Have you been part of the shift? Many IT teams are now more influential—and necessary—in the assessment, purchase decision and implementation of healthcare software. From technological advancements that require interconnectivity to AI, cybersecurity and more, your IT team is a crucial part of the solution. Can you imagine the impact you might have if you participated early in every software and key equipment conversation?
While the shift from participation to an IT partnership is a welcome change for IT, sometimes a new relationship dynamic can lead to friction. There may be different goals, communication styles, or priorities. However, as in many conflicts, it can be most productive to look for common ground. Here’s what to consider as you pinpoint the core purpose of the project to ensure collaboration between IT and clinical care.
Understanding the need
Imagine this scenario: The clinical team comes to you with systems that they have purchased, and you’re tasked with ensuring this system is implemented securely and in a timely fashion. While that is the core of your role, it may make for a smoother implementation if you were involved at the beginning to weigh in on the decision to begin with. For example, someone may discover a vendor only offers SFTP for data transfer, while your organization’s policy mandates API-based or encrypted VPN connections. If you had been involved, that could have been addressed sooner.
At the root of it all, you need to understand how this system is going to work for the clinician, and ultimately, for their patients. And how can you implement it without disrupting current processes? A two-way street of collaboration is where teamwork between clinical care and IT can reach a new level. Inviting clinicians to the table—and asking to be invited to theirs—not only gives them a platform to express their needs but also opens the door for you to share the purpose and challenges of your work.
How to work together
While your IT and clinical teams operate very differently, there are ways you can help improve collaboration by making sure you’re moving in the same direction.
- Get everyone together: In the assessment and onboarding process of new systems, it’s important to have all the right people in the room. Once a purchase is made with GE HealthCare, for example, a project manager is assigned to help be a coordinator on the vendor side, but IT and clinical teams should both be represented well in those conversations. Beyond representation, these two teams should try to be aligned on goals and needs beforehand so they can work more efficiently with the GE HealthCare project manager.
- Discuss timelines and expectations: At this point, you would work with your vendor partner to identify your specific needs and how the system can align with your workflow. By gathering pertinent information upfront, it can minimize the number of unnecessary changes throughout the implementation.
- Find common ground: Although some discussions may reveal potential conflicts, they can ultimately become opportunities to build connections. For example:
- Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT priority—it’s what protects patients’ sensitive health data and builds trust in their healthcare experience. It also safeguards the integrity of clinical systems so clinicians can provide safe, uninterrupted care.
- Interoperability is the responsibility of IT to make sure systems work well together, but it is also critical for optimized clinical care. For example, if a sonographer is capturing images and measurements on a radiology ultrasound unit, they may need the images to go to PACS and the measurements, report, and other data to flow into the radiology dictation system. That workflow needs to be defined and configured so the system can automatically carry out that protocol. No matter how many platforms you employ, clinicians need patient data to be accessible when and where they need it.
- With standardization, whether related to reporting or other documentation, nothing improves a process like standard workflows, consistent language, and uniform reports. Radiologists know where to look in reports, so regardless of the sonographer, if the report is standardized, the process is immediately more efficient.
The goal should always be to keep the destination in mind. How is the system going to work, who is it going to serve, and how is the clinician going to use it? Also, does it allow you to navigate a complicated ultrasound platform easily? If it doesn’t fit into a sustainable, repeatable process for the care team and doesn’t meet your IT regulations and technical limitations, it’s not going to succeed.
How will you bridge the gap?
Finding a partner who exemplifies a spirit of alignment and collaboration can help you unite perspectives. Beyond our portfolio of connectivity, collaboration, and productivity solutions, the Verisound team helps clinicians and IT teams alike work more efficiently and strategically. They can help you balance the unique needs of clinical workflows and your IT requirements throughout the process.
You may not be at the bedside, but your work is at the heart of patient care. When IT and clinicians align on and move toward the same vision, everyone wins—especially the patient.
GE HealthCare partners closely with both clinical and IT teams, helping everyone work together to provide smooth implementation of ultrasound workflow solutions. With VerisoundTM Digital and AI Ultrasound Solutions, teams can achieve a more effective rollout in the short term, plus improvements to clinical processes and protocols, which can benefit your system for years to come. All of these points signify our relentless pursuit of better patient care and stronger clinical and IT support. Connect with a GE HealthCare representative today to talk about how they can help with software and equipment implementation.
