Jessica Hayes

One of the more challenging diseases a pulmonology practice sees with chronic disease is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Patients are never seen and gone. In one form or another they come back for years to have their lung function and their medications monitored for years, and to have their side effects managed and documented over Read more…

A 41 year old walks into urgent care with a sinus infection. The nurse takes a blood pressure reading of 148/94, calls it a little high, and suggests following up with a regular doctor. The patient nods, thinks they really should find a primary care physician, and forgets about it before the antibiotics run out. Read more…

Pediatric practices serve a patient population with a built in complication: every appointment involves at least two people, a child and a parent, and that parent is usually coordinating work shifts, school pickup and several family members’ health needs at once. The administrative side of a pediatric practice has to account for that reality, which Read more…

Most articles about electronic records in psychiatry make the same argument that could be made about any specialty: documentation gets organized, history is easier to review, paper goes away. All true, and none of it explains why psychiatric practices so often end up unhappy with a record that works fine for the family medicine group Read more…

An imaging order starts in the EHR. The study is acquired on a CT, an ultrasound or a digital X-ray unit. The images land in a PACS. A radiologist reads them and dictates a report. The report goes back to the ordering physician. Four systems, five handoffs, and on a whiteboard it looks finished. Ask Read more…

The Importance of Pre-Surgery Preparation Proper planning influences the speed and success of recovery from foot or ankle surgery. Organizing your environment and securing assistance beforehand can alleviate stress and promote a smoother healing process. Taking the time to prepare your home and gather necessary supplies ensures you can focus entirely on recovery once you Read more…

Oncology is becoming increasingly data-driven as healthcare professionals use genomic information, molecular diagnostics, biomarkers, imaging, pathology, and treatment history to better understand individual cancers. This evolution toward precision medicine is creating new demands for oncology practices, particularly around how complex patient information is collected, organized, accessed, documented, and shared. An Oncology EHR can play an Read more…

Healthcare has been organized around appointments for as long as there have been appointments. A patient notices a problem, comes in, gets treated, and goes home until the next one. For a sprained ankle that is a reasonable design. For someone managing heart failure, diabetes or a recovery from surgery, it means the care team Read more…

Accessibility in healthcare involves more than making a building physically accessible. Patients must also be able to understand information, communicate with providers, attend appointments and participate in decisions about their care. People with visual, hearing, mobility, language or cognitive difficulties may encounter barriers throughout this process. Healthcare professionals can face accessibility challenges as well, particularly Read more…

Healthcare has traditionally been built around appointments. A patient experiences a problem, visits a provider, receives treatment, and then returns home until the next checkup. While this approach works well for many short-term conditions, it creates challenges for people managing chronic illnesses, recovering from procedures, or requiring ongoing support. A large part of a patient’s Read more…