The Best Predictor of Patient Decline is the Least Measured Vital Sign
Did you know respiratory rate is one of the two most reliable early indicators for detecting deterioration in low-acuity patients?
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Leading a Consumer-Centric Care Organization - Digital Check-In Meets Evolving Expectations
- Using Evidence to Drive Decision Making
- Tackle Healthcare Challenges With Expert Insight
Leading a Consumer-Centric Care Organization
Authors Ryan Donohue and Stephen Klasko, MD, review research and past efforts to create a blueprint for healthcare leaders looking to flourish in the new business-to-consumer ecosystem. The revised edition of Patient No Longer: How YOU Can Lead the Consumer Revolution in Healthcare includes actionable insights, real-world case studies and a forward-thinking framework to supply healthcare executives the tools to provide the human-centered care that patients deserve.
Chapter one—“How We Got Here: A Brief History of Patient-Centered Care”—examines the work of Harvey Picker, co-founder of the Picker Institute, whose goal was to promote patient-centered healthcare. Picker noticed similar examples of less-than-adequate patient care and wanted to “scientifically investigate what patients wanted from healthcare and how physicians/healthcare staff could improve the patient experience.”
Chapter one concludes by laying out the eight dimensions of patient-centered care, the current state of patient-centered efforts and suggestions for creating a more consumer-friendly healthcare experience
The patient experience is sharply contrasted by an example of a married couple, each having different but equally urgent surgical procedures, who had completely different care experiences.
Read chapter one of Patient No Longer free of charge this month. We hope you enjoy April’s Membership Perk and thank you for being a part of the ACHE community.
Digital Check-In Meets Evolving Expectations
As consumer preferences shift toward self-service options, health systems are exploring advanced capabilities for appointment check-in and registration. At Mayo Clinic, 80% of departments have been equipped with digital check-in for more than a year, and the implementation’s promising results were featured in “Transforming Patient Experience With Digital Check-In” in the March/April edition of Healthcare Executive.
Feedback highlights the ease, convenience and efficiency of check-in, with one patient noting that the kiosk “was surprisingly easy with no wait.” However, utilization has remained steady at about 3% to 5% across the enterprise. Text message reminders and on-site patient education have helped increase usage, and Mayo Clinic is also redesigning lobbies to promote technology use, instead of encouraging patients to interact with the front desk.
Often, transforming the patient experience leads to questions about job security, and it’s crucial to raise awareness among employees, let them know they are valued and provide comprehensive training. Consumer-directed initiatives empower staff members to concentrate on high-touch, complex tasks and deliver exceptional customer service.
Using Evidence to Drive Decision Making
To drive meaningful change in your organization, Neel Pathak, DSc, FACHE—healthcare leader, researcher and new ACHE faculty—advocates for a disciplined approach to decision making. “It starts by asking the right questions and using critical thinking, multiple sources of insight, and the best available evidence to inform the path forward,” said Pathak
Pathak believes leaders can strengthen decision quality through the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the best available evidence—drawn from multiple sources. At a recent ACHE seminar, he introduced practical tools and strategies designed to help healthcare executives navigate complexity and make more informed, high-impact managerial decisions.
Pathak emphasized the value of using critically appraised evidence—from operational data to stakeholder insights—to guide decision making with greater precision. Drawing from current research in healthcare management, he highlighted that leaders who apply evidence-based methods systematically are more likely to drive measurable improvements in outcomes, resource optimization, and organizational performance.
Pathak delivers customizable learning experiences—both in-person and virtual—to hospitals and health systems across the country, equipping leaders and teams with practical tools to elevate performance and drive change.
Learn more about Pathak, as well as Customized Learning for Organizations programs that ACHE offers onsite for your leadership team. For more information, email Martijn van Oort, director, business development, ACHE Learn.
Tackle Healthcare Challenges With Expert Insight
In Futurescan 2025: Healthcare Trends and Implications, thought leaders like Jim Cotelingam, chief strategy officer, Cleveland Clinic, share their wisdom and insight on making difficult decisions. Futurescan’s articles and corresponding survey results tap into the wisdom of industry experts and review the collective opinions of executives, helping organizations face complex challenges and discover innovative approaches for advancing healthcare.
The new edition of this annual guide explores value-based care financing models, new imperatives in strategic planning, community collaborations for improving social determinants of health, changing workforce expectations, sustainability for smaller hospitals, and advances in digital behavioral health and predictive technologies.
Packs of 15 can be purchased at a 40% discount so you can share Futurescan with your board and staff.