HLTH 2022 Recap: 3 Takeaways from Interlace Health
/in Blog, Healthcare Technology, News and Events /by Dessiree PaoliEarlier this month, I was in Las Vegas for the #HLTH22 conference at the Venetian Expo. Having been at the same venue last year for HIMSS 2021, I was feeling underwhelmed heading into a conference with so much walking and so many lines. But, much to my surprise, the entire vibe was different. HLTH was my eighth (yes 8!) conference this year and I have to say that I ended on a high note for the year. I believe that HLTH is working hard to ensure they deliver a new conference experience that gets people excited.
Here are my 3 takeaways from this week at HLTH:
Mental Health Matters. A Lot.
One of the opening sessions on Monday was with the CEO and Chief Purpose Officer at Calm, and was titled: The Body. The Mind. The Future of Whole Health. During their time, David Ko and Jay Shetty shared some statistics on mental health in the US, as well as how much of a role our mobile devices play in our stress levels. Yet, they weren’t proposing we ask the unachievable, that people put down their phones. They were suggesting that the alternative solution is actually right next to the problem: technology is a big part of the solution. Health focused technology and apps that can remind people to a break. Take a breath. Make time for their mental health. Jay Shetty said “The surgeon general told me recently that mental health is a national priority. But we have to all do it together – a collaboration for a happier, healthier nation.”
This sentiment was stressed throughout the HTLH exhibit floor, most prominently with the introduction of Well by hlth. This was an “inaugural ‘event within an event’ for consumer health and wellness brands focusing on wearables, fitness, mental wellness/mindfulness, metabolic health and cardio metabolic disease, nutrition, longevity, sexual health, sleep health, psychedelics, and food innovation.” (hlth.com) Calm introduced their “Calm for business” platform this week and many vendors joined them in offering employers ways to tackle a major obstacle to a healthy work culture. Technology that serves as a new form of “employee benefits” and a way to have more resilient, happier and healthier staff members.
In addition to vendors focused on whole health, there were several stations throughout the exhibit hall encouraging rest and mental breaks. A large globe hung in the very center of the space, where people could lounge on beanbags away from the harsh glare of fluorescent lighting. Once you were done resting under the globe, you step right outside to play classic arcade games like air hockey and skee-ball. Or, step into the Puppy Park and pet a dog for a few minutes. The Zen Lounge invited you to “Come in and Chillax” right next to oxygen bar and several comfy couches. If creativity is your stress relief, you could grab a marker and “Color Me Stress Free” on a large adult coloring page with the HLTH logo.
Collaboration is Critical for Change
There isn’t just one approach to fix the challenges that face the healthcare industry in the US, and there isn’t just one vendor who can solve everything. A message that resonated with me this week was that collaboration across the industry is going to be critical as we begin to make the big changes needed to ensure everyone has access to affordable care – for their whole health. Let’s allow consumer business who have created technologies to make things easier for their customers, share those technologies with payors and providers to make life easier for patients. Let’s make it easier to push big changes through the healthcare system and cut through unnecessary red tape so that we can provide better care to patients, faster.
In the session titled “Removing the Filter from the Business of Healthcare”, the Executive VP of Health & Wellness for Walmart and President and CEO at SCAN Health Plan had a candid conversation about the pressing topics impacting the future of healthcare. They started their discussion around the staffing challenges facing the industry and how 300,000 people left the medical field this year, 120,000 of them being physicians. “There are significantly more medical conditions now, than when those doctors trained”, Dr. Cheryl Pegus shared. Re-hiring alone is not going to solve the problem; emerging care models are going to have to fill in the gaps. Dr. Pegus continued, “Walmart is sometimes the only option in medically underserved areas. 17 million people visit Walmart in these areas, every day”. She went on to share that Walmart can meet these patients there, in a place they can access, with the care they so desperately need. She went on to say “Healthcare is broken. We should stop telling people to stay out of the industry. We all need to come to the table and fix this problem together. The goal is to make healthcare better than it is today. Think about patients first. Profits second. Be more about service to people and service to communities, than padding the bottom line.”
I want to also call out the focus on women in healthcare and women’s health this week. I learned a new term this week: “Femtech”, investing in the health of women. I also learned a shocking statistic that we spend the most money on prenatal health care in the US, but our mothers and babies have some of the worst outcomes of any developed nation. I greatly appreciate how much of a focus HLTH gave to women this week, and I hope that many cutting-edge organizations were able to connect and collaborate in ways that will drive significant change in this area.
An Exceptional Experience Encourages Attendance
As I mentioned before, I went to eight conferences this year. I was in Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Las Vegas and Denver. All of these cities offer a great venue to hold a conference and an opportunity to enjoy all that the city has to offer. But the reality is that you are often stuck in the conference center for days, eating grab & go sandwiches and any candy you can find being handed out by vendors. HLTH did it a little differently. Not only did they provide food for breakfast, lunch, and snack times, but it was really good food, with lots of different options depending on your diet, and your time available to eat. The best part was that it was all available in the exhibit hall where you already were for every single session, meeting, and vendor visit. You didn’t have to leave to navigate unknown conference rooms or battle Vegas hotel lines for a quick lunch.
