2021 was an exciting year to say the least, and I’m not referring to the pandemic. The healthcare industry problems that we learned from in 2020 led us to ramp up our investment in technology for integrating healthcare services and enhancing the security of patient data. Here are just a few of the improvements our organization has been able to accomplish to help our hospitals, providers, and business clients:
SOC 2 Type 2 Certification
SOC 2 is meant as an audit of how we handle our data, with one that serves as a snapshot in time (Type 1) and another that takes place over six months or more (Type 2). The end goal is to standardize our internal processes while maintaining security, which we began back in 2021 and will complete this year. This means a high level of reassurance that patient data is being properly maintained and secured. Related to data security, we also added…
Firewall Protection
Cybersecurity has been a critical focus for the healthcare sector, especially with increased ransomware and phishing attacks. One of our main priorities has been upgrading the firewalls to our data centers to improve security and access controls. If you’re interested, here are ways your team can do the same to improve its own physical and digital safeguards.
AI Answering Service
We’ve started building a “smart chief complaint identifier,” an artificial intelligence algorithm that analyzes patient information provided to our triage answering service. Based on the caller’s feedback, the AI will prompt staff to ask the caller additional questions to clarify the severity of their symptoms so that triage nurses respond appropriately. This ensures that answering service operators don’t miss important questions that could inadvertently delay patient care. For example, if a caller says they’re experiencing “a cough,” the AI will prompt the operator to ask questions like “Are you having any shortness of breath?”
Secure Two-Way Chat
Traditional nurse-doctor communication relies on nurses paging doctors to call them back to discuss patient health concerns. Now there is a secure texting tool that can be used to share patient data safely and directly with the intended physicians, so that they 1) are aware if situations are urgent 2) save time without having to call nurses back to get verbal updates, and 3) have confirmations sent to those nurses that their texts were received. All features meet HIPAA compliance. Doctors can chat with nurses as needed without having to download an app on their phone. The chat session is also documented by the system for future reference.
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)
Cloud services have become just as important to healthcare as in other industries, including the collection and analysis of health data from chronically ill patients. Using RPM devices, patient vitals can be recorded and transmitted for nurses and doctors to review. But most practices do not have enough time or staff to perform this data analysis, and the cost of hiring specifically for this program could make it prohibitive. Instead, organizations can outsource the work to our nurse triage call center. Nonclinical staff check with patients to make sure that their devices are working properly, while clinical staff review vitals and follow up when they notice indications of potential health concerns.
Software Integration
Our services have grown from nurse triage software and an outsourced call center to RPM data analysis and AI tools. All of that is phenomenal, as long the information required can integrate with a healthcare provider’s existing EHR system. And ours can. Plus, our clinical protocols can be used with other management programs like Salesforce.
Protocol Editor
Most healthcare organizations are familiar with Schmitt-Thompson nurse triage protocols, but many also want the ability to modify them. Our Protocol Editor is the only one on the market that has all of the features necessary for a customizable path to care with the proper change management. It maintains a log of protocol iterations, so you can revert back to a previous version or add on to what you’ve already done. It also integrates with RPM devices.
If you would like to use any of these services within your own organization, we would love to hear from you. When you’re ready, contact us to schedule time for an introductory meeting.
About TriageLogic
TriageLogic is a URAC-accredited, physician-led provider of top-quality nurse telehealth technology, remote patient monitoring, and medical call center solutions. Founded in 2007, the TriageLogic Group now serves more than 9,000 physicians and covers over 25 million lives nationwide.
