Point of Care Blog

What an exciting time to reflect on advances in anticoagulation management, and spotlight point of care clinicians dedicated to translating excellence into action. The stage was Austin, Texas, and featured a compact, 2-day Anticoagulation (AC) Boot Camp hosted by the AC Forum board of Directors on April 23^rd and 24th.  A nationally recognized panel of AC experts presented on critical touch points in AC management and emerging research trends. The panel also engaged attendees in open and rigorous discussion during “chalk talk” sessions. Attendees and experts alike wrestled with the challenges of AC management to include transition in care, health information exchange, new AC agents, quality improvement, and special populations.

Part 1 of a 2 part series

Evolving how clinicians interact with patients is a top priority in the Healthcare industry today. At Point of Care Decision Support (PCDS), we understand the importance of delivering solutions that facilitate strong communication between patients and caregivers. 

 We are working with technology and medical professionals to connect clinicians at the point of care with actionable information to promote patient engagement, medication dosing best practices (for volatile medications such as warfarin), and measuring outcomes that are vital to patient safety and improved treatment plans across diverse health systems. 

Every healthcare CIO has been there -- asked to deliver 400 high-value projects when they are staffed to deliver 150.  Even with this challenge facing them every day, healthcare technology teams are finding ways to bring more and more solutions to enable clinicians to do what they do best - provide care.

The Thrombosis and Hemostasis Societies of North America (THSNA) held its 4th biennial summit and scientific meeting dedicated to thrombosis and hemostasis issues March 8-10 in San Diego, California, with an estimated 1,500 attendees.  This was a great opportunity to network, learn and share a common interest in bleeding and clotting disorders across disciplines and disease states. Hot topics during the conference sessions included gene therapy, hemophilia and thrombosis in challenging patient populations. There was ample in depth scientific inquiry across the discipline and rigorous conversations over therapy options and potential solutions to drive best practice.

Calling all dreamers, malcontents and restless sleepers who pace the clinical corridors and carry the burden of patient care on the front lines.  Let’s face it, the stakes are high and every day clinicians engage in high risk decision making in a very hectic and complex system of care. Multi-phrenic demands and unrealistic expectations can send our cortisol soaring at a moment’s notice and can put even the most seasoned practitioner at risk for clouded judgement. At the turn of a knob to a patient room or during an impromptu call, clinicians want to be sharp, competent, efficient and ready for the unexpected. The problem is not that individual members of the health care team are not working hard enough to provide high-quality, compassionate care, but in part due to the lack of sufficiently sophisticated tools to match the levels of complexity inherent in today’s health care environment. 

 When I accepted the opportunity to join Point of Care Decision Support (PCDS) last year, people were curious. Considering everything going on in healthcare today, why PCDS?

I could have reflected on all the positive reasons why it made so much sense:

• The entrepreneurial spirit of the company.
• The solid technology base of the solution.
• The tremendous growth happening in the healthcare marketplace.