Engaging patients in their treatment plan and follow-up care is “very important” to improving patient care. 

This is according to 96% of nearly 3,000 M.D.s interviewed for athenahealth’s Epocrates Interoperation Research Study (4/10/15), conducted by EAS Planning.

Of course, this is important and very likely it has always been true for our nation’s docs. In the past, it was achieved through face-to-face interaction. Now these same things can be done digitally—if you choose your patient engagement solutions wisely.

WHAT'S AN API?

An API—or Application Program Interface—is a simple way to help your systems speak to each other and share data. APIs will become increasingly important as your hospital moves through the stages of Meaningful Use. But even if you're not there quite yet, here's what you need to know about APIs and how your hospital will use them in the future.

Forming meaningful, digital connections with your patients is the first step toward building long-term patient/provider relationships. But it only works when you implement secure digital communications.

The Joint Commission studied 3,375 sentinel events—and found that Health IT was a contributing factor in 120 of them. Errors made during human-computer interactions were named as one of the top contributing factors to serious injury or death. 

The Joint Commission infographic below shows that even in this digital healthcare world we live in, people—both patients and providers—still play important roles in Health IT safety. 

How do you engage your patients in their care?