Many of you who have read my blog for a while would read
that title and think – here she goes again talking about food…not this
time. This time I am talking about the
consumable nature of mobile technology used in the healthcare environment. This
post will focus mainly on hand held devices – in alarm notification that’s code
for wireless phones. I have heard them
called all sorts of creative things – “workflow enablement tools” “mobile
caregiver communication platforms” – all of which boils down to…. a wireless
phone.
Don’t get me wrong I was selling these innovative pieces of
technology…..before the birth of #2.
(who turns 9 this week) While I recognize that platforms have changed (WiFi
etc) – has the end user functionality really improved? When a color screen is an “improvement” worth
changing out all the handsets it’s kind of a sad statement for these little
plastic wonders.
I have been working
in the medical device alarm and alert area of Health IT for many years (you
might think I started working in grade school based on the number). I have
noticed, wireless phones are becoming disposables….like gloves or needles…. (the
sales tactics are certainly with that mindset) One of my hospitals has been
offered 3 upgrades to their handsets from their single vendor…..when that
happened all of the handsets (phones) needed to be traded in. I heard
that some EMR companies are wrapping it into the sale of their product….which
just makes me scratch my head….and frankly should make any investor scratch
their head as well. Is that revenue
worth the effort (because it’s surely not the margins)…..is it just a move to
be more sticky in the client…..is it worth it?
When my clients ask me about the workflow of these plastic
wonders, I quote one of my favorite CMIO
“It’s like fine tuning a model T, my friend.” Really it’s time for better evaluation of end
points, and if your hospital is still buying, replacing or upgrading your
wireless phones….it’s time to rethink your strategy, ask yourself:
·
Why am I buying a device that is as disposable
as gloves?
·
Do I supplement our current wireless phone with
other devices such as Ipads, Itouch, or other tablets (for those of you who
have been able to keep away from the I-monopoly…..) could I combine it for more
impact?
·
In the ever shifting reimbursement world – is a
little plastic phone worth our time? What’s
the value vs return – could I attain more value with a different strategy?
·
If I have a lot of these devices…ie I was ahead
of the curve 9 years ago – how do I phase them out to new devices?
·
Should I be evaluating the BYOD strategy for my
hospital?
The point here is – hospitals
are tired of disposable expensive technology that gives them Model T level
experience? They need to identify
vendors that have the same mindset – how do we move to a modern “workflow
enablement tool”?
