With rapid
development of Healthcare IT telecommunications there is an
abundance of various solutions in the market that provide reliable and secure
services. Healthcare Telecommunications can be viewed as: Telecommunications/Telemedicine
and a communication per se within the healthcare installation. The COVID pandemic enhanced telecommunications
development worldwide especially in the field of Telemedicine. In this post we
will attempt to look into several aspects of the issue.
The subject of
Healthcare Telecommunications is a relatively new in the market, as compared to
traditional telecoms, so there are not so many sources to explore. We recommend one of the good sources for
theory: Journal of Communication in Healthcare. In particular, the
latest issue features an article on the COVID-19 vaccine information war. Jeff Zinger outlines
requirements for sustainable health IT systems in his paper Preparing for
the on-demand future of health care
Aside from enabling
systems to communicate with one another, there are other key features customer will expect in addition to simple two-way messaging:
Monitoring &
Alerting: Inevitably, at some
point connectivity may be interrupted for any number of reasons. Competitive
interfacing solutions will need to be able to identify an error source, and
more importantly, alert key personnel of the issue so it may be resolved
proactively.
Scalability: The number of connections to an interface
required by your customers will grow over time. With more healthcare providers
demanding electronic exchanges of patient data and the growing EMR adoption, a
competitive interface engine should be able to grow with the demands of the
market.
Compatibility
with Different Data Formats:
In addition to HL7, your interface engine should be able to handle other
clinical standards including the Clinical Document Architecture (CDA),
Continuity of Care (CCR), and XML. EMRs are growing as a key driver in
healthcare interfaces, so addressing the various clinical formats is critical
to meeting an application and provider’s interfacing requirements.
Testing &
Maintenance Ability: The
ability to match and then test messages against a particular HL7 version (Health Level Seven or HL7
refers to a set of international standards for transfer of clinical and
administrative data between software applications used by various healthcare
providers including any customer modifications), is essential. It is equally
important to be able to provide documentation of any interfaces built and
deployed in order to manage the cost of support for each installation
Thus, let us have a
look at certain systems that are in the market.
Weave Medical Software and Phones Designed to Connect Instantly With Patients
Weave's VoIP phones
and medical software is designed to work alongside your EHR solution to enhance
patient communication and maintain organization all in one place. Weave is the
hub where all your smart interaction tools exist so that you increase
efficiency and delight your patients. Here is a post related to COVID experience: 13 Ways to Minimize Human Contact While Maximizing the Patient Experience. This blog post discusses
the ways of offering essential services to the patients while meeting the
constantly fluctuating regulations and standards created by society's concern
about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trillian's
HIPAA-compliant messaging platform
Trillian helps keep
employees off the phone with desktop and mobile software that fires prompt
alerts as new messages demand attention. Chat privately or in groups, surface
critical information using urgent messages, and know when messages are read
with read receipts.
Watch this review of the system
Klara Secure Telemedicine Communication Platform
Klara allows
medical professionals to deliver convenience to patients: communicate with them
via HIPAA-compliant text messaging, offer seamless telemedicine solutions, and
digitize patient workflows for insurance intake, appointment reminders, no-show
engagement, and more — all with no patient login or downloads required. Here is KLARA's COVID experience: Setting Up A Long-Term Telemedicine Solution That Thrives Post-Pandemic
Virtual Waiting Room - Relatient Patient Engagement Software
A virtual waiting
room can have two meanings. In the context of a patient arriving for an
in-office medical appointment, a virtual waiting room is the process in which a
patient can check-in from their mobile device and remain in their vehicle until
an exam room is available. This allows the patient to bypass the traditional
waiting room, reducing their risk of exposure to both other patients and germs
and viruses present on surfaces, shared devices like kiosks, and materials like
magazines, books, papers, clipboards, and pens.
In the context of a
Telehealth appointment, a virtual waiting room is a process used by patients to
indicate they are ready for their televisit, staff who are viewing and managing
a patients televisit experience, and/or a provider who is indicating they are
ready to initiate the telemedicine appointment with the patient or caregiver. Major Features:
Administrative
- Patient Appointment
Reminders
-Unlimited voice,
email, and text appointment reminder service with missed appointment
rescheduling.
