Describes the importance of technology in health care, and the positive outcomes of ambulatory networks.

1. Ambulatory Networks:
The Power of Technology
Dara Johnson, MD, MPH, Research Advisor, Sodexo Healthcare

2. 2
The Importance of Technology
in Health Care
In this day and age, health care institutions use technology in
everything they do. From clinical documentation and coding
software to patient satisfaction surveys, it is evident that health
care technology is no longer a luxury – it is a necessity.
Health care institutions, particularly smaller facilities, must keep
up with this trend toward technology or face the possibility of
being left out and left behind. Lack of technology, especially in
outlying health care facilities, can affect the performance as well
as the functionality of the entire health care system through
decreased quality of care, poor health outcomes, and lower
patient satisfaction.1,2
Ambulatory Networks Defined
In any given community, there is typically a main hospital
surrounded by patient-centered medical homes, specialty clinics,
outpatient doctors’ offices, ambulatory clinics, urgent care
centers and smaller hospitals. Individual entities that work in
concert with each other constitute an Ambulatory Network.3,4
The effective use of health care technology can promote
integration and partnerships between health care facilities,
which assists with coordinating services, organizing information
and improving performance.5
When individual institutions work
together as a single Ambulatory Network, the benefits can be
long-lasting.
Common Gaps in
Ambulatory Networks
In the health care setting, technology is used to perform many
helpful tasks, including automatic billing, collection of laboratory
and radiology reports, and providing patient education. However,
when computer applications are run on separate networks, they
do not communicate important information across institutions.
In many instances, individual facilities not incorporated into an
Ambulatory Network use distinct technology platforms, which
can lead to variation in how services are provided.
For example, staff in different health care facilities may use
a variety of methods to conduct phone consultations, triage
appointments and order supplies. Similarly, institutions
may use different processes for making referrals, scheduling
appointments, and managing and storing medical records, all
of which can make the secure transfer of health information
difficult. Even though there are tools that can help collectively
manage diverse health care institutions, many facilities continue
to work autonomously.5,6
Individual facilities not incorporated into an
Ambulatory Network use distinct technology
platforms, which can lead to variation in how
services are provided.

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Benefits of an Integrated
Technology Platform
Using one systematic and integrated approach can minimize
waste and overlaps in service, create greater consistency,
streamline administration and even afford staff the opportunity
to provide cross-coverage between health care facilities.6
Streamlining protocols and procedures will promote institution-
wide uniformity and reclaim valuable time, money and
resources.7
Furthermore, one shared platform that provides all
facilities within an Ambulatory Network the same functionality
and streamlines workflow processes can eliminate duplication of
effort and save money, as the manpower and costs to perform
such tasks will be shared among the institutions that make up
the network. 6
In addition, the use of various technology platforms hinders the
process of sharing patient data between health care institutions,
which can lead to inaccurate health management, poor decision
making, and wasted resources.5
A consistent technology
platform used within an Ambulatory Network can connect
facilities and offer a more efficient means of sending, storing
and retrieving patient information.5
With improved access to
health information, data mining can be used to follow health
trends in the population, predict health patterns, provide
knowledge-based decisions and produce more customized health
management plans.6,7
Lastly, when health care facilities have a shared operational
design, the management of each individual facility adopts the
same protocols and procedures, resulting in better organizational
support and accountability. In sum, the benefits of using an
integrated technology platform within an Ambulatory Network
include: more efficient use of time, decreased costs, preservation
of resources, operational efficiency, coordinated care, eradication
of waste and replication, enhanced health management and
overall improved patient satisfaction.6
Who Benefits from
Streamlined Technology in
Ambulatory Networks?
Individual health care facilities, as well as the entire Ambulatory
Network, can benefit from the joint effort of shared resources,
processes, networks and data. System dashboards can promote
the growth of stronger health care managers and administrators
who utilize common protocols and procedures to optimize facility
processes, reduce costs and conserve resources.6
Technology
platforms can support inter-facility communication that shares
patient health information and integrates service delivery in
an effort to make the best decisions to guide both patient and
process management.4
The data sharing enabled by streamlined technology platforms
promotes better coordination of care and reduced duplication of
work, which allows providers to spend more time engaging with
their patients. Dashboards readily permit the visualization of
up-to-date patient information that will help drive quicker, more
accurate decision-making within the Ambulatory Network.5
Health insurance companies can also benefit from the integrated
technology used within Ambulatory Networks.8
More specifically,
the quality and efficiency of health care can strengthen as
health data is collected, analyzed, compared, disseminated and
reapplied in the health care facilities that make up a network,
leading to increased insurance reimbursements.
One shared platform within an Ambulatory
Network can eliminate duplication of effort and
save money.
Organizations
Employees
Consumers
Indiviual health care facilities
within an Ambulatory Network
Health insurance companies
Health care
managers and
administrators
Physicians and
nurses
Environmental and
food service staff
Patients

