April 2020

Thoughts from Our President

First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to the caregivers and support staff battling the COVID-19 pandemic. For those of us who don’t directly care for patients, if this doesn’t remind us that our industry is here to support those that care for patients, nothing will. We hope and pray for a speedy recovery for those infected with this deadly virus and realize lives are being lost or changed forever.

A few words of praise for MEDITECH and MUSE. MEDITECH was ahead of the curve cancelling their HIMSS participation prior to the conference executives’ decision to do so. Further, with an understanding of the safety concerns for clients and staff, MEDITECH cancelled all travel and instructed all staff to work remotely. I am not sure everyone is aware of the timing of their decisions, but they deserve praise for putting people ahead of profit. Similarly, I want to thank the MUSE board and leadership team for recognizing the seriousness of the pandemic, cancelling early and managing a refund process that demonstrates their interest in putting members first.

I would like to thank the Navin, Haffty & Associates (NHA) leadership team for recognizing and reacting to this terrible situation quickly and responsibly. For a company like ours, where most services are provided on-site, this pandemic created a series of challenges. Early in March we made the decision to transition to remote services, with most clients quickly agreeing it was a prudent measure. I thank all of you for your understanding.

To everyone in the MEDITECH community, we hope for your health and safety.

John Haffty, President
Navin, Haffty & Associates

New! NHA “Lends a Hand” to the MEDITECH Community

NHA understands the significant impact and burden COVID-19 has placed on healthcare organizations and businesses across the country. Over the past weeks, we too have been adapting to these unprecedented times and unique conditions. We have been working with many of our clients on surge setup needs, keeping the lights on, or simply being there as a sounding board and helping in any way possible. At this time, we would like to extend this help to all NHA clients and to the entire MEDITECH community. We are pleased to announce complimentary EHR advisory service: NHA Lends A Hand.

Any MEDITECH customer can dial into our call center to get connected with one of our seasoned MEDITECH consultants for MEDITECH EHR guidance or advice. This service is free of charge during the crisis and open to staff that supports your MEDITECH systems.

Our goal is to provide an outlet and some measure of relief during this time of need for staff, through swift response, prompt attention, and accurate MEDITECH guidance and support.

To take advantage of this complimentary service, reach out to our call line at (508) 948-6791 or email us at lendsahand@navinhaffty.com.

MEDITECH’s Support in Response to COVID-19

MEDITECH’s Coronavirus Task Force, which launched in January, is responsible for reviewing, developing, delivering, supporting, and communicating any software updates, standard content, and workflow guidance needed to support customers during this pandemic. This Task Force continually monitors the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) for updated recommendations to ensure guidance, enhancements, and support tools reflect the latest evidence.

MEDITECH customers can access all guidance documents and updates from MEDITECH’s COVID-19 Resources page. (You can subscribe to this page to receive notifications when new topics are posted.) A password is required. If you don’t have a password, MEDITECH also has a public COVID-19 page.

There are several updates to the COVID-19 Resources page. Here are links to each:

• MEDITECH Stands with Providers in the Fight Against COVID-19, a post by Howard Messing
• Delivering Care Differently in the Age of COVID-19, through Virtual Care, a post by Dr. Steven Jones
• MEDITECH Releases Updated Decision Support and Guidance for Coronavirus
• MEDITECH Extends Virtual Visits Offer to All Customers
• Risk Assessments Help Pre-Screen Home Care Patients for COVID-19
• Leveraging MEDITECH’s EHR During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Healthcare organizations implement remote testing in light of COVID-19
• Virtual Visits Help Communities Get Medical Care, Practice Social Distancing

MEDITECH has posted a new Webinars page, which lists all upcoming and recorded COVID-19 webinars offered through MEDITECH and MUSE (MUSE log in required to access the MUSE webinars).

