevic called on staff to continue to improve healthcare by best using new technologies, notably artificial intelligence and the latest in data analytics as well as digital platforms. [Also: With patient experience, 'We need to dream bigger,' Cleveland Clinic leader says] Mihaljevic also revealed new initiatives for 2018, including efforts to improve patient safety and reduce caregiver and physician burnout. Cleveland Clinic reduced readmissions, improved care coordination, and increased hand-washing among caregivers in 2017. “We have a right to be proud of our work in patient experience,” he said. “It is inseparable from quality. But we need to go further.” He said Cleveland Clinic would continue to bolster its culture of safety, become an ultra-high reliability organization, and he promised to set bold goals, particularly regarding hospital-acquired infections and serious safety events. [Also: Cleveland Clinic's remote revenue cycle program saves money and makes employees more productive] A recent survey within the Cleveland Clinic, for instance, found that more than one in three physicians met the criteria for burnout. “We are here for patients first,” Mihaljevic said. “But we can’t succeed unless we take care of ourselves.” To that end, he announced that Cleveland Clinic has established the new Office of Caregiver Experience to address wellness, burnout and career development. Mihaljevic also praised Cosgrove’s achievements and his legacy. Today, Cosgrove has a new title: Executive Advisor and former CEO and President. He has been with the Cleveland Clinic for more than 40 years – as cardiac surgeon, department chair and ultimately CEO. Under Cosgrove’s leadership Cleveland Clinic saw increases in revenue, patient volume, research funding and community benefit. Mihaljevic delivered the State of the Clinic speech late last month. Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com

The post-EHR era is well and truly here, but EHR-centric challenges are still as thorny as ever.