By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    healthy nursing school habits
    Healthy Habits for Nursing Student Nursing School Students
    May 24, 2024
    High Deductables
    High-Deductible Insurance and Rising Bad Debt
    July 24, 2015
    How People Are Taking Advantage of Health Deals in the Recent Recession
    February 5, 2021
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: When Health IT Is the Patient
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > When Health IT Is the Patient
eHealthGlobal HealthcareMedical InnovationsMedical RecordsTechnology

When Health IT Is the Patient

Siemens Healthcare
Last updated: May 19, 2014 8:01 am
Siemens Healthcare
Share
7 Min Read
health IT
SHARE

In today’s fast-changing medical landscape, doctors, nurses, and staff need to know how to interact with information technology. At Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA), a framework for adopting healthcare IT spurred large-scale, fast-cycle process improvement and culture change in a very brief period of time.

In today’s fast-changing medical landscape, doctors, nurses, and staff need to know how to interact with information technology. At Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA), a framework for adopting healthcare IT spurred large-scale, fast-cycle process improvement and culture change in a very brief period of time.

health IT

Healthcare IT systems must address stakeholder objectives, otherwise even well-tailored software can fall short of requirements. Morris Seligman, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of MSHA, is aware of the importance of a strategy and clear objectives from pre- to post-implementation for each hospital. This 14-hospital system headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee, USA, spans four U.S. states and 29 counties and employs more than 9,000 team members. It operates 90 clinics. Yet, in just 18 months, MSHA completed 13 go-live processes without missing any major deadlines. This transformation happened through a brand-new IT Adoption Center, a framework developed in a close collaboration between MSHA and Siemens Healthcare Strategic Consulting Services.

A Rocky Road to Implementing a Healthcare IT System in Professional Practice

More Read

meditation app development
Developing Meditations Apps to Fight the Mental Health Crisis
Healthwise in India
Mobile Health Around the Globe: Using Social Network Analysis Methods for an mHealth Evaluation in Ghana
PCI & HIPAA Data Breaches of 2012: Lessons Learned
BIG-BIG-BIG: Company, Heart and Checkbook

MSHA initially purchased the Siemens Soarian® Clinicals health information system in 2003, but doctors, nurses, and staff struggled to integrate the Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) software seamlessly in their jobs. Furthermore, the health system used INVISION Financials from Siemens as well as 450 existing IT applications, such as laboratory systems and medical imaging IT. Not only did staff need training, but most software had to be integrated with Soarian Clinicals.  The IT Adoption Center (ADOPT IT) helped staff understand the changes. The framework provided a carefully planned timeline, ongoing assessments of implementation processes, diligent project management, and sharing of best practice techniques. This collaboration also allowed communication of the adoption results to management and stakeholders. As a result, MSHA staff underwent a cultural change and improved attitudes toward the new healthcare IT project.

Healthcare IT Implementation Needs a Top-Down Approach

According to Paul Merrywell, MSHA Vice President and Chief Information Officer, one of the challenges was the amount of work and the limited time to complete it. It was important to have everybody on board, beginning at the top of the organization. The framework clarified the responsibilities of clinical informatics, physicians, nurses, technicians, as well as the role of Siemens support itself. The ADOPT IT leadership provided tip sheets for all hospital workers that answered the questions on “why,” “what,” and “how” of go-live. User opinions of the rollout fluctuated across hospitals, as expected, but six months after adoption, overall satisfaction rates in Tennessee and Virginia had reached 80 percent.

health technology

Here to Stay

MSHA, formed in 1998, is one of the largest healthcare systems in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. It acquired its 14th hospital last year and more expansion plans are on the horizon. The need for healthcare IT software solutions that interact well with other systems, and a framework for rolling them out, will only increase with time. Merrywell admitted that the initial investment costs and tasks related to go-live are significant and can involve “a ton of work.” But the long-term advantages, such as patient care improvements and saving hospitals from redundant costs, will pay off, he said. And more disruptive technologies might be coming. According to Seligman, the team is changing from transaction-based to evidence-based and intelligence-based interactions.  MSHA is installing MobileMD, the Siemens health information exchange and patient portal, to coordinate care at all physician practices. The upcoming patient-centered service is called Online Wellness Link (OWL).

Free to Focus on Patient Care

With the adoption center in place, MSHA employees have more time to focus on patient care. One particular issue of concern is septic shock, which occurs in up to two percent of U.S. hospitalizations each year and carries a high death rate. Using Soarian Clinicals business process management technology, the health system was able to dramatically reduce sepsis rates by 75 percent.

Simplifying Medical Decision-Making

Ken Wright, MD, of the Emergency Department at Franklin Woods Community Hospital, sees this power at work every time he cares for his patients. Being able to have access to all laboratory results, CT scans, and previous evaluations save time. He can now take more time with his patients.

“The More Information, the Safer the Patients”

When he worked with doctors on the front lines as the software went live, Seligman, a physician himself, saw most of the issues as educational in nature, rather than a reluctance to adopt technology. The key part of adoption for physicians is having a strong educational and training process, he said. For his part, emergency doctor Wright appreciates the crystal-clear information about a patient’s history and prescribed medications from any hospital or clinic in MSHA.  According to Wright, the more information the software accumulates, the better off and safer his patients are as a result. More content and articles of interest are featured on Medical Solutions Online – the Magazine for Healthcare Leadership: http://sie.ag/1st0RVe

TAGGED:Health IT
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

content is king
BusinesseHealth

Using Content Marketing to Deliver Inbound Patient Prospects

March 4, 2016

Medical Device Tax Costs 1,000 Jobs

December 1, 2011

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Brings Benefits to Patient Exams

December 21, 2013

What Healthcare Professionals can Learn from Sales People

October 14, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?