By: Tim Thompson, SVP and CIO, BayCare Health System
Leveraging technology to improve patient outcomes and the health of Tampa residents has always been an important focus at BayCare Health System. Our leadership team is committed to technology — for the right reasons — to enhance the overall patient experience.
We strive to know the complete history of our patients. And, this can be a unique challenge given our consumer population swells each winter across the five counties we serve. It’s paramount that we understand and can access a patient’s entire medical history — even patients we see just a few months each year — to ensure we provide the best care.
BayCare is constantly innovating how we reach patients spread over nearly 300 access points in Tampa. We use patient educational tools, patient portals and, in the clinical setting, smart phones. The goal is to motivate and get info to patients — where they are — so they can help care for themselves.
We regularly check how we connect our clinically integrated network of more than 1,400 physicians who are managing at-risk lives. It’s important to understand our population, whether it’s a patient who lives nearby 365 days a year or only 180 days.
Our long-standing partnerships with Cerner and Siemens Health Services have supported and boosted our commitment to being a patient-centered community. BayCare and Cerner have been partners for more than seven years. Through the course of working together, we’ve achieved many business goals, including the HIMSS Level 6 designation. Similarly, we’ve been partners with Siemens Health Services for more than two decades around financial solutions. I like to say that Siemens Health Services is in the front and back of the house, while Cerner is in the middle.
I see Cerner’s acquisition of Siemens Health Services as a win for patients and the industry. The blending of these two cultures will challenge the old ways and enhance the combined companies’ solution offerings. The result should be improved patient outcomes and experiences. Both companies also share a commitment to research and development. Once the acquisition closes, Cerner and Siemens AG — the parent company of Siemens Health Services — plan to form a strategic alliance that will integrate diagnostics and therapeutics into the EHR.
For providers like BayCare, and CIOs like me, it will be exciting to see how this shared commitment to innovation translates to the care we provide our patients. During the acquisition, I encourage CIOs who use solutions from Cerner and Siemens Health Services to continue being engaged, pushing our industry to be more innovative than ever. An increase in research and development not only helps our respective health systems, it also strengthens the entire industry, creating more enhanced solutions that provide better care for all patients — whether we serve them 12 months a year or just six.
Source Cerner
