Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1115575
53 CIO / HEALTH IT Kaiser Permanente hospital used video call to tell patient he was dying By Emily Rappleye A patient's family was upset to learn over video that their grandfather was dying at Kaiser Per- manente Medical Center in Fremont, Calif., according to a report from local Fox affiliate KTVU. A nurse told the patient, 79-year-old Ernest Quintana, and his granddaughter, Annalisia Wilharm, a physi- cian would make rounds. Instead, a physician called in and communicated over video with Mr. Quintana. The physician told Mr. Quintana that his lungs were failing and that he "might not make it home." Ms. Wilharm told KTVU the news was especially devas- tating when delivered via video technology. Mr. Quin- tana had trouble hearing the physician and Ms. Wilharm had to repeat the news, according to the report. Michelle Gaskill-Hames, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente Greater Southern Ala- meda County, provided Becker's with the following writ- ten statement: "On behalf of Kaiser Permanente and our caregivers in Fremont, we offer our sincere condolences. It is always deeply painful to lose a beloved family member and friend. While we cannot comment on specifics of an in- dividual's medical care due to privacy laws, we take this very seriously and have reached out to the family to dis- cuss their concerns. In every aspect of our care, and especially when commu- nicating difficult information, we do so with compassion in a personal manner. e use of the term 'robot' is inac- curate and inappropriate. is secure video technology is a live conversation with a physician using tele-video technology, and always with a nurse or other physician in the room to explain the purpose and function of the technology. It does not, and did not, replace ongoing in-person evaluations and conversations with a patient and family members. e technology allows a small hos- pital to have additional specialists such as a board-cer- tified critical care physician available 24/7, enhancing the care provided and bringing additional consultative expertise to the bedside. is is a highly unusual circumstance. We regret falling short in meeting the patient's and family's expectations in this situation and we will use this as an opportunity to review how to improve patient experience with tele-vid- eo capabilities." n Patient sues Northwestern Medicine after medical records posted on social media By Mackenzie Garrity A patient at Winfield, Ill.-based Northwestern Medicine Re- gional Medical Group is suing Northwestern Medicine and a former employee for allegedly accessing her medical re- cords and posting them on social media, according to CBS Chicago. In the lawsuit, Gina Graziano alleges a Northwestern Medicine em- ployee gained access to her medical records and illegally sent them to her ex-boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend then posted her medical in- formation on Twitter, the lawsuit charges. Northwestern Medicine sent a letter to Ms. Graziano confirming there had been "inappropriate access" to her medical records. The employee, who has since been fired, allegedly accessed the medi- cal records March 5 and 6, 2018. The lawsuit claims the former employee viewed the medical records for 37 minutes before sending them to Ms. Graziano's ex-boyfriend. Northwestern Medicine issued the following statement, according to CBS Chicago: "Protecting the confidentiality of patient information is essential to our mission. Employees are trained to comply with privacy laws and face disciplinary action in accordance with our privacy policy for any violation. Regarding this specific incident, we do not comment on pending litigation." n UVA Children's Hospital unveils app for follow-up care, remote patient monitoring By Jackie Drees U niversity of Virginia Health System's Children's Hospital in Charlottesville created an app with Locus Health, a digital health developer, to enhance patient follow-up care. The new app, Building HOPE, can be accessed via an iPad and al- lows the patient's family to securely send physicians the child's health information directly through the app. Physicians can monitor the patient's vital signs in real time, and the information is automati- cally entered into the EHR. The telehealth program is currently being used with pediatric neo- natal patients but will soon expand to provide care for children un- dergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant and cystic fibrosis treat- ments at UVA Health System. n