In pursuit of its mission, The Joint Commission audits and accredits more than 21,000 healthcare organizations and programs for clinical excellence and patient safety. The organization also publishes an annual list of National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) highlighting specific areas of focus for improvement within the healthcare environment. Improving communications is included in the list as a high priority because communication delays and errors can have serious consequences, for patients as well as hospitals.This webinar explores some of the communication challenges hospitals face and how technology can help them comply with The Joint Commission’s communication goal (NPSG 2).

1. GETTING RIGHT WITH
THE JOINT COMMISSION’S
COMMUNICATION GOAL

2. 2
STATED MISSION
http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/about-jci/who-is-jci/
“To continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration
with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations
and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of
the highest quality and value.”

3. 3
IMPROVING HOSPITAL COMMUNICATION
National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) 2
Improve the effectiveness of communication among
caregivers.
NPSG.02.03.01
Report critical results of tests and diagnostic procedures on a
timely basis.
https://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/NPSG_Chapter_HAP_Jan2017.pdf

4. 4
THE NEED FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION
https://www.rmf.harvard.edu/Malpractice-Data/Annual-Benchmark-Reports/Risks-in-Communication-Failures
Communication was a factor in
of 23,658 malpractice cases
filed from 2009-2013.
30%
of all high-severity injury cases
involved a communication failure
37%

5. 5
THE COST OF POOR COMMUNICATION
Poor communication
costs $1.7 billion in
malpractice costs
and nearly 2,000
lives (2009-2013).
U.S. hospitals waste
more than $12
billion annually from
poor communication
among care
providers.
The average 500-bed
U.S. hospital loses $4
million a year
specifically as a
result of
communication
inefficiencies.
https://www.rmf.harvard.edu/Malpractice-Data/Annual-Benchmark-Reports/Risks-in-Communication-Failures
https://www.spok.com/EB-AMER-5-Ways-Avoid-Communication-Disaster.pdf

6. 6
TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN HELP IMPROVE MOBILE WORKFLOWS
The right information: clinical alerts and test results
The right person: reaching hospital staff and on-call providers
The right device: smartphone, tablet, pager, Wi-Fi phone
The right time: speed and effectiveness

7. THE RIGHT INFORMATION
Clinical Alerts and Test Results

8. 8
alarm conditions
per day - per bed350
85-99% non-actionable
http://www.aami.org/htsi/SI_Series/Johns_Hopkins_White_Paper.pdf

9. 9
HELPING STAFF RESPOND QUICKLY
Sorting, prioritizing, and routing input sources like patient monitoring and
nurse call to staff’s mobile devices

10. 10
ALARM MANAGEMENT FOR PATIENT SAFETY & SATISFACTION
• Faster staff response to dangerous
changes in patients’ vital status
• Reduce accidents and falls
• Reduce overhead paging to promote
quiet healing
• Handle patient requests more
quickly and easily
• Higher satisfaction

11. 11
TELEMETRY ALARM - BATTERY LOW
Telemetry Alarm Battery Low
Nurse Contacts BioMedWait for BioMed

12. 12
TELEMETRY ALARM - BATTERY LOW
Telemetry Alarm Battery Low-BioMed Notified
Evaluated and FixedNurses Never Interrupted

13. 13
PATIENT ALARM - V-FIB ALERT
Patient V-fib Alarm Urgent Priority Mobile Alert
Care Team Begins Defib

14. 14
IMPROVING ALARM MANAGEMENT
• Reduced alarm fatigue
improves patient safety
• Better patient response
improves patient care
• Improved staff efficiency and
satisfaction
• Works with the systems and
devices you already use

15. 15
CRITICAL TEST RESULTS MANAGEMENT: MANY TESTS, MANY RESULTS
400
Radiology exams in
the U.S. each year
Lab tests in the U.S.
each year
6.8Million Billion
http://www.asrt.org/main/standards-regulations/federal-legislative-affairs/state-and-federal-licensure-issues
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/futurelabmedicine/pdfs/2007%20status%20report%20laboratory_medicine_-_a_national_status_report_from_the_lewin_group_updated_2008-9.pdf

16. 16
RESULTS ONLY MATTER IF THEY’RE RECEIVED
Of test results specifically cited as a factor in a malpractice case:
“Of malpractices cases ... 75% are communication related.”
MOST COMMON PROBLEM
Patient didn’t receive test results
SECOND-MOST COMMON PROBLEM
Clinician didn’t receive test results
Journal of the American College of Radiology, Volume 8, Issue 11 , Pages 776-779, November 2011
www.healthimaging.com April 7, 2009. Critical test-result management systems help reduce malpractice suits.

