The term “patient-centered care” is one we are typically accustomed to hearing in the outpatient world.  Coordinating care, promoting access to care, incorporating the patient and his/her caregivers in decision making, and providing a holistic approach to care is something that the primary care team typically facilitates.  But, patient-centered care transcends beyond a single setting of care.  The Institute of Medicine defines patient-centered care as “providing care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.”  Simply put, patient-centered care, wherever it is delivered, is the art of involving and respecting patients as an equally essential collaborator in their care.

Decisio Health takes patient-centered care to a whole new dimension.  DECISIOInsight is the first fully transparent clinical decision support system that is shared by the hospital care team and the patient.  Decision support technology, unaltered from a provider-facing format, has never been made available to hospital patients and their families – until now.  As a matter of fact, most of the technology introduced to hospitals during the recent eruption of health tech innovation is designed for physicians and other hospital team members, only.  These tools are effectively “invisible” to patients.  These technologies provide information to clinicians to make care decisions for their patients.

Not too long ago, the concept of patient-centered care, within the walls of a hospital, was fundamentally unfamiliar to many clinicians.  As an industry, healthcare was decades behind in understanding the importance of “client satisfaction.”  Healthcare decisions were made by physicians, and patients were expected to follow treatment plans with little to no collaboration.  Today, patient-centered care is top-of-mind to most hospital care providers and executives.  Organizational initiatives and programs are implemented daily, at hospitals across the country, to advance patient-centered care efforts.  

Decisio Health is the first to provide patients an alternative to the typically isolated care experience that they face during their hospital stay.  DECISIOInsight provides real-time, continuous clinical decision-making information for both the care team and the patient. It interprets patient data, such as lab results, vital signs, and medications while factoring in each hospital’s clinical protocols and patient-specific condition(s).  This data is then displayed in one view, using optimization techniques such as color bundling, to reveal hidden risks and provide opportunities to prevent adverse outcomes.  By displaying a continuous, simple display of the patient’s story, we enable patients and their families to track their progress during their hospitalization.

DECISIOInsight provides a completely fresh approach to trust-building and open dialogue between clinicians and patients.  Patients become empowered participants, rather than bystanders, in their care.  After a quick orientation to the data display presented in a bedside monitor, patients begin following their personal medical journey.  Patient-centered care, for the hospital patient, is redefined using this level of collaboration.

Continuous visualization of their care summary reduces patients’ fear of the “unknown.”  Providing transparent information to patients and their families reduces the amount of concerns and questions they have for nurses and physicians – which affords the clinical team more time to deliver high-quality care.  Patients can “see” the same data that their physicians and nurses use to assess and plan their care plan.  This transparent and novel approach to patient engagement builds trust.  Increased trust improves the experience for the care team, the patient, and the family.