“COVID saw that patients , their diseases , they didn ' t wait for the pandemic to be over . So we had to expand how we treated patients in their homes , in family and loved ones ' homes , in different care settings that might not have been our own .”
JOSHUA WILDA CHIEF DIGITAL INFORMATION OFFICER , UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTH-WEST
“ COVID really has opened the door to laggards in the healthcare industry that said you had to be in the hospital to be treated ,” comments Wilda . “ COVID saw that patients , their diseases , they didn ' t wait for the pandemic to be over . So we had to expand how we treated patients in their homes , in family and loved ones ' homes : different care settings that might not have been our own . So for the next 12 to 18 months , we ' re really looking at expanding the right type of care and the right setting with the right technologies .”
It is easy to focus on the clinical side of healthcare IT , but the use of technology has many other uses , as Wilda describes .
“ Helping the HR department , where there ' s an initiative that we ' re talking about , how do we help you get through your resumes ?” he says . “ How do we make sure the right candidates are getting in front of you ? Because if you fill a role quickly with the best applicants , then you ' re providing even better patient care .
“ How can we help facilities manage our organisation better ? Because quite frankly , when patients walk in our four walls , the first thing they see is the four walls . They don ' t see the doctor . And so if things aren ' t crafted well or aren ' t being managed well , or are not automated well , patients will treat that as a quality issue . uofmhealthwest . org 15