2022 is just a few days away, so we wanted to take a moment to look back at some of the things we’ve accomplished in 2021 to better our healthcare IT solutions for improving care for all.

Lessons to meet the challenges of COVID-19 in 2022 and beyond

Despite everyone’s hopes — and the efforts and sacrifices of vaccine makers, public health authorities, and the general public — 2021 is ending much as it began, with continued disruption and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

How eClinicalWorks and healow Bolster the Front Office

An October 2021 report from Fitch Ratings found that since February 2020 — when the COVID-19 pandemic began — employment in the U.S. healthcare industry has declined by 524,000 positions.

December is a time when many people come together to celebrate aspects of their culture and bring about a collective feeling of togetherness. December at eClinicalWorks^® is no exception – where eCW employees from every department and office across the United States come together to build their own gingerbread houses.

The good news: The CDC reported that the 2020-2021 flu season saw much lower numbers of hospitalizations, mortality rates, and only one reported case of a pediatric flu death, despite high levels of testing and a record number of influenza vaccine doses applied. The obvious news: We need to continue these efforts into the next year and hope to see even lower numbers going forward.

Linking Caring and Knowledge to Stay Competitive

A 2017 report from HealthManagement.org projected that the healthcare and social assistance sectors of the U.S. economy would add 5 million jobs between 2012 and 2022. But as positive as that trend sounded — and healthcare has indeed added millions of jobs in recent years — the report’s real purpose was to emphasize the need for ongoing education for healthcare professionals.

How Interoperability Can Solve the Data Silo Dilemma

Since ancient times, humans have used silos for the storage of crops. Efficient and sometimes elegant, such silos have helped sustain and advance human civilization. In the last century or so, however, humans have begun putting data into silos, with decidedly mixed results.

Whether you’re reserving a table at your favorite restaurant or ensuring that you have a set time to visit a busy fine arts museum, online appointment scheduling continues to become further ingrained in our daily lives. The same should be said about the way patients schedule a visit to the doctor’s office.

While lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., the death rate has steadily declined for more than 30 years, thanks to increased screening, early detection, and improvements in treatment.

Providers seek to better control controlled substances

Synthetic opioids were developed with the best of intentions — to harness the well-known sedative and pain-relieving qualities of opium without the harmful side effects. And, for the better part of a century, they have largely done that, as long as physicians prescribed them appropriately and patients carefully followed their doctors’ orders.

When overprescribed or misused, however, opioids and other powerful controlled substances can fuel cycles of dependence and addiction, sometimes with lethal consequences.

‘The network is the computer’

During this year’s virtual eClinicalWorks^® and healow^® National Conference, CEO Girish Navani cited technology pioneer John Gage’s phrase, “The network is the computer.”

Why? Simply because the phrase Gage coined in 1984 is truer today than it was back then.

On October 1, 2021, USPS announced that first-class mail would take longer to reach certain locations. Also, in mid-2021, the cost of postage went up, and chances are it will rise again.

Delivering care at a distance has a long, successful record

Telephones, television, and teleportation were once in the realm of science fiction. OK, teleportation still is. But many things once thought impossible are part of everyday life. Why should telehealth be different?

Well, it isn’t. The future surely holds many advanced telehealth applications, but the idea of delivering care from afar — tēle is Greek for “far” — is an old one.

When taking on risk is the right move

Physicians don’t usually encourage their patients to take unnecessary risks, much less take such risks themselves. After all, they are supposed to be role models. But there are times when taking on risk is not only the right thing to do but can show others the path to a bright healthcare future.

The impact of Kiosk technology in healthcare

Although there are now ways for patients to check in before walking in to a healthcare facility, the kiosk still plays a large role in healthcare. A recent study that looked at 28,636 kiosk-based patient encounters found that check-in time decreased, daily gross and individual point of sale returns increased, and that more satisfaction surveys were completed by patients.