Our phones, and in many cases watches, are constantly lighting up with alerts throughout the day. A text message from a family member. A score update from your favorite team. A notification from your home that you left a door open or that a light was left on.
Imagine if that was happening with your medical care. Your doctor, for example, getting your test results pinged to his or her device right in the middle of a conversation with you. At one time that might have seemed out of the realm of possibility, but now it’s just a matter of putting the infrastructure in place to make it happen. Here’s what one hospital system in Georgia has done to make that a reality, and how any hospital can follow suit.
Using Macs in the hospital
Emory Hillandale Hospital in Lithonia, Georgia is streamlining care for its patients. iPads stationed outside rooms on magnets can call up patient-specific data such as allergies, precautions, and other relevant information. iPhones and Apple Watches keep physicians and nurses connected wherever they are in the facility. All nursing stations have Mac computers, and physicians use portable MacBooks as they move from patient to patient and room to room. Patients can use iPads from their beds to communicate with their care teams, or to order meals during their stay.
A framework for success
All of the work Emory Hillandale Hospital is doing sounds very cutting-edge and impressive, which it is. But strip the Apple devices from the equation and you have a hospital that is setting a framework for success in its approach. First of all, the hospital made a technological shift that allowed everyone to use similar products to improve communication and workflow. This is very hard for any organization to do, let alone one in healthcare. To get everyone to buy in to one way of doing things can be difficult, but when it happens, the opportunities for improved patient care increase dramatically.
It’s not just patient care – the hospital also had the best interests of its staff in mind as well. The care team has been happy with the shift because it saves them time – logging in is quicker, and documenting encounters is easier. These types of gains can be done in any number of ways – listening to and addressing the concerns of stakeholders means a more satisfied care team. And seeking out those concerns is how you get the buy-in when it comes time to make a technology overhaul that can help achieve those goals.
Analytics works on any device
The world of healthcare is notorious for having outdated technology and employees who are reluctant to learn new systems. Success stories like the one at Emory Hillandale Hospital can help show healthcare workers what a technology overhaul can lead to. This is an especially important time for such work. As AI becomes more prominent, its uses could be hampered by inefficient systems.
Like any other industry, healthcare has an incredible number of data points that are collected all the time. What sets the healthcare industry apart is that its data can literally save lives. The right analytics solution can harness that data so that doctors and hospital administrators can make decisions that lead to the best outcomes for the community.
The information doesn’t have to be delivered on an Apple Watch. Analytics can be provided any number of ways, on any number of devices, in real-time. The data can be turned into customizable reports that can help a physician in the room with a patient or administrators in a conference room looking at the overall health of their organization.
The important thing for organizations to understand when it comes to a solution is, while the gadgets and name brand sound impressive, they need a vendor who will not just provide analytics but will also serve as a reliable partner. Just as a hospital staff can work together to dictate what kind of a technological transformation an organization might benefit from, the hospital and its analytics partner must also work together. That might start with the problems an organization is trying to solve today, but the best analytics provider will adapt to be able to also address the problems that might arise in the future.
- Unique Approaches to Drive Wine & Spirits Sales - June 17, 2025
- Transforming How Healthcare Organizations Use Data - June 10, 2025
- Limiting Unpredictability in Wine and Spirits - June 3, 2025