Vegas is a city for nightlife, and HLTH made sure to offer the true experience. All three days of the conference included evening events at nightclubs, with fun entertainment, free drinks, and more food. The week culminated in a private concert by Ludacris at Drai’s nightclub. After spending 10-12 hours in an exhibit hall, it was nice to have another way to see old friends, meet up with clients and network with potential partners, that you didn’t have to plan for. Food and fun may not be on the top of the list for everyone attending a conference, but for someone who goes to several each year, the added experience makes me more likely that I would want to come back again. Conferences seemed to be falling off of many organizations marketing plans prior to COVID, but the need for in person connection post-pandemic has given them a surge this year. Every conference organization is looking for ways to keep vendors coming back and attendee numbers high. Creating that exceptional experience that delivers happier participants is going to be key next year to drawing big crowds and I look forward to seeing how things continue to change.
Watch the video below for a first-hand look inside HLTH 2022 in Las Vegas!
About the Author:
Dessiree Paoli is the director of product marketing at Interlace Health, a company that transforms workflows by providing clinicians and patients with digital healthcare solutions. She has more than 20 years of experience in driving strategic marketing initiatives, leading teams, and developing integrated campaigns, and she has worked in healthcare for more than 14 years.
Interlace Health Rides Alongside of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
/in Blog, News and Events /by Nikita ContelmoFor the second year, Interlace Health teamed up with a long-time partner, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, to help sponsor and participate in the Tennessee Chapter’s annual Cycle for Life Challenge.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s (CFF) efforts contribute to many positive advancements in cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment that allow those living with CF to live better, healthier, and longer. In 1955, children with this rare genetic disease, that causes a thick mucus buildup in many vital organs, including the lungs, and makes breathing very difficult, were not expected to live to elementary school age. Now, the median life expectancy is 53 years-old! We now have 40,000 people with CF living in the US and over 100,000 people worldwide, with more adults than children living with CF. At this point, there is still no cure for CF, but the CFF is in it “until it’s done;” the CFF’s mission is to cure CF and to provide all people with CF the opportunity to lead long, fulfilling lives by funding research and drug development, partnering with the CF community, and advancing high-quality, specialized care.
As the CFF works to achieve their mission, CFF chapters nationwide host a variety of physical endurance events. Each year the CFF Tennessee chapter hosts an exhilarating cycling and fundraising event, the Cycle for Life Challenge. Participants fund raise and cycle to aid in “adding tomorrows for people living with cystic fibrosis.”
As an event sponsor, Interlace Health employees laced up their sneakers and got active. Employees divided into inter-departmental teams for some friendly competition. Team members cycled, ran, and walked then logged their milage during the week of October 17. The winning team logged 450 miles (that is further than the 300 miles distance from St Louis, MO, where Interlace Health is Headquartered, to Nashville, TN, where the in-person cycling took place). Together, the 5 Interlace Teams contributed 1,775 miles to the 3,700 total miles logged (that is 48%) and contributed to the over $75,000 raised during the event for the CFF!
Sean Hipps and Jolly Johnson, the CFF’s Tennessee Chapter Development Director and Senior Development Director, kicked off the virtual event for the Interlace Teams sharing educational information about CF and the CFF and rallying excitement. The week concluded with an awards ceremony to celebrate the winning team, individuals with the most miles logged, and everyone’s participation. Afterwards, Hipps shared additional words of encouragement and gratitude, “it takes an entire community to make a lasting difference and the way so many came together this year was truly inspiring. We appreciate you helping make this year’s CF Cycle for Life event an incredible success!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ellie Silver is a Solution Architect at Interlace Health. In this role, Ellie provides expertise to healthcare organizations, incorporating Interlace Health solutions, services, and integration technologies to help optimize workflows for patients, providers, and staff. Her degree in Health Science combined with her experience as a Project Manager and End User Trainer enhances her abilities as an innovator in the healthcare IT industry. Ellie is enthusiastic about healthcare and is passionate about helping healthcare organizations create continuous success.
NEW CUSTOMER: Bacon County Hospital
/in Customer Announcements, News, News and Events /by Nikita ContelmoBacon County Hospital and Health System Adds Interlace Health’s eSignature Solution Hospital-wide And One Clinic
Bacon County Hospital and Health System, a 25-bed, general, acute care hospital, is accredited by The Joint Commission and provides adult and pediatric medical care, surgery and obstetrics. Their mission is “As a progressive health care system, we deliver continuous high-quality services to our region.” The hospital strives to provide highest quality of patient-centered care. They are very proud of the excellent healthcare that has been delivered by the Bacon County Hospital and Health System, day after day and year after year.
