Digital Minute: Advancing Our Health Care Technologies

By Walter Reiling, MD, system chief medical information officer, Premier Health; and Mandy Via, system director of access, referral management, and telehealth, Premier Health

Hospital Ordering on Mobile Platforms

We are very pleased to report another significant functionality addition to the Premier Health Epic system. Effective on Wednesday, January 24, we launched the ability to place most orders via the Epic mobile apps, Haiku and Canto. This functionality has been heavily requested and allows for the ability to enter orders without finding a workstation. Mobile ordering can be done from a hospital site or remotely. It is a benefit both for convenience and patient safety as it removes the need for verbal orders in many instances. Feedback from the early adopters has been extremely positive. So give it a try!  If you need assistance in getting set up on the mobile device applications, contact the Customer Support Desk.

Telehealth Equipment Standardization and Enhancement

During the pandemic, we experienced a massive influx of various technologies to support telehealth and video visits with families. From there, we have recognized the importance of having technology that is readily available, standardized, and easy to use. In 2023, we began standardizing and scaling our telehealth equipment across the system. We’re’ happy to share that Premier Health has more than 100 telehealth carts circulating across our system and at partner sites. Along with standardization, we've enhanced telehealth carts by adding digital stethoscopes. This technology allows a live stream of the bowel, lung, and cardiac sounds from the patient's bed to a remote provider. This enhancement of telehealth shifts away from a standard two-way video call and incorporates real-time auscultated sounds for a more robust visit. Please feel free to share your experience with our new equipment.  If you have any questions or would like to explore our telehealth solutions further, please reach out to us: 

Walter Reiling, MD: wareiling@premierhealth.com
Mandy Via: alvia@premierhealth.com

Back to the February 2024 issue of Premier Pulse