Patient-centered care has been a buzzword in healthcare for a long time. And with good reason: It's a prime goal healthcare provider organizations can aim for to offer the best care possible. 

Health IT has a big role to play when it comes to keeping patients at the center of healthcare. And this year at the HIMSS18 conference Sonifi Health, a patient experience and engagement company, will be showcasing digital whiteboards and Fitbit tracking, offered in partnership with the company's client, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

With digital whiteboards, "what used to be done on expo whiteboards in hospital rooms via dry erase marker is now digitized via an interface with the EHR and other clinical technologies to electronically display clinically relevant patient information: staff/patient assignments, current lab results, medication schedule, risk indicators, and so on," said Bob Sullivan, general manager at Sonifi Health.

For Fitbit tracking, the device is used to track steps taken after surgery and encourages patients to meet daily activity goals. This data then gets reported back to medical staff.

Sonifi Health officials say both of these technologies work toward fulfilling goals of the healthcare Triple Aim: improving health, trimming costs and gaining efficiencies.

"Digital whiteboards limit the amount of time a nurse spends changing boards, decreases the risk of information being read incorrectly, increases patients' peace of mind by providing clinically relevant information personalized to keep them up to date on their care plan, allows clinical staff to report relevant information back to the patient, keeping them updated on the progress of their stay, and providing reminders on exercise, medication schedule, and so on," Sullivan explained.

Fitbit tracking benefits include putting the patient in a position of learning to manage care while in the facility by tracking simple things such as how many steps have been taken, which prepares them to go home and maintain a regimen leading to good health, he said. It also provides a means for nurses to get the information they need in a real-time electronic format so they do not need to ask more questions or capture this and then document care.

"Patient and provider communication can be improved using easily deployable and cost-efficient solutions that leverage the same underlying platform," Sullivan said. "We are the patient-facing platform that is complementary to the EHR provider platform. What's more, patients need to be at the center of their care continuum, and be given the tools and information to do so."

Sonifi Health will be in Booth 638.

Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com