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Most importantly, patients can experience more comprehensive,
customized and coordinated health care. Patient health outcomes
and satisfaction are likely to improve as a result of restructured
processes, better health management and more efficient use
of time.3,6,7
New Health Technologies
Influencing Ambulatory Networks
The field of health technology is vast and varied. There are
amazing breakthroughs and advances being made that can truly
have a positive impact on the way health care is delivered in
the future. There are several areas of health technology that are
influencing Ambulatory Networks.
Digital and Mobile Applications
For starters, digital and mobile applications allow for remote
health monitoring via computers or mobile devices (i.e., smart
phones and tablets). Digital and mobile application software is
being developed to assist in the transfer of health information
between patients and their health care providers.9,10
For example,
patients can scan medication barcodes using a cell phone
camera and receive personalized medication instructions to aid
in the management of acute and chronic conditions.11
Similarly,
mobile technology is helping diabetics manage their disease by
facilitating communication between diabetes patients and their
providers, as well as allowing patients to retrospectively reflect on
food diaries.12
Patient-Centered Devices
Patient-centered devices are similar to digital and mobile
applications used on mobile devices, except that patients actually
wear a non-invasive apparatus that collects and sends their
health information directly to their provider. The GPS in some
wearable patient-centered devices has been used to track the
location of elderly patients, conceivably useful for aging adults
with Alzheimer’s disease.9
In addition, some wearable devices
include biosensors that monitor physiological activity, much like
an electrocardiogram would.11,12
Other features of digital and mobile devices, as well as patient-
centered devices, include the ability to send text alerts to remind
patients of upcoming appointments, manage behavior, provide
post-hospitalization supervision, alarm when patients are outside
of their normal parameters, notify providers when patients are
being seen in other facilities within the Ambulatory Network,
and administer health questionnaires.9
These tools will increase
communication and tracking capabilities, which will create a
better patient experience, improve patient satisfaction, allow for
more informed decision-making, enhance the delivery of health
care and make more efficient use of time.

5. 5
Health Information Exchanges and Cloud
Computing
Health care institutions should take advantage of collaboration
services like health information exchanges (HIEs), which use the
internet to allow sharing of health data across organizations.14
These exchanges are efficient systems that foster public health
surveillance, interoperability, online collaboration, universal
access to health information, sharing of resources and
warehousing of data. HIEs allow for real-time access to patient
information and can connect health care institutions with
ancillary services (i.e., billing, pharmacies and laboratories).13,15
Ideally, an HIE will be hosted in the “Cloud”: a group of computers
that simultaneously run multiple software applications via the
Internet.13
When applications can reside anywhere in a group of
servers instead of one specific server, the application can expand
or contract to meet demand at any given time. Each health care
provider needs only one connection to the Cloud instead of one
to every provider in the exchange.
Data Analytics
Lastly, data analytics plays an important role in modern health
care technology. The application of data analytics will greatly
support the development and sustainability of Ambulatory
Networks. All of the information that is gathered through digital
and mobile applications, patient-centered devices and health
information exchanges can be analyzed in order to discover
patterns and associations.13
The trends that are uncovered can
help institutions guide decision-making processes, allocate
resources and anticipate the needs of patients.16,17
Summary
Innovation through technology is the key to sustainability in
Ambulatory Networks. Now and in the years to come, health
care technology will support the integration and partnering of
individual health care institutions within a community. Those
who will benefit from integrated technology platforms within an
Ambulatory Network include not only providers and patients, but
also health care administrators, insurance companies and others
within the community.
The outcomes of streamlined technology are multifarious – from
increased operational efficiencies, to decreased costs and less
waste. Undoubtedly the greatest benefit, however, is improved
quality of care for patients, leading to better health outcomes
and higher patient satisfaction scores.

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Sodexo’s Solutions for Ambulatory Networks18
Sodexo has several innovative projects that are capable of bridging the technological gaps in Ambulatory Networks:
Strengthening of the leadership and management framework can be coordinated through the Asset
Management Program. This initiative offers strategic and coordinated management advice in addition
to evaluation of facility expenses, resources and overall performance.
Sodexo’s MinuteMan tool tracks the status of all clinical equipment, and the Clinical
Management Technology maintenance program guarantees peak equipment efficiency. The
advantages are decreased maintenance and operational costs, quicker response times, greater
uptime for all clinical equipment, and increased patient satisfaction.
Sodexo also addresses protocols and procedures within institutions. The Service Response Center
serves as an interactive support hub for service requests. Having one central point of contact guarantees
consistent responses and forecasting of needs.
Operational dashboards and platforms, such as the Ambassador/Patient Satisfaction Program,
surveys, immediately responds, analyzes and predicts the needs of hospitalized patients in order to
provide more personalized care.
The Patient Interactive Services/Patient Interactive System is a technology solution that allows
hospital patients to interact with the television in their rooms in order to provide feedback about their
hospital stay, gain access to educational materials, and request services.
There are also programs that share and assess health information. The InSite or Maximo
tool is the product of the Computerized Maintenance Management System, which
utilizes data analytics to improve organizational processes.
Health monitoring tools, including Healthsense, remotely gather and assess
Zvital signs of senior living residents. The outcome is better awareness of patient needs
and expectations.

7. 7
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Yifan Zhao, Shiying Hao, Le Zheng, Changlin Fu,
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Zheng, Dorothy Dai, Devore S Culver, Shaun T Alfreds,
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8. Ambulatory Networks: The Power of Technology | Sodexo Health Care | 800 432 6663 | www.sodexoUSA.com