Our eSignature at Registration and GO solutions were perfect for their goal to cut down on paper and create a cleaner, more efficient scanning process. The hospital is transitioning to a more electronic workflow, and they preferred the option to use iPads to register patients to cut down on scanning. Bacon County will be integrating our solution to one clinic and hospital wide. The hospital will add Interlace Health’s eSignature Solution to enhance their Meditech environment.
CUSTOMER GROWTH: Valley Health System
/in Customer Announcements, News, News and Events /by Nikita ContelmoValley Health System Adds Interlace Health’s eConsent Solution
The Valley Health System is a fully accredited, acute-care, not-for-profit hospital serving more than 440,000 people in 32 towns in Bergen County and adjoining communities. “We’re committed to keeping communities healthy through our comprehensive inpatient and outpatient programs; highly skilled home care services; community-based medical practices and wellness programs; and collaborations with some of the world’s leading healthcare organizations.”
Valley’s current licensed capacity is 431 beds. In 2021:
- 50,120 individuals were admitted to Valley
- 61,884 people were treated in the Emergency Department
- 3,875 babies were born at Valley
Valley Health System has partnered with Interlace Health for a while. They have been using FastPrint and eSignature. The hospital will add Interlace Health’s eConsent solution and Go mobile solution to enhance their Meditech environment. They will be using these features in the emergency department and the main hospital.
CUSTOMER GROWTH: Westchester Medical Center
/0 Comments/in Customer Announcements, News, News and Events /by Nikita ContelmoWestchester Medical Center Chooses Interlace Health for Expansion to 3 New Facilities
The flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), Westchester Medical Center is a 415-bed academic hospital, one of three hospitals located on the Network’s Westchester County, NY campus. Founded in 1917, Westchester Medical Center is the regional base of tertiary and quaternary care and is the primary referral facility for other hospitals, serving as a lifeline for millions of people in the Hudson Valley. Westchester Medical Center’s mission includes providing the highest quality care for all residents of the Hudson Valley, regardless of their ability to pay, providing a network that ensures access to a coordinated continuum of care for its community.
Westchester Medical is a current customer. They have been using our forms library hospital wide and have been pleased with the integration. They will be expanding Fast Print and Forms on Demand into three new hospitals at the end of the year. Currently, Westchester Medical uses Cerner as their EHR.
Forms on Demand Relieves Paper Overload at Canadian Healthcare Organization
/in Blog, News and Events /by Nikita ContelmoForms on Demand Relieves Paper Overload at Canadian Healthcare Organization
We are proud to announce that we have been featured in Canadian Healthcare Technology, a source of information for decision-makers in hospitals, continuing care facilities and home care organizations. The story highlights our partnership with our valued customer, Halton Healthcare in Canada. We began working with this award-winning Canadian healthcare organization —three community hospitals and numerous community-based services serving more than 400,000 people—a few years ago. We helped them implement a Forms on Demand solution that consolidated all their forms into a single, central repository, automating their registration packages and reducing their overall paper burden. The solution also enabled a significant streamlining of their registration process.
View the full story below as posted on Canadian Healthcare Technology.
On-demand forms printing at Halton Healthcare reduces use of paper
OAKVILLE, ONT. – Halton Healthcare, a group of three hospitals just west of Toronto, has been able to eliminate its print shop through the use of on-demand forms printing. This has resulted in a significant reduction in costs, primarily through the decreased use of paper and labels – much of which was wasted. Now, hospital staff and professionals print what’s needed as they need it.
Before the print-on-demand solution, provided by Interlace Health, Halton Healthcare employees would order large quantities of forms and labels.
“They’d request 3,000 to 4,000 forms at a time,” said Leovee Reyes, applications analyst, information and communications technology, at Halton Health-care. “Often, they wouldn’t use a lot of them – or any.”
That’s because once the forms had been printed, the Ministry of Health may have requested a change to the form, making it obsolete. When that occurred, “They would all be thrown out,” said Reyes.
Moreover, printing and attaching labels was an expensive and laborious task. Patient labels were often needed, and manual labour was required to attach them. If a change to the form was demanded, and the labels had already been attached, the team would have to start over again.
Revisions from the health ministry were only one type of change that could throw things out of whack. Human error could also occur, with mistakes appearing on a form. These forms would also need to be reprinted.
Finally, there was also a propensity to simply print more forms and labels than needed at any one time. “We have other hospital customers who have printed boxes and boxes of forms, only to throw them all out before using even 10 percent of them,” commented Dessiree Paoli, director of product marketing at Interlace Health.
Interlace Health and Halton Healthcare held a webinar in May in which they outlined how the Forms on Demand Solution has improved forms management at the hospital.
