|  | | | | Hospital operations depend on efficient, timely, accurate interchange of complex information among a wide range of professionals. Communications are not only important for reducing costs and paring process times—a JCAHO study found that adverse events resulting in harm or injury to patients were frequently due to communication failures. It's time for a communications breakthrough that brings more intelligent coordination and routing of information to healthcare. Communications Enabled Business Processes can reduce the delays inherent in bringing medical staff, patients, and administrators together for consultation and action. To understand the impact, consider how CEBP can change two critical-path processes common to hospital environments: - Replace Paging: Too often, hospital communications rely on disruptive, ineffective broadcast paging to try to find the right resources when they're needed. Staff is frustrated, and patient care can be compromised.
Unlike a paging system, CEBP locates physicians, nurses, and staff using any or every communication channel listed in their online profiles, delivers information or a request, and connects key people together to consult and take action. Less time is spent tracking down people, work interruptions are reduced, and staff is able to prioritize and deliver better patient care. With CEBP quickly connecting parties, errors created by delays and inaccurate messages can be eliminated.
- Streamline Discharges: Many hospitals are zeroing in on eliminating inefficiencies in the discharge process to help increase available beds, improve revenue streams, and raise patient satisfaction.
Patient discharge is a complicated process requiring coordination of a number of events, services, departments, and people. Handoffs must occur between primary care physicians, nurses, case managers, specialists, and support services. CEBP can locate personnel, alert specialists for consultative sessions, ensure care transfers from physicians to nurses, initiate timely support services, and follow up on tasks. All of this reduces the time needed to complete the discharge process.
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