Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1047089
51 CIO / HEALTH IT Stanford: 11 steps hospitals can take to improve EHRs by 2028 By Jessica Kim Cohen S tanford Medicine in California released a white paper on the future of EHRs, recom- mending key action items medical practices, payers, regulators and technologists should consider to improve the technology within the next decade. Stanford Medicine curated its white paper with in- put from industry experts who attended the health system's EHR National Symposium in June, along with responses from hundreds of physicians who participated in a survey the organization conduct- ed with e Harris Poll. e white paper aims to examine how to "transform EHRs from an admin- istrative burden into a useful sidekick." Here are 11 steps Stanford Medicine outlined for medical practices to take to improve EHRs by 2028: 1. Invest in EHR training when onboarding physi- cians and when incremental changes are made to the system 2. Enlist physicians to help prioritize EHR devel- opment tasks and to design clinical workflows that build on EHR capabilities 3. Tailor the composition of physician development teams, such as what clinical resources are available 4. Deliver EHR development projects soon aer physicians ask for them 5. Establish an EHR governance process that gives the organization flexibility when responding to health emergencies and crises 6. Make analytics data available to physicians at the point-of-care 7. Transition non-essential EHR data entry to an- cillary staff, potentially by increasing the number of digital scribes or seeking automated tools to eliminate manual documentation 8. Re-evaluate the organization's interpretation of privacy rules 9. Create opportunities for patients to maintain their records online 10. Replace the fax machine with electronic com- munications 11. Accept electronic payments n Analysts: GE's removal of CEO could jeopardize spinoff of healthcare unit By Julie Spitzer A fter General Electric abruptly removed John Flannery from his roles as chairman and CEO Oct. 1, industry analysts said the com- pany's plan to spin off GE Healthcare may no longer be certain, CNBC reported. In June, GE revealed plans to separate its healthcare business into a standalone enterprise. The healthcare unit generated 15.8 percent of GE's total sales and 43.2 percent of its total operating profit in 2017. CFRA research equity analyst Jim Corridore told CNBC that Lawrence Culp, the former CEO of Danaher who will take over for Mr. Flannery at GE, will decide whether the company follows through on its plans to spin off the healthcare entity. "Maybe healthcare is not going to get spun off now," Mr. Corridore told CNBC. "Maybe some of the parts that were going to be sold make more sense today." A GE Healthcare spokesperson said the unit "plans to continue working toward separation of GE" and Mr. Flannery's removal "does not change what's happening at GE Healthcare." GE also said it remains "committed to establishing healthcare as a separate independent entity." Mr. Flannery's removal reportedly stemmed from the board's frustration with the slow pace of change under his leadership, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC. n Advocate Aurora Health unveils 1st project under Matter collaboration By Jessica Kim Cohen A dvocate Aurora Health — the health system formed through the merger of Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care and Milwaukee-based Aurora Health — entered into a collaboration with Matter, a healthcare incubator and innovation hub in Chicago. As part of the collaboration, Advocate Aurora Health and Matter will ex- plore various emerging health IT tools, including telehealth, patient por- tals, clinical decision support, wearables and artificial intelligence. The first initiative under the collaboration is a nationwide competition, dubbed the Health Tech Venture Challenge, that invites health IT startups to address challenges in primary care delivery, such as expanding access to care, improving consumer experience and reducing the cost of care. The Health Tech Venture Challenge will offer the winning startup a $10,000 cash prize and opportunities to connect with subject matter ex- perts in the field. Advocate Aurora Health may also explore other proj- ects with the contest's finalists. "Technology and innovation will drive the future of health and wellness, and this collaboration helps to accelerate the development of a health tech eco- system that is reimagining care delivery," Jim Skogsbergh, president and CEO of Advocate Aurora Health, said in a news release. "This gives entre- preneurs an opportunity to partner with our health system in ways that will directly benefit the healthcare consumers we're so privileged to serve." n