Acts of Kindness

The media is saturated by reports of the escalating spread of the COVID-19 virus. With other significant events in our past, e.g., 9/11 and the JFK assassination, you will always recall where you were when the event occurred. Unlike these other tragedies, the battle against COVID-19 will not be remembered as a moment in time but rather a prolonged impact to our way of life. We are all adjusting to new norms and must, as a society, rise up to meet the challenges. Every day we bear witness to our healthcare workers risking their lives and demonstrating incredible acts of bravery and resolve. But there are thousands of smaller acts of kindness occurring every day. The sacrifices may not be as great, but these actions have a positive influence on the giver, the receiver and even those fortunate enough to witness the kind acts. This article is dedicated to bringing these stories to light as the smallest acts of kindness can mean so much during these difficult times.

We hope these stories will encourage readers to pay it forward by helping a neighbor or performing a selfless act (while remaining safe and practicing social distancing). At the very least, we hope your spirits are lifted, even if only for a few moments. To all our readers, look after yourselves, your families, and stay safe.

Video

From MSN 3/23/20: Kindness and Community Shine in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Articles

From MSN 3/23/20: Coronavirus Outbreak: THESE Acts of Kindness During COVID-19 will Reestablish your Faith in Humankind

From CNN 3/22/20: Americans Urged to Cheer from their Windows Sunday Night to Show Support for Health Care Workers

From BestLife Online 3/19/20: 5 Heartwarming Stories of People Helping the Elderly Amid Coronavirus

From Today 3/19/20: Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Student Organizes Group to Deliver Groceries to the Elderly

Random acts of kindness shared on Twitter from our current and past clients:

Citizens Memorial Hospital
Emanate Health
Fulton County Medical Center
Natividad Medical Center
Roane General Hospital
Sampson Regional Medical Center
The Valley Hospital

Canadian Corner

• A special thank you to Sam Fielding, CIO of Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario for coordinating and leading multiple MUSE JAM Sessions on “Using MEDITECH to Support Hospitals during COVID-19.” If you missed these sessions or were unable to attend due to capacity limits, visit the MUSE Event Archive page (requires MUSE log in).
• Due to a regulatory change by Health Canada to enable pharmacists to better help their patients during the COVID-19 health emergency, pharmacists will need to transfer, extend or accept verbal prescriptions for controlled substances. MEDITECH’s Pharmacy solution has the flexibility to accommodate these new provisions. Reach out to your MEDITECH Pharmacy application specialist for more information.
• The government of Canada has issued warnings to Canadian health organizations regarding cyber threats related to the COVID-19 pandemic and an elevated level of risk. Healthcare IT professionals are advised to engage in “cyber defense best practices, including increased monitoring of network logs, reminding employees to practice phishing awareness, and ensuring servers and critical systems are patched for all known security vulnerabilities.”
• The e-Health 2020 Annual Conference and Tradeshow (scheduled for May 31-June 3 in Vancouver) has been cancelled. Visit the e-Health 2020 Cancellation page for details. e-Health 2021 will be held at the Beanfield Centre in Toronto, May 30-June 2, 2021.
• Two conferences planned for later in the year remain on publicized on websites:
  • HIMSS Ontario Chapter’s 2^nd Annual Ontario Health IT Conference is planned for Thursday, October 1, 2020 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Click here to register. Details and agenda are yet to be announced.
  • The 2020 Infoway Partnership Conference is being held during Digital Health Week, November 17-18, 2020 at the JW Marriott Parq in Vancouver. Click here to register.
• We invite you to share our newsletter with your peers and encourage them to subscribe. We also welcome everyone to become a member of our social media community. Click here to join us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Be sure to scroll down to NHA Client News for an announcement about our newest client in Canada!

MedPower e-Learning – Special Discounts for NHA Clients

In last month’s newsletter we shared information on MEDITECH International selecting MedPower to support mobile training for its clients, as well as their qualification for CME Category One credits. We wanted to share a little more information for those not familiar with MedPower.

We are big fans of MedPower’s microlearning training courses and have worked closely with them to ensure the content reflects the latest MEDITECH functionality. Our clients are pleased with their solution because it is easy to use, allows providers to train on their own schedule and is less expensive than other options in the MEDITECH market.

