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
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    February 10, 2022
    Which Mushroom Capsules Are Good for Your Health?
    May 5, 2022
    Latest News
    Health Benefits of Taking a Vacation to Reduce Your Stress
    September 27, 2023
    First Aid Training Enhancing Workplace Health and Safety
    September 25, 2023
    Beyond the Clinic: Medical Surveys Are a Roadmap to Passive Income for Doctors
    September 23, 2023
    5 Self-Care Habits to Help You Live an A+ Life
    September 21, 2023
  • 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
    The Power of Observational Studies
    March 3, 2012
    Verizon, WellPoint, CVS, Walgreens Ally with Former Senators to Push Telehealth Policy Reform
    February 14, 2014
    Conference Season Approaching – Prepare for Landing
    August 8, 2012
    Latest News
    Job Seekers with Disabilities Should at Health Insurance Benefits
    September 12, 2023
    Reasons That Drug Prices Are Rising to Unsustainable Levels
    September 12, 2023
    How Revenue Lifecycle Management Helps Healthcare Providers to Optimize Business Operations
    September 6, 2023
    The Hidden Benefits of Practice Exams for Medical Professionals
    September 6, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Why Clinicians Need to Embrace Their HIT Teams
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Aa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Aa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Why Clinicians Need to Embrace Their HIT Teams
Hospital AdministrationPublic HealthSpecialtiesTechnology

Why Clinicians Need to Embrace Their HIT Teams

etwilson
Last updated: 2016/01/25 at 9:07 PM
etwilson
Share
7 Min Read
SHARE

I am, admittedly, a Muppets fanatic.

From the original Muppet movie to the new HBO-fueled Sesame Street, I delight in all the wonder and genius of Jim Henson’s incredible legacy.

So there was no question of how my Tuesday nights would be spent once I learned that a new, rebooted Muppet Show was returning to television.

For those who haven’t checked it out, the new show has all the classic trappings of Muppet mayhem—along with some new characters and more adult sensibilities.

More Read

healthcare providers

How Revenue Lifecycle Management Helps Healthcare Providers to Optimize Business Operations

3 Beneficial Ways Technology Impacting Your Wellness and Health
Benefits of Outsourcing Healthcare Software Development Services
5 Tech Apps and Gadgets to Maintain Your Health Connectivity
How To Make Dental Veneers Last a Lifetime

I am, admittedly, a Muppets fanatic.

From the original Muppet movie to the new HBO-fueled Sesame Street, I delight in all the wonder and genius of Jim Henson’s incredible legacy.

So there was no question of how my Tuesday nights would be spent once I learned that a new, rebooted Muppet Show was returning to television.

For those who haven’t checked it out, the new show has all the classic trappings of Muppet mayhem—along with some new characters and more adult sensibilities.

The highlight for me is the Muppet-character “Chip—the IT guy,” as he always introduces himself.

Even without hearing him speak, it is easy to peg Chip as the quintessential IT stereotype: oversized (and extremely magnifying) glasses; an unkempt mop of hair; an expression of either permanent surprise or general zoned-outedness; and an appropriately blue-collar (literally) uniform, designating him not as a star, but as one of the background characters who keeps things running for the real showmakers.

This, more or less, is how the entire IT field has been viewed and treated by other professionals for much of their short history as a department within larger organizations. Healthcare, naturally, is no exception: doctors are the stars, while IT personnel can, at best, keep out of the way and quietly do whatever it is they do behind the scenes.

As many other organizations are realizing, this is no longer practical or effective—to say nothing of the fairness of marginalizing IT staff. For American healthcare, this reality is taking much longer to sink in.

Such cultural divisions have evolved into a class system in many large health organizations: the long-stagnant culture of healthcare simply doesn’t leave room for collaboration—even though, to abuse the cliché, collaboration is just what the doctor ordered.

Jay Halfond, former Dean and professor at Boston University, presents innovation and stagnation as opposing forces in any organization.

“Tipped too much towards one side or the other, either stagnation or anarchy results – and disruption leads to destruction,” he explains. “Since neither stasis nor chaos is sustainable, responsible leadership seeks and protects a balance of the innovative and prudential.”

Surviving this period of top-down disruption and mandated transformation has driven many health leaders (and practitioners) to cling to the prudential—that is, to oppose the apparent avalanche of innovation and ally instead, more or less, with business as usual.

The biggest breakthroughs in application are not clinical so much as they are technological—informatics bringing Big Data into the model; wearables are making remote monitoring a more robust option; telehealth is not only possible but, under emerging law, a necessary component of insurance coverage; and so on.

As such, the battle between stagnation and chaos has manifested in healthcare as a duel between traditional clinical workflows, and a tech-dominated model that puts doctors in the role of marginalization.

In this way, the void between HIT and clinical practice is obstructing implementation and evolution of EHR systems, impeding the emergence of high-tech applications in medicine, and undermining a nationwide effort to put value ahead of volume in care delivery.

Consider the still-open wound that is EHR adoption.

Programmers and developers need clinical input—that much has been clear from the beginning. Enterprise platforms that simply force end users to transform their entire workflows are clearly not the best possible path to go digital. Customization and user-friendliness requires developers, IT departments, and clinicians to get—and stay—on the same page.

The interoperability gauntlet comes from a similar disconnect. Data is segmented according to department, specialty, or practice group and, absent more aggressive incentives, languishes in these silos. Disparate platforms lack the architecture to seamlessly transmit their data; their proprietary structure continues to obstruct intra-organizational sharing and communication.

The official announcement that Meaningful Use is dead could be seen as a sign that, rather than forcing clinicians to adapt to unwanted or cumbersome new technology, the focus is being put back on doctors being doctors. But tracking and supporting outcomes in the new century is not simply a matter of retreating into medical models codified in the 1900s; IT is an expectation of patients, and one they are increasingly demanding. Equipping clinicians to meet this demand means closer cooperation with IT staff. Both must accept that they can do better by collaborating than by reinforcing the barriers between them.

It is neither party’s fault (not entirely) that they are dismissive of one another, or simply isolated within and between their respective organizations. But that clearly has to change. The future of healthcare is intertwined with technology: clinicians and HIT staff need each other now. The nature of value-based incentives and performance metrics means that their goal is the same.

On the new Muppet Show, Chip the IT Guy slowly evolved from a background character to a speaking part to something just shy of a feature player. HIT professionals are not destined to supplant clinicians, nor will they be the source of every innovation or solution. But they will supplement, one way or another, how care is provided going forward.

They are part of the permanent cast now.

TAGGED: HIT

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
etwilson January 25, 2016
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Why Telemarketing for the Medical Device Industry Deserves Ridicule
Next Article Health Literacy: The power of infographics for patient safety

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

Andropause hormonal decline
The Benefits of TRT for Andropause and Hormonal Decline
Wellness September 28, 2023
Cancer Prevention
The Importance of Lipoma Examination in Cancer Prevention
Cancer September 28, 2023
dental implant
Cost Analysis of Dental Implants in Australia
Dental health September 28, 2023
View,Of,Niagara,Falls,In,Autumn
Health Benefits of Taking a Vacation to Reduce Your Stress
Health September 27, 2023

You Might also Like

Cancer Prevention
Cancer

The Importance of Lipoma Examination in Cancer Prevention

September 28, 2023
dental implant
Dental health

Cost Analysis of Dental Implants in Australia

September 28, 2023
quality of life
Technology

Elevating Quality of Life: An In-depth Examination of Stairlift Technological Advancements

September 17, 2023
medical billing training
Medicare

Navigating Through the Essentials: Medical Billing Training for Beginners

September 12, 2023
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US
© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?