Implementing an eHealth initiative is the first step in moving your healthcare organization to the forefront of eHealth technology. For instance, how would your organization make use of this revolutionary eHealth initiative innovation? How would you react if patients began asking to connect their eHealth applications to your information system? eHealth initiatives require an analysis of your entire workflow from operations to systems and technology, from clinical and financial performance to implementation.
The eHealth initiative
eHealth initiative general outcomes expected include benefits to providers and to patients, rapidly expanding technological tools, and even more use of internet based activities.
Working with The Fox Group’s eHealth experts through our three strategic eHealth Thought Lab meetings allows you to get customized knowledge on the processes and strategic changes that must be made in order to maximize the eHealth initiative potential within your organization. Each eHealth Thought Lab meeting will be tailored to your situation, and can jump-start your organization’s eHealth initiatives. By the end of this series of three strategic meetings, you will have an appreciation of the potential for your organization to embark on a meaningful eHealth initiative.
The specific outcomes expected of the eHealth Thought Lab
I. The Current eHealth Initiative: a short, to the point workshop introducing the main elements of the eHealth initiative, a working definition, the effectiveness and implications of eHealth in the future. You select the proper internal stakeholder audience of your organization.
- This workshop is a quick tour around basic issues, examples of effective applications, and rationales for undertaking an eHealth initiative.
- Benefits include (1) development of a common frame of reference within your internal stakeholder audience; (2) correction of mis-perceptions and biases; (3) clarify expectations as to the impact of an eHealth initiative; (4) follow up; and (5) motivation to get things going.
II. eHealth Discussion and Analysis: a workshop reviewing your current eHealth applications, including electronic health record systems, mobile health, internet-based, social media interaction tools, telemedicine, and similar components. It will also address your organizational enthusiasm and/or challenges to creating a strategic planning process addressing the future in eHealth technologies as they unfold. Discussion between your representatives and experts from The Fox Group will run deep into several aspects of the eHealth initiative phenomenon.
- Using tailored examples fitting your organization, moderators of The Fox Group will demonstrate how eHealth technologies pertinent to providers, patients and your organization can result in a successful eHealth initiative for your organization.
- Implications for your organization to be addressed include (1) consequences of the use of eHealth technologies to operations, organization, and Information Technology resources; (2) costs of care and administration; and (3) satisfaction of patients and other stakeholders.
III. eHealth Strategic Planning: a strategic workshop, where you discuss currently existing concepts, modules, and devices available to you and your patients. The final step is to identify the strategic actionable steps to implement your eHealth initiative, bridging the gap between what is available and what needs to be developed.
- Within the workshop, you and your selected stakeholders will reflect on the organization’s actual situation, both from a medical, organizational (structures, processes, staff, IT), and financial and patient perspective. Wishes, challenges, and criteria for a successful eHealth initiative development path are explored. Initial ideas about a specific eHealth initiative can be discussed and placed in a framework of pros and cons.
- Financial considerations will be addressed as well. This strategic plan outline will be tailored to capture the ROI, patient and provider benefits and ultimate outcome expectations of your eHealth initiative. Government, payor, and regulatory issues are addressed as well.
- Expectations and outcome: The output is a structured roadmap defining the path to development and implementation of your eHealth initiative, fully tailored to your specific situation.
The eHealth Thought Lab actionable and practical implementations
These eHealth initiative activities will take from 2 hours to 2 days, either in succession or with some intermediate time. Guidance on how technology can change workload and communication will be a side effect; tools that enable employees to monitor patients and transitions of care through a single portal and allow for charts, diagnoses, tests, and other relevant materials to pass to the person who needs them most will reduce redundancy and lower workloads.
Finally, a summary proposal for your organization will be drafted to guide you into an actionable eHealth initiative and practical implementations.
eHealth Initiative: what are the next steps?
The Fox Group will assist you in concept, development, and implementation resulting in a fully operational plan to start your proper eHealth initiative with motivated stakeholders. Information about process and follow though, financial estimates and expected impact on organizational functions will be identified. Planned outcomes and specifications of expected patient and provider responses to the strategic process are delineated. In other words: “Welcome to the current and future of eHealth!”