Post #covid19 action for the healthcare provider CIO

Help identify the virus originator — Modify questionnaire in the EMR to identify potentially infected patients that visited your facility with the Covid symptoms. Speed is the key based on lesson learned from other countries, how fast can you identify the root before it potentially spreads to others.

The pervasive use of telemedicine solutions — Set up the mobile solutions, whether it is a computer on wheels or other form factors in the ER area. Lead and guide the organization operationally to fast track to the virtual world.

CIO should lead the data collection effort — The CIO can utilize their team members to lead the data collection effort by partnering with the hospital’s infectious disease leader to coordinate the transmission of relevant to the CDC.

Utilize hand hygiene metrics — We collect the hand hygiene metrics for Joint Commission, it is now time to put those metrics in use daily. While this may not be the CIO’s role, it is an item to highlight.

Treat this as a downtime — Communication during this stage should be the same as system downtime. CIO’s must ensure that the communications tools are available and easy to use. Think like a marketer and offer the organization an omnichannel experience. Utilize email, messaging, text, social, and other digital channels.