The influence of technology in home healthcare is constantly growing, introducing new efficiencies and improvements in patient care as it evolves. A panel of healthcare and technology experts convened at the 2024 小猪视频 Growth, Innovation and Leadership Experience (小猪视频) to discuss how the latest technology is impacting the current healthcare landscape.
Andrew Olowu, Chief Technology Officer at 小猪视频, moderated the session with panelists Annie Erstling, Chief Operating Officer at ; Mickel Mirchandani, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Skyra.ai; Jim Catrett, Chief Information Officer at Security Compliance Associates; and Phillip McMillan, Chief Executive Officer at American River Healthcare.
The panel focused on three key areas: artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and connectivity.
Artificial Intelligence
鈥淚 think the key to AI is figuring out how to use it in a way that can have real, meaningful impact today,鈥� Erstling said. 鈥淭hink about using generative AI. You can analyze disparate information sources so quickly and the impact that that can have on things like staffing and scheduling and clinical decision-making is pretty amazing.鈥�
Erstling shared insights into how Forcura leverages generative AI to summarize referral packets, aiding in better resource allocation and service delivery.
鈥淎I can help us QA our notes in a much more efficient way to ensure that our clinicians are documenting the standard that Medicare is wanting and expecting for us to be documenting,鈥� McMillan added. 鈥淲e have to leverage technology to make us more efficient and for our nurses and clinicians to be able to spend more time with the patient providing great care than documenting.鈥�
Cybersecurity
Mirchandani stressed that while AI is a powerful assistive tool, organizations should implement safeguards to ensure sensitive data remains protected. He advocated for the role of a security compliance officer to oversee and ensure the integrity of data protection practices, acknowledging that while thorough security measures might slow operations, they are crucial and well worth the effort.
鈥淪ecurity cannot be taken lightly,鈥� Mirchandani said. 鈥淚t is extremely important. We鈥檙e dealing with very, very sensitive data, and while I think AI is still evolving, even at our organization we have a security compliance officer who鈥檚 looking through everything. And, yes, it could slow you down from time to time, but it is worth it. It鈥檚 absolutely worth it.鈥�
Catrett discussed the value of , a threat collaboration forum created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to offer healthcare stakeholders a trusted community for sharing physical and cyber threat intelligence.
鈥淭he FBI 鈥� created these factions of what they call 鈥� threat collaboration forums,鈥� Catrett said. 鈥淔or those of you in the healthcare industry, it鈥檚 readily available. It鈥檚 . And 鈥� what it鈥檚 really intended to do is for you to kind of assess what vulnerabilities are out there in your marketplace, what other providers might be experiencing. 鈥� So, a lot of the things that we’re talking about today, whether it’s anything related to AI, APIs, any of the workflows, any of the movement of data 鈥� where it’s being extracted 鈥� that’s all going to show up on these forums, and the good news is that is free for people in the healthcare industry and it鈥檚 an excellent source.鈥�
Erstling reminded the audience that no one is immune to security risk and encouraged attendees to partner with technology providers that adhere to stringent security protocols.
鈥淔or us, that HITRUST certification is really a stamp of approval [that] means that we have rigorous security protocols and practices,鈥� Erstling said. 鈥淣ot all of the technology vendors you work with will have that, but I think making sure that they have the security practices and protocols in place that are going to keep that data as safe as possible is something that you should look at when you talk to anybody.鈥�
Connectivity
Erstling urged attendees to choose technology partners that act as connectors to bridge operational gaps.
鈥淭he key to a sustainable, patient-centric healthcare system is connectivity,鈥� Erstling said.
She explained how Forcura acts as a connector in linking home healthcare organizations to referring physicians and then ensuring physicians have seamless oversight of their referred patients. Technology partners, she says, should bridge these process gaps and act as resources to bring organizations the latest, most cutting-edge technologies.
鈥淵ou should lean on your technology partners,鈥� Erstling said. 鈥淭hey should be real partners and they should keep you abreast of what鈥檚 the latest and greatest.鈥�
Mirchandani added that while not all technologies will be suitable for every organization, the willingness to experiment can lead to significant breakthroughs that propel organizations forward.
鈥淪ome of the technologies that you may try may not be the right one for you, may not work out, and that鈥檚 fine,鈥� Mirchandani said. 鈥淔ail fast. Fail often. But when you succeed, you will truly leapfrog.鈥�
With more than 350 attendees, more than 50 sponsors and countless connections made, 小猪视频 2024 was a massive success for everyone. .