InformationWeek recently interviewed Chad Eckes, CIO from Cancer Treatment Centers of America, for its July 6, 2009 issue. One of his answers stood out and is very relevant to NEC’s healthcare practice.
Q: How do you measure IT effectiveness?
A: Factors include improvement of patient care and safety as a result of IT systems: increased efficiency of clinical processes; and internal customers satisfaction, including the patient and those caring for the patient.
NEC has argued that the biggest investment in your healthcare facility is not technology – it’s people. Specific to communications, we believe that instead of technology defining how people communicate in their role (doctor, nurse, ER, OR, admin, etc), that the role should define the technology used to communicate. With this approach, communications are tailored to each individual’s role, which ensures quick access to healthcare resources and records (the IT part of the equation) so patients get the best care possible.
NEC will be hosting a webinar on August 12 with Irwin Lazar, analyst at Nemertes Research, to talk more about the impact of VoIP and UC for healthcare organizations. Al Campanella, CIO of Virtua Healthcare, will also be on the webinar to share the vision and mission of a leading healthcare organization. Click here to register!
