The power to speak and communicate our needs clearly is something that most of us take for granted. It is only when these abilities are compromised that we begin to recognize their true value. 

Communicating with patients suffering from COVID-19 has presented a new set of challenges for healthcare providers. 

As clinicians and caregivers fight against the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, their focus is on the urgent needs of the patients they are currently treating. But healthcare organizations have another role to fill: supporting the mental and emotional well-being of their patient population during a global pandemic, even if they aren’t among those being treated for the virus.

While the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion ensured health insurance for many U.S. citizens, rural areas still suffer from a unique set of healthcare challenges such as economic burdens, high rates of chronic illness, and insufficient access to providers. These issues have only intensified with COVID-19 depleting rural health resources at an alarming rate. 

With over 120 rural hospitals closing over the past decade and more than 40% operating at a negative margin, health leaders are tasked with implementing new strategies to address rural health deficiencies.

Recently Leah Farina, MEDITECH vice president of client services, had an opportunity to discuss the impact of virtual visits and telemedicine on patients and providers at Citizens Memorial Healthcare in Bolivar, Missouri. She spoke with Louis Harris, MD, a family medicine physician and Chief Medical Information Officer at CMH, a small, level III Trauma Center in southwest Missouri with 86 licensed beds, 32 primary and speciality services, and seven long-term care facilities serving seven counties.

Although most healthcare organizations have detailed disaster plans in place, everyone has been challenged by the difficult circumstances presented by the COVID-19 outbreak. Healthcare organizations are now tasked with surging volumes of patients while confronting equipment shortages and evolving social distancing protocols.

To truly slow the spread of the virus and “flatten the curve”, providers need to find new ways of testing and treating patients quickly, while allowing these individuals to maintain a safe distance from others.

When it comes to ensuring patient safety, everyone has a role to play. Patient Safety Awareness Week presents a valuable opportunity for healthcare organizations to promote safety awareness in their communities, and to continue to think of ways in which they might make patient safety part of their workplace culture. 

To close out the week, I asked MEDITECH clinical staff to share personal experiences that inspired their commitment to ensuring patient safety, and the direction in which they see healthcare heading. As they show us, it’s real people with real stories who are driving change in healthcare. 

A little over a year ago, Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Christine Elliott announced the provincial government’s plan to revitalize the public healthcare system. The plan centers around creating a more integrated and sustainable system that focuses on patients’ needs and outcomes by connecting them to the right settings throughout their care journeys. 

At one time or another, we all know what it’s like to be a patient sitting in an ED waiting room. From the waiting room to the exam area, and maybe even an inpatient stay, healthcare organizations are always striving to do anything they can to make the experience smoother and more comfortable for their patients. At King’s Daughters Medical Center, they have embraced MEDITECH Expanse, to make things easier for their staff and increase patient satisfaction.

Since 2009, ECRI Institute (formerly known as Emergency Care Research Institute) has released its annual list of top 10 patient safety concerns, highlighting issues in healthcare that we, as practitioners, may already know and should keep in mind.

This year’s list also included a set of technical concerns that ECRI raised, related to the problems and opportunities that come with the increased use of EHRs: test result management, early detection and treatment of sepsis, and physician burnout all made the list. 

In a constantly connected world, consumers are looking for ways to break down barriers between themselves and their providers. Recently, I sat down with Dr. William Dailey, CMIO at Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare (Clinton, MO), to hear about how organizations and individuals can use social media to connect with the hospital community, inside and outside of the facility’s walls.