by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | February 22, 2019
From the January/February 2019 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Operations always have tools and the experience I tend to lean on (no pun intended) is when manufacturing started using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems like SAP or some other brand for production steps. We pulled massive amounts of data and took years to fully optimize. The implementation of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems is totally different but similar so walking that path in a previous life has been beneficial.
Seven years ago, we started looking at RTLS as a workflow tool compared to asset tracking which at the time was ground breaking. That started the process of continuously challenging metric sets and striving to deliver a better data story around resource allocation. RTLS workflow visibility and improved data reduce random changes which can be frustrating for all; patients, customers, staff, providers, and the organization to the point where it no longer seems worth it. The last three years at Eide Bailly we've invested a great deal of time and talent utilizing new tools for large data stream management. With this piece of the puzzle coming together, elements of RTLS continue to evolve into a necessary component of organizational innovation.
HCB News: You have helped some big facilities, such as Altru Health System, implement RTLS systems. What are some of the most valuable lessons and experiences you've taken from those partnerships?
PS: The first is to understand is that care cultures need time to adapt the new technology. Most of the learning happens in the first couple of weeks of system start-up and process modeling before go live helps relieve start-up stress. We’re finding the amount of effort put into data structuring on the front side helps providers consume information sooner and start the innovation cycles on a better note. The RTLS system and reporting functions designed need to be flexible, so they grow with the teams capacity to learn and challenge the current state.
The term 'real time' migrates quickly into staff vocabulary and the ability to quickly recognize the flow of work from the system builds engagement. Another contribution to engagement is providing your team a fixed point in the stream of data that unites the RTLS effort with strategic goals. At Altru we focused on cycle time of patients and that has evolved into a more mature understanding of work flows.
Leaders have to get in and roll up their sleeves. They need to be the first to learn the data, understand the system, and answer questions so the team can trust the system by trusting the leaders. This helps with innovation as trust builds freedom to explore and dream. Cultivate better conversations with front line leaders based on information compared to assumptions.
