The IHI recently reported that the average hospital stay includes 24 handoffs. With information lost at each handoff, this can put the patient at risk. In a study by the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Health, 37% of handoffs were defective and didn't allow the receiver to care for the patient safely. Michael Rothman will describe how communication fails within a hospital, and how some hospitals are dealing with these problems through specialized protocols and with the aid of clinical software.

One system that should lessen the handoff problem is the electronic health record. Here the data is all in one place, accessible to all caregivers; to this extent, EHRs have been successful. However, the problem is now not too little data, but too much. Various add-on systems try to leverage the digitization of medical data, to help clinicians find the patients who need their attention. This focus can aid in creating more effective handoffs, and mitigate the risk of an adverse event while improving the quality of care. This webinar, sponsored by Rothman Healthcare, will also provide examples of how these tools can aid in communication between caregivers.

About Michael Rothman

Michael Rothman, Ph.D. is the Chief Science Officer and co-founder of Rothman Healthcare Corporation. He is also President and founder of Michael Rothman & Associates, a firm that specializes in analysis and product development through both traditional consulting and joint ventures. Before this, Michael worked as Senior Vice President of Strategic Information at First USA Bank and as an executive consultant and principal in IBM Consulting Group, spending part of his career at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Labs. He has been involved in modeling and data analysis for 30 years. He received a BS and M.Sc. in chemistry from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Michigan.