Becker's Hospital Review

138 Executive Briefing: Unified care collaboration: How the right healthcare communication platform can improve care and boost efficiencies E very organization requires communication, and each in- dustry has its own unique set of communication challeng- es. In healthcare, digital health records and electronic communication tools have shaken up the ways in which pro- viders and caregivers interact with one another. In an industry as collaborative as healthcare, communication is paramount to patient safety, health outcomes and workforce engagement. Developing a mobile communication strategy that addresses the key challenges and needs of caregivers can help hospitals better meet their missions. Challenges in healthcare communication Healthcare requires sharing our most sensitive, person- al information. To safeguard patient information, the federal government enacted regulations such as HIPAA, which requires hospitals and vendors to actively ensure such data is secure. Compliance with HIPAA and developing a communication security strategy are significant concerns for healthcare organi- zations. Alex Brown, director of strategy at healthcare commu- nication technology provider Voalte, says this is pushing many organizations to reconsider their communication policies and systems. "There's an ongoing need to ensure hospitals have a solid strategy for secure communication," he said. "A lot of sites say, 'I need to address this compliance issue,' which leads them to a larger conversation about how to look at communication holistically inside and outside of their facility." Much of the reinforced need for compliance stems from the increased presence of personal devices such as smart- phones and tablets that caregivers use to send and receive PHI via SMS messaging, Mr. Brown says. Another emerging challenge is the multiple models by which caregivers interact. For example, not all physicians are directly employed by hospitals, so they may be unaware of or unable to meet certain organizational policies. Healthcare organizations may have less stringent enforcement of compli- ance policies for these physicians than with hospital-employed physicians. "HIPAA compliance is important, but sometimes it's difficult to control. Healthcare organizations are not the same as a For- tune 500 company like GE, which can issue a mandate to make sure every employee is compliant," Mr. Brown says. Communication is also an infrastructure challenge. Hospi- tals have been around much longer than the technology they now use, so they weren't built to handle new modes of com- munication. "It can be a challenge for a facility to say, 'If we're really going to upgrade our communication systems, we need to bring other systems in our infrastructure up-to-date as well.' A perfect example is Wi-Fi," Mr. Brown says. Overall, communication problems can reduce efficiency. If providers can't communicate, they are severely inhibited in their ability to care for patients, which Mr. Brown adds is often listed as one of the 10 most common causes of sentinel events by The Joint Commission. What do hospitals need for a secure mobile communication strategy? To address the key challenges in healthcare communi- cation, hospitals and health systems are developing secure mobile communication strategies. Mr. Brown says there are two pillars to a good strategy. The first is recognizing the need for communication devices inside and outside the hospital, and developing a strategy to accom- modate those devices. While some hospitals foster "bring your own device" (BYOD) programs and some offer corporate-pro- vided devices, others blend the two. A good strategy takes all these scenarios into consideration and unifies them. "BYOD and shared devices may have different users, but those users still have to communicate on the same platform," Mr. Brown says. He offers the example of a nurse who comes to work and uses the same communication device every day. Whether it's a personal device or one provided by the orga- nization, he or she needs and wants to have the device set to certain specifications every time. The second pillar of a good mobile communication strat- egy is to be sure new technologies can integrate with existing technologies, including the EMR, patient monitors and nurse call system. "Everything needs to work together. Otherwise, you just implement a solution that is not a tremendous im- provement," Mr. Brown says. Healthcare communication platforms: What are they, exactly? A healthcare communication platform provides a standard- ized means for care teams to communicate with one another across the enterprise. To understand what a communication platform is, it may be helpful to describe what it is not. It is not a single solution, or a technology that provides only one way to communicate. A simple texting app, for example, can't answer all the communication needs of staff across the entire enter- prise. "Many solutions are simply for secure texting," Mr. Brown says. "Many vendors and hospitals are realizing these sin- gle-point solutions are not enough. You need a comprehensive communication platform that includes, voice, text, and alarm and alert notifications for multiple modes of communication. Similarly, a platform operates on multiple endpoints. A mobile app on a smartphone alone won't suffice, Mr. Brown says. A communication platform should be accessible at desk- Sponsored by: Unified Care Collaboration

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