Nurse Leaders Come Together for Quality Without collaboration, there can be no success in health care. The sheer number of demands placed upon our industry today necessitates that all care providers pool their resources, and learn to rely upon each other to make such complex goals as patient safety and ARRA compliance a reality. In recognition of these challenges, MEDITECH's recent Nurse Leader Conference took advantage of the opportunity to bring together chief nurse executives with other nursing professionals and home care specialists. The result was a three-day, discussion-filled forum on leveraging technology and maximizing the potential of modern medicine. In this supportive venue, clinicians from across the industry shared their perspectives on how all nurses can do their part to make a difference--for the good of their patients, as well as for their peers in the field.
MEDITECH executives and staff were very visible during the conference, assisting customers with their strategic planning as well as informing them about system enhancements and new products on the horizon. Development Director Mike Malone was on hand to discuss Meaningful Use requirements, and how nurses could take advantage of the functionality that their systems already offer. He added that as the deadlines for ARRA compliance grow closer, many more resources would be forthcoming on meditech.com, to help guide clinicians through changing processes. The event's attendees also had plenty of opportunities to work with each other, to discuss their own experiences and approaches to maximizing I.T.'s benefits and improving care quality. Over 20 Education Summits gave nurses and home care specialists a variety of topics targeted to their interests, which they were able to explore within smaller groups. These meetings also facilitated bonds between different MEDITECH customers, which we hope will be beneficial as we all move forward towards a more integrated, interoperable, collaborative future. For more information about our recent Nurse Leadership event, check out the follow-up materials on meditech.com!
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For instance, Keynote Speaker LeAnn Thieman, author of Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul, expressed her belief that nurses needed to nurture themselves and their colleagues, just as much as their patients, if they wished to overcome stress and maintain high levels of quality. Consultant Tracy Jacobs added that nursing leaders should focus on winning over the hearts and minds of staff, in order to keep everyone focused on the common goal of transforming bedside care. Attendees also learned how Citizens Memorial Healthcare's enterprise-wide philosophy of using technology to improve the patient experience brought them tremendous results in the areas of home care and telehealth.