5 Best practices for true digital transformation in post-acute care

5 Best practices for true digital transformation in post-acute care

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By: Terri Embry-Drummond, RN, BSBA, Vice President of Customer Success, CitusHealth.

When post-acute care organizations attempt a digital transformation, the focus is often on ensuring patients can reach their caregivers. This is an important factor, but it’s as important, if not more so, to do that while also optimizing your staff and your workflows—ultimately helping staff do more without over working your teams or having to hire additional employees, including clinicians.

While organizations are overwhelmed with technology and focused on patients, the need for transformation to be smooth is critical—and it all starts with implementation. ROI is easy to find when digital transformations are implemented well. When workflows are optimized through the right technology, it saves staff time and engages patients for the best healthcare experience.

The implementation factor: Taking digital transformation to the next level

  1. Define the why.
    By truly defining why you want or need to transform—whether it’s due to industry pressure, a staffing shortage, etc.—it can then be put into measurable and time-based objectives that can be integrated into a prescriptive workflow to help achieve goals.

Do you need to stabilize your operations? Create repeatable processes with more control over outcomes? Spend less time working on documentation after hours? Defining your why helps narrow your goals so you can transform your organization in a meaningful, impactful way.

  1. Ensure the C-suite communicates the why.
    The why not only helps reach goals, but it also helps with buy-in. To implement new technology effectively, the C-suite must communicate the why to project leadership teams and end users.

When your entire organization understands the goal, and how it will impact the everyday lives of staff and patients, they’re more interested in experiencing those positive results.

  1. Designate a project manager to drive success.
    Once organizations assign a project manager with both the skills and time to drive their own success, that is when true transformation occurs in the shortest time period.

As opposed to designating an existing staff member who’s already working 12-hour days, making a project manager focus 100% on implementation will determine whether you see ROI in your technology investment sooner than later.

  1. Establish trainers and super-users.
    To ensure longevity for your digital transformation, even through staff turnover or role changes, you need bench strength. Having a roster of trainers and super-users within your organization guarantees more streamlined onboarding of new staff for the long-term and reinforces the repeatable processes. Consistent service models can drive revenue through repeat referral business and patients remaining on service.

The CitusHealth learning management system (LMS) and knowledge Help Center was designed to continue training long after implementation is complete, allowing us to stay with users throughout their entire digital transformation journey and beyond.

Citus provides community workshops and clinics led by industry and technology experts to keep your teams informed of new prescriptive workflows and features.

  1. Partner with a team that understands your operations.
    At CitusHealth, our dedication to and knowledge of digital transformations is unmatched. From the initial onboarding to continuing implementations after acquisitions to identifying new workflow opportunities, we have a long-term approach to creating repeatable models that make your organization a profitable business.

With our expertise, both in digital and healthcare, post-acute organizations get a consultant that has been in their shoes, understands their patients, and can help them adapt no matter what the why may be.

Schedule a demo today to learn more about how CitusHealth can help you achieve true digital transformation.

Terri Embry-Drummond
Terri Embry-Drummond
RN, BSBA, Vice President of Customer Success, CitusHealth

A registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing, Terri’s career has spanned almost three decades in regional and national home, specialty and long-term care infusion operations, sales, and informatics leadership. Her experience with cutting-edge workflow optimization has allowed her to understand the challenges both customers and their patients face. With CitusHealth, she leads the adoption and retention team helping to bring the voice of customers to the product development roadmap.

Terri has been in leadership, sales, and nursing roles for companies such as BioScrip, Omnicare, and Olsten-Kimberly Quality Care.