Curbside Consult with Dr. Jayne 6/28/21

It’s been an interesting week, and one I’d rather not repeat. I took a brief break from the healthcare IT trenches to do some volunteering at a youth camp, and the theme for the week quickly became “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

All of our pandemic handwashing and sanitation skills were put to full use as the camp experienced an outbreak of norovirus, which is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. The state epidemiologists had a rapid response and the camp was quick to put all participants in lockdown while they worked to determine the source of the outbreak.

Since they weren’t sure if the affected campers brought it with them or caught it at camp, all food service venues were closed. The National Guard quickly rolled in with thousands of boxes of MREs (meal ready to eat) and the dining experience was an adventure for many. I highly recommend the chili mac, although the penne with vegetable sausage crumbles wasn’t bad either. As to the Pop Tarts that were welded together by the vacuum packing process, I have no comment.

After the initial contact tracing, campers were released from the strict lockdown to do hikes and fishing with their campsite cohorts while further investigation occurred. I was surprised by how little our participants were phased by everything going on around them, although I attribute that to spending the better part of the last year and a half trying to avoid COVID-19.

After campers were tired of hiking, board games were delivered to the groups and some vicious rounds of Connect Four and Blokus ensued, followed by The Game of Life, which I didn’t know was still in production. It was great to see kids interacting with each other in non-electronic ways and experiencing some of the board games their “elders” grew up with.

The following day, we were cleared to return to activities, but food service was still stalled. Due to some just-in-time supply chain snags, the camp staff was forced to clean out local Sam’s Club and Costco warehouses for breakfast supplies. Lunch was another round of MREs, and since the majority of participants hadn’t eaten one before (let alone three), we prepared to triage additional gastrointestinal complaints. Fortunately, the norovirus cases had stabilized and the field hospital that had been configured was put to little use and we could go back to managing the sprains, abrasions, and blisters we expected. Unfortunately, at the end of the week, we had three medical evacuations by helicopter and one by ambulance, so things weren’t as quiet as we hoped.

It’s always a challenge to see how medical care is rendered in the great outdoors. I’m glad that the majority of the participants stayed healthy since so many camps were canceled last summer. There were certainly some memories created that will last a lifetime, but based on the overall experience, I was for once glad to return to my overflowing inbox. Having an actual bed instead of a cot was also a big plus.

I recently accepted a couple of new clients and am trying to sort out the schedules for the various engagements as I wind down a few projects at the end of the month. Although I’m excited for new things, I’ll miss the teams that I’ve worked with over the last year. But that’s my goal as a consultant – helping clients move forward and celebrating with them when they become self-sustaining. The baby birds are leaving the nest and I couldn’t be prouder of the work they’ve done along the way.

My mailbox contained quite a few HIMSS-related emails, including some party invites, so that added a bit of excitement to the day. I’ve scheduled a couple of Exhibit Hall Booth Crawl sessions with some of my favorite people and hopefully there will be enough excitement on the show floor that it will make for good reading material. I was less excited about my invitation to HIMSS Executives Circle events, which included a VIP luncheon with Alex Rodriguez. I’m a little skeptical about what he has to offer to the healthcare IT world in the form of a keynote address, let alone what might be discussed in a less formal setting, so I took a pass.

My inbox also had its usual complement of LinkedIn invites from people I don’t know who are clearly trying to sell me something, so there was plenty of deleting going on. (Sorry, Fruit Street, you might as well give up at this point.) The usual ads from Office Depot and Staples didn’t entice me to buy anything, nor did Lenovo. Next, I perused messages from my professional organizations and there I found something that caught my eye. ONC has launched an initiative for the public to complete the sentences “Because of interoperability, before/by 2030 [who] will [what]” or “Because of interoperability, _____ before/by 2030” as a part of its Health Interoperability Outcomes 2030 project.

ONC plans to use the public feedback to inform a prioritized set of interoperability outcomes and a road map for what health interoperability can achieve over the next decade. I’ve definitely got a few ideas to throw into the mix:

• Because of interoperability, I will be able to carry my complete medical record on my phone by 2030.
• Because of interoperability, by 2030 a new physician will have complete access to my records before I even walk in the office door or pop up in their telehealth queue.
• Because of interoperability, by 2030 I will never be asked again for a fax number.
• Because of interoperability, by 2030 I can update my records across disparate care delivery organizations with a few keystrokes rather than a dozen visits and phone calls.
• Because of interoperability, by 2030 I can see all my own images and films.
• Because of interoperability, we need to have a unique patient identifier before 2030.

The last one is my favorite, but unfortunately that goal has become more political than patient centric, so we’ll have to see how long it takes. The public can visit the Health Interoperability Outcomes 2030 page to submit a response, or use Twitter to tag #HealthInterop2030 to @ONC_HealthIT if they want to go the social media route. Submissions will be accepted through July 30, so get those creative juices flowing.

What are your goals for the next decade, personally or professionally? Leave a comment or email me.

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