Innovation comes in many forms. The folks at Mercy Health, Henry Ford and OSF HealthCare recently launched a unique patient interactive platform called innovationOchsner. The "O Bar" may sound like Apple's Genius Bar and it does include several mounted iPads and a full-time tech specialist. But, at an innovative healthcare system, these stations provide patients with information on health portals, Epic MyChart, wearables, and doctor-approved applications. Several other wellness programs for tracking and managing diabetes and hypertension are incorporated, giving this service incredible patient benefits and healthcare value.

US News just ranked the top 10 pediatric hospitals and we congratulate all the institutions being recognized for their efforts to provide the highest level of pediatric care possible. We couldn’t help but notice that Datamation Systems and its partners work with so many of these institutions. We are proud to have them as users of our products.

A survey of 550 consumers showed 57% of physicians offer their patients mobile apps to help manage and schedule and access their medical records. Most of the respondents preferred the ability to communicate directly with their physicians or clinical team through a mobile app rather than calling the medical office. This is quite a departure from earlier studies that showed patient preferences for direct physician interaction and points to greater acceptance of the technology.

In a recent blog article, HealthcareIT News, Bill Siwicki interviewed three industry experts who offer suggestions before acquiring new communications technology. The article contains practical tips and is well worth a review. In one suggestion, Douglas Brown, Black Book Research, advises organizations to gather as much input from the groups that will have shared ownership of the technology. "Why?" he asks. "Because without the input and buy-in of the entire organization.

According to Zion Market Research, the global market for mHealth apps will increase to more than $11 billion by 2025. mHealth is moving at a staggering pace as mobile devices and healthcare applications are integrated within the medical and patient community. Gus Vlahos, Director of Sales for CDW Central Region, gives us some ways mHealth is quickly changing the patient experience and medical treatment landscape.

When you are deployment healthcare mobile devices, with adequate planning, the final phase of issuing, managing and securing mobile devices can be handled with the right tools. Dr. Joel Synder, a respected IT consultant with 30 years of experience, offers 4 tips for managing such rollouts. Most of his recommendations go well with a comprehensive MDM solution and associated hardware.

Voalte deploys a secured, clinical communications program at Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital. Nurses are equipped with smartphones stored, organized and charged in docking appliances throughout the hospital. Clinical staff has already noticed improvements in care workflow, medical team collaborations and even better patient care.

A recent HIMSS Analytics study suggests clinicians still rely on laptops & desktop computers. Of the 129 C-suite, IT and clinical department heads, 79.8% use tablets and 42.6% use smartphones for coordinating patient care and accessing key information. But, in this same group, 37.2% use laptops and 94.6 % desktops. Clearly, these numbers suggest clinical communications have room for further growth.