As nurses, we understand that our role continues to evolve within healthcare as a whole — and the tools that nurses use in delivering care are also changing.

That’s why this year, we’ll be hosting and attending several events aimed at exploring new innovations that help nurses in their critical role of making the safest, most appropriate decisions for their patients. One of the most exciting advances in health IT is the ongoing development of technology that assists clinical decision-making and engages patients in their care.

In our latest Thought Leader podcast, I speak with Phil Campbell, CIO and VP of Information Services at CalvertHealth (Prince Frederick, MD), about how his organization has been addressing the opioid crisis through its award-winning Opioid Stewardship Program. 

I flew out of Logan Airport in Boston at 5:30 a.m. last Monday, and was eager to head to sunny Orlando as a first time HIMSS attendee. The next three days were a whirlwind of innovation, shared ideas, and excitement about the future of health IT.

January is traditionally an opportunity to set goals for the year ahead, and while there’s no shortage of advice on how to maintain New Year’s resolutions, 80 percent of people break their resolutions after an average of six weeks.

If you’re like me and starting to feel the waning motivation that February brings, there is hope — we can look to the healthcare industry to be re-inspired by the discipline required to stay successful.

Let me tell you why I’m really excited to be attending my first HIMSS.

First and foremost is the evolution of healthcare IT. The strides we’ve made in the past few years have been phenomenal. Leading technology providers and app developers are now embracing healthcare IT and connecting new innovative technologies to leading EHR platforms, making HIMSS a great opportunity to see what the future holds.

Having a clear view of a patient’s prescription history is one of the most important tools a doctor can have during the opioid crisis. That’s why we recently integrated our EHR with the Michigan Automated Prescription System (MAPS) at Chippewa County War Memorial Hospital.

In a recent survey conducted by KLAS, 45 percent of physicians disagreed with the concept their EHR helps them provide quality care. That’s an astounding — and troubling — number, especially when you consider that EHRs are becoming just as widespread and integral to health care as tongue depressors.

Take a moment to think about how many demands we make of our nurses. We’re constantly asking them to do more with less. Care for more patients in less time. Improve the quality and the safety of the care they’re providing, while simultaneously asking them to be more efficient.

When Kelly Del Gaudio started working at Galen Healthcare Solutions, her interest in clinical optimization drove the direction of their MEDITECH consultancy offerings focusing strongly on rule driven clinical workflow redesign.

What a year it’s been! On the MEDITECH blog, we’ve been lucky enough to connect with industry thought leaders and healthcare innovators on important topics such as new government regulations, interoperability, and the future of nursing. We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading and learning with us, and we’re excited to see what’s to come in 2019!