Identify A Clear, Actionable, And Measurable Technology Goal ✓ Solved

Identify a clear, actionable, and measurable technology goal

Identify a clear, actionable, and measurable technology goal for Stevens District Hospital that supports its mission and vision.

Background: Stevens District Hospital is a 162-bed not-for-profit acute care hospital in Jefferson City (population 50,000; regional market 80,000). The hospital employs three family practice physicians, one obstetrician, one medical oncologist, and one non-invasive cardiologist. The hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission, recently reaccredited, and operates without government operational funding. Market forces include growing chronic disease, physician shortages (orthopedics, oncology, primary care), a competitor hospital with updated facilities and e-visit services, employer growth with an incoming automotive plant increasing insured lives, and patient scheduling access issues for primary care. Priorities noted: improve HCAHPS inpatient and primary care satisfaction, increase market share, and implement technology to enhance access (e-visits and EMR use).

Assignment: Based on the scenario and a SWOT analysis, (1) Identify a clear, actionable, and measurable technology goal for the organization that supports the mission and vision. (2) Analyze how this goal supports the mission and vision. (3) Explain how you would measure progress toward the goal, including milestones necessary for progress and criteria to judge completion. Include two peer-reviewed or scholarly references.

Paper For Above Instructions

Executive Summary

Technology Goal: Implement a fully integrated telehealth and mobile-enabled electronic health record (EHR) access program—"Connected Care 12-Month Deployment"—to increase primary care access and outpatient satisfaction by enabling 90% of primary care and selected specialty visits to have telehealth or hybrid visit options within 12 months, and to achieve a 15% improvement in primary care HCAHPS scores and a 10% increase in primary care clinic new-patient capacity within 18 months.

Rationale and Alignment with Mission and Vision

This technology goal directly supports Stevens District Hospital’s mission "to improve health by providing high-quality care, a comprehensive range of services, and exceptional service" and its vision to be the provider of choice and to grow multispecialty physician capacity. Telehealth and mobile EHR access improve access, continuity, and coordination of care for chronic disease management, enable convenient primary care scheduling, and raise patient experience—addressing the hospital’s lagging inpatient and primary care HCAHPS scores and competition from e-visit-enabled competitors (Keesara, Jonas, & Schulman, 2020; Kruse et al., 2017). The program also supports recruitment and retention of physicians by providing modern clinical tools (mobile access, virtual visits, e-consults) that increase productivity and job satisfaction (Shanafelt et al., 2016).

Measuring Progress: Metrics and Frequency

Primary measures:

• Telehealth Adoption Rate: percent of primary care and targeted specialty visits conducted via telehealth or hybrid model (target 90% availability within 12 months; monthly tracking).
• Primary Care HCAHPS Improvement: percent change in primary care patient satisfaction scores (target +15% within 18 months; quarterly reporting).
• Access and Capacity: new-patient appointment availability and completed new-patient visits per month (target +10% capacity within 18 months; monthly reporting).
• EHR Mobile Utilization: percentage of clinicians using mobile EHR tools for documentation and rounding (target 85% active use within 9 months; monthly reporting).
• Clinical Quality & Outcomes: readmission or uncontrolled chronic disease markers for a representative cohort (measured quarterly).

Key Milestones

1. Governance and Vendor Selection (Month 0–2): Establish steering committee (CIO, CMIO, primary care leaders, nursing, IT, patient access, finance). Complete vendor selection for telehealth platform and mobile EHR modules; finalize budget and ROI assumptions.

2. Infrastructure and Integration (Month 2–5): Upgrade network bandwidth/security, integrate telehealth with EHR scheduling, documentation, billing and patient portal. Pilot workflows for primary care and oncology/ cardiology tele-visits.

3. Pilot Deployment (Month 5–7): Launch a three-clinic pilot (including primary care and one specialty); collect usability, technical, and satisfaction data; refine workflows including scheduling, triage, and billing.

4. Training and Change Management (Month 6–9): Deliver role-based training for clinicians and staff, patient education campaigns, and support for high-risk chronic disease cohorts.

5. Full Rollout (Month 9–12): Expand to all primary care and selected specialties; deploy clinician mobile EHR tools hospital-wide; begin performance optimization.

6. Performance Optimization and Sustainment (Month 12–18): Monitor metrics, implement process improvements, and publish quarterly performance reviews tied to quality and financial targets.

Completion Criteria

The goal will be judged complete when all of the following are achieved: (a) Telehealth/hybrid options available and used in >90% of intended primary care and targeted specialty practices; (b) Primary care HCAHPS scores improved by ≥15% from baseline; (c) New-patient capacity increases by ≥10% and average new-patient wait time decreases by measurable percentage; (d) ≥85% of clinicians actively using mobile EHR tools for documentation and patient communication; (e) Demonstrated maintenance or improvement in key clinical quality indicators for chronic disease cohorts. Financial and regulatory compliance (billing accuracy, privacy/security audits passed) must also be met.

Risk Mitigation and Sustainability

Mitigation steps include phased rollout to limit operational disruption, dedicated IT helpdesk support, patient digital literacy programs, partnerships with community employers (e.g., new automotive plant) for enrollment assistance, and ongoing clinician incentives for adoption. Financial sustainability will be supported by capturing increased visit volumes, improved payer mix through employer-insured population growth, and potential quality-based revenue tied to improved outcomes (Adler-Milstein & Jha, 2017).

Conclusion

Implementing a comprehensive telehealth and mobile EHR program is an actionable, measurable strategy that addresses Stevens District Hospital’s access constraints, patient satisfaction deficits, and competitive pressures. With clear governance, targeted milestones, and defined completion criteria, "Connected Care 12-Month Deployment" will align technology with the hospital’s mission and vision while producing measurable improvements in access, satisfaction, and clinical coordination.

References

• Adler-Milstein, J., & Jha, A. K. (2017). HITECH Act Drove Large Gains In Hospital Electronic Health Record Adoption. Health Affairs, 36(8), 1416–1422. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1651
• Keesara, S., Jonas, A., & Schulman, K. (2020). Covid-19 and Health Care’s Digital Revolution. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(23), e82. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2005835
• Kruse, C. S., Krowski, N., Rodriguez, B., Tran, L., Vela, J., & Brooks, M. (2017). Telehealth and patient satisfaction: a systematic review and narrative analysis. BMJ Open, 7(8), e016242. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016242
• Shanafelt, T. D., Goh, J., & Sinsky, C. (2016). The Business Case for Investing in Physician Well-being. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(11), 1553–1555. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.3114
• HIMSS. (2019). Telehealth and Virtual Care: A Strategy Guide for Hospitals. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
• Van Dyk, L. (2014). A review of telehealth service implementation frameworks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(2), 1279–1298. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110201279
• Bashshur, R. L., Doarn, C. R., Frenk, J. M., Kvedar, J. C., & Woolliscroft, J. O. (2020). Telemedicine and the COVID-19 pandemic, lessons for the future. Telemedicine and e-Health, 26(5), 571–573. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2020.29040.rb
• Alami, H., Gagnon, M.-P., & Fortin, J.-P. (2017). Telehealth evaluation: state of the art. Telemedicine and e-Health, 23(9), 757–765. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2016.0196
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Chronic Disease Overview. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/index.htm
• The Joint Commission. (2019). Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care. Joint Commission Resources.