The next episode highlights Providence’s reliance on cloud technology to enhance its use of data analytics, especially for patient management during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Washington-based health system also has hospitals across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon and Texas.

Data analytics tools provided real-time insight on hospital staffing levels, patient volume, and the supply of personal protective equipment and ventilators throughout the system’s 52 hospitals.

“Our movement to the cloud has helped our analytics. We have more control over what we do in the world of analytics. Now, we have better tools, and then we have better performance,” says Dr. Ari Robicsek, Providence’s chief medical analytics officer.

The latest episode focuses on New York-based Northwell Health, where a move to Microsoft Teams improved the organization’s approach to clinical communication and collaboration.

Before Northwell’s Teams deployment, clinical staff had to connect through a patchwork of solutions, including pagers, phones and paging systems. Since the move, the organization has developed an intelligent virtual assistant to complement Teams and rolled out mobile devices to nursing staff.

“We heard loud and clear that they wanted mobility to have an easy way to communicate and collaborate with the care teams,” says Sophy Lu, Northwell Health’s senior vice president and CIO.   

These three healthcare systems showcase how strong collaboration between clinical and IT teams can ensure project success and spur ongoing innovation.