By: Joshua Finley

Bringing new technologies into the healthcare industry comes with many opportunities but also challenges to overcome. As the Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Bespoke Healthcare and Mission Community Hospital, Dr. Jason La Marca has seen both sides during his career at the intersection of medicine and innovation. Here are five key strategies he recommends for ensuring technologies actually benefit patients and providers.

Conduct User Testing with Clinicians

Dr. La Marca cannot stress enough the importance of getting technologies in front of real clinical end users before full deployment. “You can’t just launch a new healthcare technology without testing. You’re making yourself vulnerable,” he warns non-clinical companies. Through pilots within his own healthcare system, he validates solutions to improve outcomes like higher reimbursements rather than disrupting workflows.

User testing reveals issues like unintuitive screen layouts or missing needed features before rollout. “IT Folks are really good at technical things and infrastructure and hardware, but as far as workflows go, that’s complicated for them because they don’t work in that field,” says Dr. La Marca for vendors lacking clinical expertise. Involving clinicians minimizes these risks.

Leverage AI to Augment Care

Physician burnout is a serious issue as administrative burdens increase. Dr. Jason deploys AI solutions with the goal of enhancing patient interactions rather than adding to provider stress. Medical transcription AI (Ambient Scribes) unloads documentation duties so doctors can focus on the visit. Patient summary AI offers clinically relevant information at a glance versus poring over thick paper charts or exhaustively long digital charts within the EHR.

“We’re not substituting care for technology,” he states.  “What we’re doing is using the technology to augment.” According to Dr. La Marca, these tools support rather than replace human care teams.

Address Real Pain Points Facing Clinicians

New healthcare technologies will not succeed unless they address issues that frustrate providers daily. Dr. La Marca delves into pain points like documentation consuming half of doctors’ days and using innovations as remedies. He aims to ensure EHR fields align with clinical workflows rather than what vendors imagine.

Understanding clinical environments hands-on from his dual background helps target the right problems. Dr. La Marca aims to provide intuitive, efficient solutions that gain rapid provider buy-in for sustained use versus dissatisfaction and abandonment.

Empowering Seniors with Mobility Technology

Loneliness ruins the quality of life for many homebound seniors, yet mobility assistive technologies can change that. Devices enabling independent movement again boost dignity and wellness versus feelings of being a burden. Interactive companions also curb loneliness while discreetly monitoring health metrics.

When asked about technology’s role for seniors, Dr. La Marca lit up discussing these types of innovations extending independence. Healthcare leaders need this passion for improving patient experiences through purpose-driven tech.

Enhancing Healthcare Environments Incrementally

Rather than seeking flashy transformations, Dr. La Marca advocates continuous smaller improvements upon found inefficiencies. Budget, stakeholder buy-in, or other real-world factors may curb big bang projects, but stepwise upgrades still advance care delivery. “I try to make it better each and every step of the way,” he outlines.

Incremental progress realizes technology’s potential versus disappointment from failures to launch transformational visions. Dr. La Marca’s philosophy aims to ensure healthcare advances one solution at a time for sustainable benefits to patients and providers alike.

By considering these strategies for user-centered design, addressing real needs, and continuous enhancement, healthcare leaders can help emerging technologies live up to their mission of improving lives. Dr. La Marca’s guidance, in particular, helps navigate the fruitful integration of innovations into clinical environments.

You may visit Dr. Jason  La Marca’s website or check out his LinkedIn profile to learn more about him and his approach.

Published by: Nelly Chavez