• Training features engaging, intuitive and effective microlearning videos, with each segment lasting approximately 1-2 minutes
• Coursework is tailored by department and function
• Providers can complete courses anytime, anywhere using PC, tablet or smartphone
• Providers receive CME credits for completing select courses
• These courses save hours that would otherwise be spent in classroom settings
• Course usage and learner progress is tracked and measured

With the rapidly growing need for remote training and the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis, NHA has negotiated preferred pricing for our clients who would like to be up and running quickly with MedPower courses on Expanse, 6.15, Client/Server or MAGIC platforms.

Click here to request more information on the discounted offers available to NHA clients.

Free Six-Month Use of Virtual Visits Software & Training

In an effort to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, MEDITECH is now offering their Virtual Visits telehealth software free of charge for six months to all customers using its Patient and Consumer Health Portal and Community-Wide Scheduling solutions.

To help get providers up and running as quickly as possible during the crisis, MedPower is offering complimentary online training for Virtual Visits and other essential EHR systems. Click here to see what’s currently available.

Guidelines for Working Remotely

During this period of stay-at-home orders, and travel limited to essential businesses and services, we are all faced with extraordinary circumstances, both professionally and personally. For those accustomed to working from an office location who are now being asked to work from home, you may find working remotely requires an additional level of dedication and focus. The initial challenge during this transition is remaining productive and effective, with the key to sustained success going well beyond productivity. In order to retain trusted relationships with your internal and external customers in this new virtual role, you need to meet and exceed their expectations. Frequency and clarity of communication is essential.

Drawing on years of experience as a virtual organization, NHA has refined and documented best practices related to working remotely. We want to share excerpts from our own guidelines, which are of particular relevance at the moment, specifically around setting up your remote work environment, managing your schedule, and remaining accessible and responsive. Click here to read or download our guidelines.

Client Testimonial

We are pleased to share the following testimonial from one of our Expanse clients:

“I’m a client from New Jersey who, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, has been calling our NHA consultant at all hours of the day and night and on weekends too. I totally understand the sanctity of ‘after hours’ and days off, but he is as much a frontline soldier in our country’s great battle against the coronavirus as any physician, nurse, or pharmacist is. Our NHA consultant is my righthand man for all issues IT-related in my pharmacy, and I thank him for being so gracious in sharing some of his ‘family time’ with me and my pharmacy team. He is a good man, has a tireless work ethic, and we’d be lost without his unique skill set.”

Mark Harris RPh, MAS, Pharm.D., Manager, Pharmacy
Chilton Medical Center, Morristown, New Jersey.

NHA Client News

We are pleased to announce we have been selected by the following organizations for their upcoming projects:

Canada:

• Fraser Health, Surrey, BC – Expanse Implementation

U.S.:

• Cape Regional Medical Center, Cape May, NJ – Report Writing
• DCH Health System, Tuscaloosa, AL – Pharmacy Support
• George Regional Health System, Lucedale, MS – Report Development for PI
• Hudson Regional Hospital, Secaucus, NJ – Claims Testing
• Intensive Specialty Hospital, LLC, Shreveport, LA – Proration Setup and Testing
• Kearney Regional Medical Center, Kearney, NE – Report Writing
• Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Salinas, CA – 6.15 Acute Clinical Support
• Swedish Hospital, Chicago, IL – MEDITECH Expanse Backfill
• The Orthopedic & Spine Inpatient Surgical (OASIS) Hospital, Phoenix, AZ – Proration Rules Assistance
• The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ – Ambulatory Gap Analysis

Congratulations to Guadalupe Regional Medical Center of Seguin, Texas on its recent Go-LIVE with MEDITECH’s Expanse EHR in the acute and emergency department settings. NHA is pleased to be the consulting partner for this implementation.

Androscoggin Valley Hospital and a few other NHA clients have been recognized as Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals for 2020 by The Chartis Group and iVantage Health Analytics.

