Netgain

No matter what industry you’re in, it is important to stay on top of trends and advancements in order to keep your business up to date and competitive.  For example, you can do this is by keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing. Knowing what they do (both good and bad) can help point you in the right direction as you make business decisions.  In this way, you can learn from your competitors to help strengthen your own business practices.  So what can your competitors teach you about Meaningful Use?

Insight Into Improved Communication

Stage one of Meaningful Use addresses data capture and sharing.  By improving how data is collected and shared with those who need it, hospitals and medical clinics can facilitate better communication, which, in turn, provides better care for patients.  By looking into how your competitors communicate with other facilities about their patients and care, you can see how meaningful use plays a part in improving communication for health facilities and how that communication improves other areas of operation.

Insight Into improved Clinical Processes

In stage two of meaningful use, clinical processes are addressed.  This helps operations run more smoothly to provide better patient care, while simultaneously making things easier for healthcare professionals and other staff.  This allows facilities to really look at what is and is not working in their operations and make changes based on that knowledge.  When you look at your competitors’ processes, you can see how integrated they are in the overall operations of the facilities, and how incorporating meaningful use impacts all areas of care for patients.

Insight Into Improved Patient Care

One of the major draws of meaningful use is that it helps facilities provide better care for patients.  However, if this incentive is new to your facility, you may not know how it benefits patients in the short- and long-term.  When you look at how patient care changes among your competitors, you can get insight into how patients in your own facility would benefit with meaningful use.  Patient care should be the top priority of any facility, and if meaningful use improves patient care for competitors, chances are it would improve patient care in your facility, as well.

While the healthcare industry is unlike any other industry in society, there are still many aspects of it that show that it is a business.  As a business, it has similarities to other businesses, so your facility can learn from competition by examining how and why the competition makes changes and advancements.  When you look at the changes that occur in a facility integrating meaningful use, you can get insight into how meaningful use will make positive changes in your own facility, not only in operations, but in patient care. This insight can help you make better decisions to ensure your staff continues to provide the best care possible for patients.

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