Reimagining Communication Workflows Series: Part 5 - Engaging Family, Caregivers, and Primary Care Doctors

Achieving the triple aim of better outcomes, reduced costs, and a better patient experience calls for new care delivery systems, advanced technology, and adherence to best practices at every point of the patient journey. It also requires all care providers to communicate clearly and completely across the care continuum.

As part of our ongoing series, we will be discussing how new clinical communication and collaboration technologies are reshaping those traditional healthcare communication models.

In our last post, we explored Improving Transitions of Care for patients. In this article we will be exploring how real-time messaging leads to improved communication for Engaging Family, Caregivers, and Primary Care Doctors.

The Situation

Care providers understand that a hospital’s responsibility to the patient doesn’t end after discharge. Hospitals can face penalties up to 3 percent for readmitting patients within 30 days of discharge. Worse yet, these hospitals must now eat the cost of that patient’s care. With readmission rates averaging 18.4 percent, those penalties can quickly add up.

Studies have shown that patients are generally less likely to be readmitted within this 30- day window if they follow up with their primary care physician (PCP). Family members and caregivers also play a key role in the speed and quality of a patient’s recovery, so it’s essential that they understand the post-discharge plan fully. Giving nurses a way to engage with family members after their loved one is discharged can be the difference between a readmission and a healthy recovery.

Clinicians must have the ability to securely share care plans with PCPs, family members, physical therapists, and others outside the hospital network, and to be able to instantly reach out to the PCP or caregiver to verify that follow-up appointments are scheduled and after-care plans are followed.

TigerConnect Clinical Collaboration Platform – Standard to the Rescue

TigerConnect Clinical Collaboration Platform – Standard lets clinicians know what’s being done as it’s being done. By investing in a secure messaging solution, healthcare organizations can dramatically improve care coordination, providing a better experience for patients while also reducing operational costs and physician burnout. The equation is simple: better communication results in better care.

TigerConnect Clinical Collaboration Platform – Standard is an easy-to-use messaging app for smartphones or workstations that helps organizations improve care team communications and collaboration while achieving HIPAA-compliance.

In practical terms, it means that hospitalists can instantly identify and contact on-call specialists, ER physicians can easily share images with on-call cardiologists, and discharge coordinators can mobilize social workers, pharmacy, and physical therapists to expedite discharge.

TigerConnect Clinical Collaboration Platform – Standard benefits include:

Achieve HIPAA Compliance
TigerConnect Clinical Collaboration Platform – Standard’s secure and encrypted, HITRUST-certified application protects patient information and meets HIPAA guidelines, even guaranteeing your organization against fines.

Replace Outdated Technologies
Save time and improve communication efficiency by alleviating phone tag, unanswered pages, and disruption to patients and care team members.

Manage Users and Enforce
Policies Maintain full control with the administrative console for managing users and devices while setting and enforcing security policies.

Optimize Workflows
Enable staff to quickly communicate and coordinate with other departments for consults, transfers, medication reconciliation, and more.

Integrate with Existing Applications
Save time and reduce steps by integrating TigerConnect Clinical Collaboration Platform – Standard with paging systems, answering services, and LDAP/Active Directory.

To learn more about TigerConnect Clinical Collaboration Platform – Pro, download the Reimaging Communications Workflows eBook here

Will O'Connor M.D., CMIO at TigerConnect

Will O’Connor, M.D. is the Chief Medical Information Officer at TigerConnect. As a physician executive with more than 20 years of healthcare experience, Will is a passionate advocate for rapid advancement across the healthcare industry.

Tags: Clinical Communications, Care Team Collaboration