Quick Notes

• MEDITECH received Black Book Research’s Highest Client Satisfaction for Inpatient EHR, ranking #1 in nurse functionality and usability
• MEDITECH’s Larry O’Toole speaks with CommonWell TV
• CalvertHealth Monitors COVID-19 using MEDITECH’s BCA
• Becker’s Hospital Review names MEDITECH customer executives to their “CIOs to Know” list for 2020. These CIOs are chosen for their commitment to healthcare innovation and patient care transformation. Congratulations to the NHA clients who were recognized:
  • Jim Veline, Senior Vice President and CIO of Avera Health (Sioux Falls, SD)
  • Roger Lutz, CIO of Butler Health System (Butler, PA)
  • Renee Fosberg, Vice President and CIO of Emerson Hospital (Concord, MA)
  • Julie Berry, CIO of Steward Health Care System (Dallas, TX)
• Forward Advantage has expanded its solution offering to include Identity Governance & Administration. In addition:
  • Learn how Forward Advantage can help MEDITECH customers mitigate risk and manage response to COVID-19 with solutions from Imprivata
  • Visit the Forward Advantage COVID-19 resources page for a summary of solutions and support being offered by Forward Advantage and its partners
• CloudWave is helping hospitals that need to quickly enable remote workers or provide a way for clinicians to conduct virtual visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With HIPAA-compliant options for no cost/low cost technology solutions that are quick and easy to deploy, CloudWave is offering hospitals temporary and long-term ways to manage communications and access to systems. To learn more, email customersfirst@gocloudwave.com
• The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation posted a tool for viewing COVID-19 projections, including peak dates, beds and ventilators available versus expected demand, filterable for the U.S. as a whole or by state

Calendar of Events

Conferences

MEDITECH has cancelled all in-person events for April and May.

2020 Nurse Forum: Lighting the Way through Innovation 
June 17-19
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Nurse Forum will no longer be an in-person event. MEDITECH is looking into virtual options; stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

2020 Physician and CIO Forum
Foxborough, MA
September 16-17
Save the date. More information coming soon.

MEDITECH Webinars (all times listed in Eastern)

Practice Makes Perfect with Expanse Ambulatory
April 28, 2:00 PM | 60 min.
Learn how MEDITECH Expanse Ambulatory Practice Management drives revenue while improving the patient experience.

Expanse Patient Care
May 6th, 11:00 AM | 30 min.
Learn how Expanse Patient Care targets workflows and specialized needs, in addition to providing the tools clinicians need to manage patient care safely, efficiently, and effectively.

Gain Mobility with MEDITECH’s Expanse Point of Care Solution
May 12th, 11:00 AM | 30 min.
Learn how Expanse Point of Care puts medication administration, documentation, and chart review in the palm of your hand.

Mastering the Physician Mindset with MEDITECH Expanse
May 21st, 11:00 AM | 60 min.
See how MEDITECH Expanse offers physicians the modern, personalized workflows they deserve, through mobile web-based navigation.

Take Control of Your Revenue Cycle with Expanse
May 27th, 11:00 AM | 60 min.
See MEDITECH’s proven solution that drives revenue while improving the patient’s financial experience.

Upcoming Doctors’ Hours Sessions

The goal of MEDITECH’s Doctors’ Hours series is to provide an opportunity for physician leaders in the MEDITECH community to meet and interact with members of their physician consultant team. During these hour-long webinars, attendees learn how to optimize their use of the MEDITECH system through physician instruction, recommendations on best practices, and lessons learned from peers. At the end of the session, attendees can ask questions and participate in discussions with the physician presenter.

Provider Optimization Preferences for Ambulatory
Presented by: Joy Chesnut, MD
April 27, 12:00 PM – Register

Visit MEDITECH’s new COVID-19 Webinars page for additional offerings.

Client Job Board

NHA offers the client job board as a free service to the MEDITECH community.

Job Seekers: If you are interested in exploring positions at other organizations, visit the client job board section of our website often. Feel free to refer colleagues!

Recruiters: If you would like to include your organization’s listing on the client job board, please email the job description and candidate application instructions to Katie Kelly. No recruiting firms, please.