Hospitals and healthcare systems have spent the past decade transitioning to and optimizing electronic health records (EHRs). However, the anticipated benefits of EHRs in terms of improving clinical care and patient outcomes have not always been realized.
Dr. Vinay Vaidya, Chief Medical Information Officer at Phoenix Children’s, highlights that early EHR implementation resulted in unfulfilled promises of efficiency for physicians, contributing to provider burnout. The focus on perfecting EHRs overshadowed their intended purpose: capturing electronic data for coordinated patient care.
Phoenix Children’s recognized the need for a balanced approach to EHR utilization and implementation, aiming to shift the focus back to patient outcomes. They decided to harness EHR data to streamline patient care and achieve meaningful clinical results.
The hospital possessed an internally developed data warehouse using Microsoft technologies, which aggregated data from various electronic systems across the organization. Real-time data from the remotely hosted Altera (Allscripts) EHR formed a solid foundation for data-driven solutions.
To ensure success, Phoenix Children’s integrated their data team into the clinical workflow, fostering a robust clinical-IT partnership. The hospital initially concentrated on chronic disease management, understanding that this patient group required extensive care coordination.
Over six years, Phoenix Children’s developed over 50 custom clinical dashboards, spanning multiple care domains. These dashboards relied on Microsoft’s Power BI for visualization and aimed to provide actionable insights.
The dashboards have played a vital role in various areas, including acute code event mitigation, chronic disease management, chemotherapy oversight, fetal care, suicide prevention, and more. The hospital’s small data team can respond to critical clinical needs swiftly, with initial dashboard drafts deployed within one to two weeks.
Phoenix Children’s approach of integrating metrics into dashboards has yielded impressive results. For example, their WATCHER program has significantly reduced preventable code events, while the Malnutrition App identifies potential malnutrition cases, leading to prompt treatment.
The Cleft Palate App and Leukemia Home Monitoring App have reduced in-person visits and hospitalization days, respectively, benefiting patients and streamlining care.
Dr. Vaidya advises healthcare organizations not to wait for perfect data but to start with what’s available to generate actionable insights. Focus on patient outcomes rather than striving for the perfect EHR.
Consider the value of remote patient monitoring in your data analytics portfolio, as it provides richer clinical information and enhances patient engagement.
When deciding on analytics systems, evaluate whether off-the-shelf vendor solutions or custom in-house development align better with your organization’s needs.
Finally, invest in artificial intelligence and machine learning for healthcare transformation, but maintain focus on existing traditional business intelligence projects alongside AI initiatives.