Chat &
Secure Messaging
- Send and receive
texts directly to patients with 2-way chat or secure messaging. - Messenger
collects patient responses across all automated solutions. Secure option
protects PHI and best practices.
Broadcast
- Self-service, user
friendly on-demand messaging. Quickly notify scheduled patients, groups, and
staff of delays, office closures, inclement weather, and custom messages.
Satisfaction
Surveys & Reputation Management
-Survey patients
post visit and generate public reviews to improve your medical practice’s
online reputation.
Patient
Self-Scheduling & Waitlist
PM/EHR
integrated patient self-scheduling tool for 24/7 patient access. No portal, username, or password needed.
eRegistration
& Check-in
-A mobile first
pre-registration and contactless check-in solution for patient intake. -Enable
patient & staff safety, the virtual waiting room, and telehealth.
Billing
MDpay® &
Patient Balance Messaging
Collect more
patient balances faster in the office, on the web, or via patients’ mobile
devices to save on statement costs and reduce time in AR..
Easy payment
plans that auto draft
Text 2 pay
Clinical
Health Campaigns
- Promote patient
adherence, target gaps-in-care, reduce readmission, and improve revenue with
automated campaigns.
- Set recall messages
based on clinical data
- Educate patients on
health topics
- Promote portal
adoption
- Support care
management
The Ascom Healthcare Platform
Connects devices, systems, information and
care teams, creating digital clinical information flow that turns fragmented
data into accessible information to support clinicians across points of care:
from the bedside, to intensive care units, to operating rooms and more.
- Bridge
digital information gaps by integrating medical devices and vital care
information systems such as EHRs and EMRs
- Extend
the reach of actionable clinical insight to clinicians through orchestration
software, analytics and task management
- Enable
informed clinical care at the bedside and across points of care through
mobility, patient response systems and care application solutions
RADAR healthcare communication platform
RADAR is a complete
healthcare communication platform that can be easily integrated into your
existing system to achieve secure, closed-loop, automated notifications.
RADAR’s mission is
to provide high-quality healthcare communications in support of better clinical
outcomes. Whether that communication fosters patient peace of mind or clinical
collaboration and decision-making, RADAR is the platform for fast, accurate,
reliable results. One of the earliest solutions to the risk and productivity
issues involved in clinical communication, RADAR is used in hospitals,
physicians’ offices, specialty care practices, labs, and many other healthcare
settings.
RADAR is a
real-world solution, developed by a radiologist, that makes it easy for you to
adapt to changing healthcare requirements.
The Overview can be
downloaded HERE
ZNetRelay - HIPAA-compliant Healthcare Communications Platform
Information can be taken from any Healthcare
Information System (HCIS) and turned into a message sent to mobile devices,
NetRelay Messaging Consoles and/or through our NetDelivery hospital data
exchange to email, fax, EMRs, etc. NetRelay seamlessly integrates with
healthcare information system applications, requiring no interfaces. NetRelay
also helps satisfy Meaningful Use 2 requirements for secure messaging, as well
as the Joint Commission and HIPAA mandates for patient data protection.
Provides Secure Text Messaging, Improved Message Delivery and Tracking, and
Positive Confirmation of Critical Lab Values
NetRelay’s main features include:
- Secure, HIPAA-compliant text messaging
- Automated, easy, out-of-the box integration with any
HCIS
- True acknowledgment of critical lab values
- Automated reporting for CAP and The Joint Commission
NetRelay Messaging Consoles – Integrate with and
receive automated messages from the HCIS
- Customizable message templates
- Escalation of messages identified as important,
particularly critical values
- Periodic alerts sent directly to mobile devices and
Consoles
- Message filtering determines which messages are
important based on rules applied, reducing alert fatigue
With NetRelay,
hospitals can see dramatic improvements in communications and workflow. In use
in one healthcare facility, NetRelay was able to reduce average critical value
workflow time from 45 to 15 minutes, which helped reduce throughput, decrease
patient wait times and improve responsiveness to patients. The facility was
also able to improve nursing pain reassessment documentation from 78% to 96%
through the implementation of automated reminders.