Volume 14
Issue 2
November 2014
SYSTEMnews CEO’s corner Ralph W. Muller
CEO, University of Pennsylvania Health System
Kindness is a powerful healer. These simple yet far-reaching words capture the philosophy at the foundation of our commitment to an outstanding patient experience. Patients expect -- and deserve -- safe and effective care. While this is of course extremely important, it’s not enough. By also doing everything we can to ensure a first-rate patient experience, we can help lessen the anxiety and apprehension that inevitably come with a hospital stay, doctor’s visit, or outpatient procedure. This is not only vital for the patient's frame of mind but also central to good health outcomes. At UPHS the patient experience is as crucial a part of the quality framework as clinical effectiveness and patient safety.
Connexus: Real-time Patient Information in a Mobile-Friendly View With the advent of electronic medical records, patient information became as close as the nearest computer. But securely logging in to a desktop and waiting for the EMR to load can be a lengthy process, a struggle for clinicians on the go providing patient care. Now, Connexus takes this access to clinical data to a new level. The recently launched website, created by Information Services in partnership with the Office of the Chief Medical Information Officer, provides real-time patient information in a mobilefriendly view. “The site frees the provider from the need to log onto a computer or depend on out-of-date information from printouts produced hours earlier,” said William Hanson, MD, vice president and CMIO of the Health System.
A positive patient experience best occurs within a service-minded culture: one continually stressing the importance of putting patients first. It simply can’t be achieved through unconnected initiatives. That’s why at a strategic level, our Blueprint for Quality and Patient Safety frames the patient experience as an integral and equal part of our mission. By our actions, we want patients to know they are at the heart of everything we do.
The application also presents the data in a format that “we as clinicians need to make medical decisions,” said Subha Airan-Javia, MD, of Internal Medicine, who worked with Glenn Fala, senior director for Software Development, and the Information Services team to create the site.
CPUP’s recent Patient Experience Week is a case in point. Bringing together a range of patient-supporting activities under the evocative tagline Be Someone’s Umbrella, the week proved an excellent opportunity to highlight the many ways CPUP staff members put patients first. Events took place at every CPUP location, comprising over 2,000 people.
Connexus began as a challenge Hanson made to Airan-Javia to make handoff documents mobile. A handoff document contains essential patient information passed from one provider to another, enabling better care of their shared patients but, as Airan-Javia noted, “it is a tool that I check throughout the day, a think space.” Currently, even though information is keyed into Sunrise (the electronic records system for inpatients), handoff documents have to be printed and shared.
Activities offered to thank and re-energize staff members, included bagel breakfasts, massage appointments, stress reduction techniques, and book club discussions. A terrific array of in-house speakers offered suggestions for enhancing patient communications and managing wait-time more effectively. A live panel of patients spoke movingly about how something as simple as a warm smile can help put patients and family members at ease. A new video promoting the patient experience was premiered, a fresh emphasis on a pro-patient perspective was added to our new-hire orientation, and an award ceremony recognized staff members who go the extra mile. Posters challenged and inspired everyone to be at the top of their game. Patients of course took notice and recognized how much we value their trust in us. Our aim is to expand this excellent model throughout the health system in the coming year. (continued on page 5)
Inside Theresa Larivee Named PAH Executive Director.............2 Ebola Preparedness at Penn Medicine...........................2 Penn Medicine Valley Forge a LEED Facility...........................2 PennSeek: A Major Change in Data Access................................2 Penn Medicine@Work..............3 Newsmakers..............................4 Anatomy of a Move..................5 Leadership Transitions.............6
Where It Began
onnexus frees the provider from the need C to log onto a computer or depend on out-ofdate information from printouts produced hours earlier. The first step was to figure out how to display so much data on a smartphone. “At first, it seemed insurmountable,” Fala said. But the team kept working at it — finding ways to collapse and expand information — and finally came up with a clean design that worked. Fala's team had also developed MedView Mobile, an iPhone app that allows users to look up any patient's care-provider team as well as recent labs and radiology studies. Connexus takes these functions several steps further, Airan-Javia said. “It gives providers the ability to create patient lists that automatically populate based on selected criteria and provides a more comprehensive set of patient data.” Additionally, while MedView Mobile offers access to recent patient data, it only goes back two years, leaving many gaps for patients with chronic conditions that have been treated at Penn over time. “Connexus can search all of a patient's EMR record, removing that limitation,” she said.
Connexus is a mobile web application, not an app, which means there is nothing to download. It is essentially a mobile friendly web page that can be accessed from any mobile device that is connected to the UPHS network. This ensures the patient information displayed is secured behind the UPHS firewall. “Only providers with the security rights to access patient information can access the site” Airan-Javia said.
What It Offers Providers can view a variety of clinical information on the Connexus website including up-to-date vital signs, allergies, inpatient and home medication lists, labs, radiology studies, and medical history reports. But it goes well beyond just accessing data from Sunrise. According to Airan-Javia, one of its best features is the ability to quickly find the names of each member of a patient’s care provider team and ensure that everyone is in the loop, sharing information and up-to-date on evolving care situations. “It’s often very hard to find out who is taking care of a patient. Connexus has the name of the patient’s attending, primary intern, covering intern and nurse, and any other services that are consulting on the patient,” she said. Even better: the clinician can click on any name on the list to immediately call or email. “This helps increase communication between care providers,” she said. “If I have a question or problem, I can easily call one of the providers right away instead of wasting time tracking down the right person and the right contact information.” “If a clinician is in a patient’s room, he doesn’t want to be searching for information on a computer,” added Fala. “Now he can tell the patient ‘Let me call your doctor’ and simply click on the name. Tap and you’re connected.”
How It’s Formatted With Connexus, all of a patient’s data is presented in a clinically oriented way. For example, vital signs are graphed and trended, and inpatient and outpatient labs and radiology studies are integrated. “This allows clinicians to compare old data with new data,” Airan-Javia said. “I can easily see trends, such as a sudden spike in a value. “An EMR does not always present information in a way that coincides with provider needs. It’s much more spread out,” she continued, adding that “I have to teach residents how to access data on the EMR multiple times for them to understand. (continued on page 2)
Awards & Accolades.................6
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