Joann Sciandra on Advice She Would Offer an ACO Implementing Technology Into Its Practice

Technology interventions have to be targeted at the right patients and be properly explained to them, explained Joann Sciandra, RN, BSN, CCM, associate vice president of healthcare management, Geisinger Health System.

Transcript

What advice would you give an ACO looking to implement technology into their practice(s)?

The first advice I would give is it has to be the right patients. You just cannot turn a switch on and say every patient with heart failure is getting this, every patient post-discharge is getting B, and everybody’s getting a blood pressure cuff. It’s got to be the right patient. The other key is how you explain it to your patient. When you talk about engagement in technology, you hear some low numbers. People say 25% of the population only picked up the phone and answered the question. I believe, and I think we believe, and really our experience has served us well, that the reason is that we probably didn’t do a good job explaining it. First of all, explain that your healthcare organization is worried about you—your doctor, your hospital—and this is a way for your physician to keep an extra eye on you. So, it’s really, to me, about how we explain it to the patient and getting the right population.