The change to the computerized solution occurred several years ago with the construction of a new Halton Healthcare facility in Oakville, Ontario. At that time, the decision was made to reduce stockpiling of paper as much as possible.
The solution from Interlace was introduced, enabling a centralized system of managing forms. The database made updating forms much easier and printing out the forms, as needed, meant that the most recent ones were being used.
Using the system from Interlace Health, Halton’s staff can print forms and labels in smaller quantities, as needed.
“There were fewer old versions floating around,” said Reyes. Moreover, the forms could be directed to a printer at the unit at which the user was working. So, if a staff member or clinician was located at a different area of the hospital or different unit, the forms could be printed right on the clinic floor. It became much faster to obtain up-to-date forms, without the need for delivery.
In addition, patient labels could be automatically included in the forms, eliminating the need to manually attach them.
Paoli commented that in other hospitals using Interlace, physicians have appreciated the ability to auto-populate forms, so they don’t have to fill them in. “Patient, too, don’t like to fill out forms,” she noted.
The forms database is used at Halton Healthcare for a wide range of documents, including things like COVID-19 packages, patient instructions and order sets, all of which may be regularly updated. Users can also note their favorites, so they can quickly access and print the forms they use the most.
As well, the system can be integrated into the electronic patient records system used by the hospital. At Halton Healthcare, for example, MEDITECH is used. When working with a patient, an administrator or clinician can pull up the patient’s record and print out the appropriate form – with the patient’s information embedded in the form.
Reyes said the automated forms solution has made a definite difference at the hospital: “Forms are more accurate and up to date – and we’re using far less paper.”
We look forward to continuing to help more healthcare providers, such as Halton Healthcare, take the stress out of their paperwork. By changing to streamlined systems and paperless solutions, it can take the load off staff members and provide a stress-free transition.
Click here to see an online version of the article.
CUSTOMER GROWTH: Kearney Regional Medical Center
/0 Comments/in Customer Announcements, News, News and Events /by Nikita ContelmoKearney Regional Medical Center adds Check Printing with Interlace Health
At Kearney Regional Medical Center, the doctors who see you also guide the direction of the hospital, based on what they need to provide better care. This means spending more time with patients, working to a standard of excellence instead of outside policies, and utilizing the latest in cutting-edge technology. In a sense, what you need for better care goes right to the top, because the “top” is the person who’s treating you. Their vision for the hospital is to “Elevate quality of life through better health.”
Interlace Health solutions already implemented by Kearney Regional Medical Center include Forms on Demand, eConsent, Go mobile application, Capture, and FastPrint. Interlace Health is allowing Kearney to be more patient-focused by decreasing wasted time and increasing efficiency. The hospital will expand its use of Interlace Health by adding the Check Printing product.
Interlace Health Cowboys up for a Great Cause: Franklin, TN Rodeo
/in Blog, News and Events /by Nikita ContelmoInterlace Health Cowboys up for a Great Cause: Franklin, TN Rodeo
In 1949, Franklin Noon Rotary Club hosted their first rodeo in Franklin, Tennessee. Nearly 72 years later it is the largest rodeo in the state. After a two-year break, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the rodeo returned in 2022. Interlace Health was honored to be along for the ride as a 2022 event sponsor.
This past May, the Franklin Noon Rotary Club celebrated its 71st year producing the rodeo. Interlace Health has been a proud sponsor of the rodeo for the past 4 years. This multi-day event brings in over 18,000 people each year. Each day of the event has a different theme that sponsors a charity. Engaging and interactive activities such as a Parade, Mutton Bustin’, Barrel Racing and Bull Riding, are a tremendous draw for the crowds. It is an event for the whole family to enjoy.
“Interlace Health strives to lead with heart, and supporting the rodeo allows us to do just that. Contributing back to the community in a major way, while also having a really good time.”- Allison Reichenbach President, Interlace Health
“In the ‘60’s, there was a shortage of physicians, dentists, and trained nurses in our county. For many years, the Franklin Noon Rotary Club gave scholarships to medical, dental and nursing schools. That financial aid produced a number of good doctors, dentists, and nurses.” – Haynes
The Franklin Rodeo has raised over $4 million dollars for charity in the last 70 years. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to various charities, making a difference in people’s lives. They have contributed to scholarships, non-profit organizations, medical centers, and so much more. This event requires over 300+ volunteers per day, and engages the community in a multitude of ways.
Hear directly from Interlace Health President, Allison Reichenbach, LIVE from the 2022 Franklin Rodeo
Learn more about Interlace Health’s Charitable Giving Efforts.
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About Us
Interlace Health is a solutions company. We transform workflows by enabling seamless data capture and information exchange among providers, staff, and patients. Our clients increase operational efficiencies, reduce overhead, and improve staff and patient satisfaction.We are proud to be a member of the healthcare technology industry’s leading organizations.