Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1299034
83 CIO / HEALTH IT ever, there may need to be some level setting on this; as it is always easy to be nimble when you have a singular focus like a pandemic. e hard part is continuing to be nimble once the major, unplanned event is over, and that leads to whether your organization takes advantage of the opportunity to fundamen- tally change its operating model. Additionally, I think remote work will become a more standard operating model in health- care, where there has been such wide varia- tion in its adoption, pre-COVID. e addition of tools to enable reserving on-site workspace, various collaboration options, such as virtual whiteboards, virtual ergonomic assessments and methods for remote support, will be in place and provide a tremendous benefit to ef- ficiency and value post-pandemic. I believe health systems will be forced to re- think their approach to employee engagement and create virtual programs that support not only their remote workforce, but also those that remain on site. Finally, I believe that health systems that have not embraced diver- sity, equity and inclusion as a core part of their values in a structural way will have to make that transition, as the current climate of social justice that has been supported in such a mul- ticultural and diverse manner will require it. Ellen Swoger. CIO Applications in the De- partment of Information Systems at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (Jackson): Based on what's happened this year, I believe there will be an increase in the number of IT staff that will be permanently working from home or remote settings. is will allow health organizations to reduce space requirements and thus expenses for health IT. is new work ecosystem will require new- er or more robust project management and communication tools, or better use of the ex- isting tools. We in health IT will need better ways to motivate and manage remote staff. Amelia Marley. Vice President of Informa- tion Services and CIO of Bassett Health- care Network (Cooperstown, N.Y.): One year from now we will have settled in com- pletely to our teams working remotely in an agile manner to deliver and use digital tools focused on taking care of patients where they live, work and play. It's about friction-free ac- cess and patient self-service 24/7. Within the hospital walls, it's about complete and accu- rate information delivered to a mobile care team, using devices that are pocket size, per- sonal and easy to use. It's all about complete patient and staff safety while creating the best patient experience possible. And we will wonder, why didn't we do this years ago. n U of Kansas Health System to deploy Epic EHR at 3 more hospital campuses By Jackie Drees T he University of Kansas Health System implemented its Epic EHR system at its Great Bend-based hospital campus on Aug. 24, according to Great Bend Tribune. Kansas City-based University of Kansas Health System purchased Great Bend Regional Hospital and its affiliated clinics in August 2018, renaming the location University of Kansas Health System Great Bend Campus. The Epic EHR replaces incompatible systems that Great Bend was previously using, Campus Administrator Jesse Mock told the publication. "This completely new Epic EHR system replaces three disparate systems that didn't talk to each other," he said. "When patients need to be transferred to another health system location or see a specialist in Kansas City, their medical records will [now] be readily available." University of Kansas Health System plans to deploy Epic at additional loca- tions, including the Hays, Kans.-based HaysMed hospital campus and Larned, Kans.-based Pawnee Valley campus. By transitioning to Epic, patients at the three hospitals will also have access to Ep- ic's MyChart patient portal, which allows them to message their physicians, check lab results and look up health records online, according to the report. n Mayo debuts COVID-19 county-level data tracker, plans to add predictive modeling: 6 details By Laura Dyrda R ochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic launched Sept. 17 an online COVID-19 tracking tool examining data for every county in all 50 states as an interactive map. Six things to know: 1. The map includes data such as cases by county and state, new cases per day, positive test rate and fatality rate. The map also tracks trends over time and provides guidance on appropriate action to take. 2. Mayo Chief Value Officer Henry Ting, MD, a cardiologist and health ser- vices researcher, worked with the health system's data scientists to develop the tool's content and validate information. 3. The health system aims to continue developing the tracking tool and add more real-time monitoring and predictive modeling in the future. 4. The Mayo tracker is different from other online COVID-19 trackers includ- ing the Johns Hopkins, Google and CDC websites because those sites include predictions about cases and hospitalizations at the state level; Mayo provides information at the county level. 5. Dr. Ting also told the StarTribune Mayo's tracker is different because it doesn't rely on static mathematical assumptions and the model is fluid, allow- ing parameters to change on a daily basis. 6. The website also has a resource center that provides information from Mayo experts and Mayo-vetted information about COVID-19 that Dr. Ting hopes will be "nonpolitical and mostly science-based and data-based" information, he told the StarTribune. n