Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Evaluating technology tools for clinical use

Jarrett Dodd, MD
Tech
May 16, 2021
90 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

It will not come as a surprise to my fellow clinicians that the pandemic has spurred a boom in digital health and health technology innovation, evidenced by the increasing sales pitches we receive for these new solutions. Our practice has experienced both successful and unsuccessful technology partnerships, and we have developed a framework for evaluating the solutions that work best for us. At the core of this framework is limiting the obstructions between providers and patients. There are already so many factors interrupting our work with patients: computer screens, pharmacies, insurance companies, the list goes on. As a primary care provider, my central focus will always be on my connection to the people in my care. Whatever technology partnerships our practice pursues have to enhance that relationship, not detract from it.

So how should practices make that determination? What are the factors to consider? First, technology partners need to be not only useful but usable. The last thing any physician wants is to implement a new tool or product that ends up creating more work for them. It is important to evaluate the learning curve and what you will have to ask of your staff and fellow clinicians to onboard. We only have so many hours in the day, and extensive training for optional tools gets pushed to the backburner. Similarly, any installation of hardware can not only be a delay in implementing the tool, but a disruption to our work. We are looking for partnerships that we can start on day one.

In our practice of family physicians, value is a huge factor in determining partnerships. Primary care does not have the margin of other specialties, and we have to be cost-effective in all our decisions. Overhead costs like expensive, new equipment are detractors for us. When we evaluate technology, we are looking to add value by reducing our physicians’ stress or alleviating their administrative workload to see more patients. Any tech investment we make must have the potential to help improve our revenue and can seamlessly fit into our doctors’ workflow, particularly for solutions at the point of care.

Lastly, consider seeking a second opinion. Though we always have our ears to the ground for better ways to enhance our patient relationships, we do not often actively seek out solutions. There simply is not enough time in the day to put in the research and discovery. We use referrals from trusted groups like the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) or other practices to get a sense of the leading technology companies. We have found that if professionals like us are endorsing a solution, it’s likely because they’ve actually seen the benefits in their own medical practice. Checking to see if specialty associations offer any kind of technology partner program is a great place to start in exploring solutions.

For example, one of my partners was referred to a voice-enabled digital clinical assistant that integrates with electronic health records (EHR) at a medical conference. We saw that the company had been working with the AAFP, a second recommendation from a trusted source that supported our vetting process. This technology partner met the criteria I have outlined, requiring no additional hardware and little to no onboarding. It has reduced an obtrusive barrier — typing into the EHR — during patient interactions without adding any additional obstacles. Its value has been proven through time saved and a reduction in claims denied. It has cut down the time spent in patient notes from about 20 minutes to three for at least one of my colleagues.

Though I have only evaluated technology partners for a primary care practice, these themes and considerations are applicable across specialties. Not every solution is a fit for every practice, but we all should identify our specific goals for technology solutions that reflect our needs and values. As physicians, we all just want to do our job and care for patients. Cumbersome reporting requirements increasingly get in the way of that, so my colleagues and I continue to look for solutions that get us back to the practice of medicine.

Jarrett Dodd is a family physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

A Black physician's perfectionism

May 16, 2021 Kevin 1
…
Next

When celebrities attack children with food allergies

May 16, 2021 Kevin 5
…

Tagged as: Mobile health, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A Black physician's perfectionism
Next Post >
When celebrities attack children with food allergies

Related Posts

  • Improving drug adherence will take more than money and technology

    Skeptical Scalpel, MD
  • 13 tips for medical students starting their clinical rotations

    Netana Markovitz
  • For medical students: 20 pearls to honor every clinical rotation

    Ton La, Jr., MD, JD
  • The benefits of early clinical exposure in medical education

    Karan Patel
  • How to unite medical students in the preclinical and clinical years

    Michael Aljadah
  • My first objective structured clinical examination

    Johnathan Yao

More in Tech

  • The rise of generative AI in health care: Here’s what you need to know

    Anil Saldanha
  • Can AI solve the physician shortage crisis?

    Harry Severance, MD
  • Bridging the digital divide: How to bring trust back into the patient-physician relationship

    Arti Masturzo, MD
  • Can foundation AI models like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard be used for automating medical scribing?

    Dr. Sushindri Sridharan
  • ChatGPT: How generative AI is revolutionizing health care

    Robert Pearl, MD
  • The rise of chatbots for patient empowerment

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • From physician to patient: one doctor’s journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury

      Stephanie Pearson, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of misery in medicine: a practical guide

      Paul R. Ehrmann, DO | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Why are doctors sued and politicians aren’t?

      Kellie Lease Stecher, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • From rural communities to underserved populations: How telemedicine is bridging health care gaps

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • 5 essential tips to help men prevent prostate cancer

      Kevin Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Unlock the power of physician compensation data in contract negotiations [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From pennies to attending salaries: Why physicians should teach their kids financial literacy

      Michele Cho-Dorado, MD | Finance
    • From solidarity to co-liberation: Understanding the journey towards ending oppression

      Maiysha Clairborne, MD | Physician
    • Changing the pediatric care landscape: Integrating behavioral and mental health care

      Hilary M. Bowers, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Cholera Outbreak Widens; What Beethoven's DNA Revealed; Grindr's Free HIV Tests
  • FDA Panel Supports Tofersen for Rare Genetic ALS
  • Pregnant, Black? Here's Your Drug Test
  • Progestin-Only Birth Control Linked to Small Increase in Breast Cancer Risk
  • Fatty Acid Tube Feeding May Backfire for Preemie Breathing Disorder

Meeting Coverage

  • Outlook for Itchy Prurigo Nodularis Continues to Improve With IL-31 Antagonist
  • AAAAI President Shares Highlights From the 2023 Meeting
  • Second-Line Sacituzumab Govitecan Promising in Platinum-Ineligible UC
  • Trial of Novel TYK2 Inhibitor Hits Its Endpoint in Plaque Psoriasis
  • Durable Vitiligo Responses With Topical Ruxolitinib
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • From physician to patient: one doctor’s journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury

      Stephanie Pearson, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of misery in medicine: a practical guide

      Paul R. Ehrmann, DO | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Why are doctors sued and politicians aren’t?

      Kellie Lease Stecher, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • From rural communities to underserved populations: How telemedicine is bridging health care gaps

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • 5 essential tips to help men prevent prostate cancer

      Kevin Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Unlock the power of physician compensation data in contract negotiations [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From pennies to attending salaries: Why physicians should teach their kids financial literacy

      Michele Cho-Dorado, MD | Finance
    • From solidarity to co-liberation: Understanding the journey towards ending oppression

      Maiysha Clairborne, MD | Physician
    • Changing the pediatric care landscape: Integrating behavioral and mental health care

      Hilary M. Bowers, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...