Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1238403
Digital Communications Quagmire BY HILLARY EAMES DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS PL ATFORMS ALLOW FOR MORE PATIENT ENGAGEMENT — WHEN PATIENTS ARE ABLE AND WILLING TO USE THEM. T O OL S T H AT C ONNEC T physicia ns or sta ff w ith patients prior to or between appointments, such as appointment reminders, arrival time alerts, wayfinding assistance, and digital pre-appointment assessments and forms, have the potential to help patients navigate their care more easily, directing them to the physician's office on time and prepared for their examination. Effective clinica l communications systems a llow patients and their family members, physicians, and other providers to securely and conveniently document and share patient care information whenever necessary. Dig ita l deliver y platforms that incorporate ca re orchestration, telemetry and remote communications may be more difficult to implement tha n in-office systems; however, they have the potentia l to reduce hospita l readmissions, since they can include details about chronic condition management and follow-ups to urgent care or emergency department visits. Still, as John Halamka, President of the Mayo Clinic Platform, writes, "As we create more digital interventions to the home, we must meet patients at their level of technology comfort, literacy and affordability." Those comfort levels may be lower than providers anticipate. Telemedicine uptake, for example, typically stands between 1% and 20% for a new telehealth option, Lori Uscher-Pines, Senior Policy Researcher for the R AND Corp., told Modern Healthcare last year. W hen investing in digita l platforms, hea lthcare organizations must invest equally in helping patients use these platforms to access, understand and follow through with their care plans. That may well be the most challenging piece of the puzzle. n The Power of Energy Resilience BY JONELLE TODD FOR HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, energy resilience — the ability to withstand a loss of grid power — can literally be a matter of life and death. Even so, the cost of purchasing the physical energy assets that preserve patient safety and protect critical functions during a catastrophic power interruption can be difficult for cash-strapped healthcare facilities to justify. However, making the necessary investment in on-site power generation equipment a business priority offers many benefits, including protecting patient safety, preventing the loss of revenue in the event of disaster, and reducing the cost of procuring power from public utilities during periods of peak demand. Utilization of a business-planning model can provide facility managers with a compelling case for financial investment in equipment that provides greater energy resilience. Building a business case in support of energy resilience investment begins with the development of an energy committee made up of leaders in facility, finance and supply chain management. The energy committee's first order of business is typically to conduct a needs assessment outlining current and future energy load requirements and cataloging high-energy-use equipment, such as water heating, space heating and cooling, refrigeration, steam distribution, and major air handling units. When the needs assessment is complete, the committee should identify the most cost-efficient equipment that fits with on-campus energy resilience requirements. These may include backup generators, combined heat and power (cogeneration) technologies, and/or alternative energy sources, such as wind, solar or geothermal. n PLANNING AHEAD FOR POWER OUTAGES CAN ENHANCE PATIENT SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY WHILE REDUCING ENERGY COSTS. 059990060_PM2_EnergyResilience.indd 1 3/3/20 8:23 AM 2 2❱❱❱❱❱ P R A C T I C E M A N A G E M E N T, F I N A N C E