17. 17
DELIVERING CRITICAL TEST RESULTS
Physician Orders X-ray
Phone TagPatient Waits for Treatment
Results Come Back Critical

18. 18
SPEEDING CRITICAL TEST RESULTS
Physician Orders X-ray
Results Direct to DeviceTreatment Begins
Results Come Back Critical

19. 19
CLOSED LOOP FOR CRITICAL TEST RESULTS
• Increase patient safety and
satisfaction
• Meet regulatory requirements
• Speed patient discharge
• Reduce liability
• Improve physician productivity

20. THE RIGHT PERSON
Reaching Hospital Staff and On-Call Doctors
THE RIGHT DEVICE
Smartphone, Tablet, Pager, Wi-Fi Phone

21. 21
SMARTPHONES IN HEALTHCARE
Clinicians demand consolidated messaging
on their smartphones
IT teams want to meet physician requests
while ensuring security and reliability

22. 22
SMARTPHONES IN HEALTHCARE
• Communication ranks in the top three causes
contributing to sentinel events (as reported to the
Joint Commission)
• The Joint Commission says texting is unacceptable
for treatment orders
–Cannot verify identity of sender
–Need to keep the original message as validation
for medical record entry

23. 23
WHAT’S MISSING WITH STANDARD TEXTING
Security for ePHI
Audit trails and
escalations
Separation of
patient and
personal
Staff directory
integration
Prioritization of
critical messages

24. 24
SPOK MOBILE
• Secure, encrypted receipt
of messages on
smartphones
• Message to anyone in
your organization’s
directory with traceable
communications
• Improve efficiency and
workflows via better
information sharing at
critical points

25. 25
SECURITY AND ENCRYTION: PROTECTING SENSITIVE INFORMATION
Provide security for ePHI
Meet HIPAA and HITECH Act guidelines with a business
associate agreement (BAA)
Encryption via SSL connection – application, as well as data
during transit and storage (text, images, video files)
Remote device wipe and automated message removal
Application screen lock and access code

26. THE RIGHT TIME
Speed and Effectiveness

27. 27
• Advises average 90-minute “door-to-
balloon” time
– American Hospital Association
– American College of Cardiology
• All hospitals must track this metric
• ‘Code STEMI’ at Spok customer
IU Health Goshen Hospital
– 129-minute average
– Time wasted with extra calls
– Uncertainty about who should do what
AVERAGE DOOR-TO-BALLOON TIME: A KEY METRIC

28. 28
BEFORE SPOK
Manual Paging
Manual Phone Tree
Wasted Time
Unconfirmed Responses
RESPONSE TEAM
• Cath lab staff
• House supervisor
• ICU shift coordinator/nurses
• Attending cardiologist
• Cardiovascular coordinator
• ER director
• Cardiovascular director
• ER shift coordinator
• X-ray/imaging technicians
• Lab technicians
Heart Attack Balloon Procedure
Complete
Over communicate to
ensure proper response
Inefficient
phone trees
among 30
people
BEFORE Spok: 129 MINUTES
START

29. 29
THE CODE STEMI ALERT: WITH SPOK
Heart Attack Balloon Procedure
Complete
Staff Respond
w/Availability
Use Spok to
Deploy Code
Spok Manages
Response & Escalation
• Logic for on-call calendar
• Auto escalations based on responses or non responses from staff
• Eliminates manual calling trees and messy escalations
BEFORE Spok: 129 MINUTES
START
WITH Spok: 68 MINUTES

30. 30
THE RESULTS
Reduced average door-to-balloon time from 129 to 68 minutes
Improved response time and patient care
ER operator or house supervisor sends code STEMI notification to 30 staff
Staff members respond with status
Escalations and follow-ups as necessary
Process review after each event to improve wherever possible

31. 31
TAKEAWAYS
Better workflows
improve patient
care and
satisfaction
Right technology
Right person
Right device
Right time
Technology can
significantly
improve
communication
efficiency
Efficient
communications
increase patient
safety and
satisfaction, improve
provider satisfaction,
and support the
delivery of excellent
care

32. LET’S GET IN TOUCH!
Learn more:
CASE STUDIES VIDEOS
We’d love to hear from you!
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