I have my own CEO Connect button that lets me notify the staff when I need their help with an acute issue. For example, I notify the team if hold times are too long in the ER. It is already helping improve our discharge rate. It works two ways, as physicians can use it to send me feedback.

My administration is also using it to communicate news, events, reminders to the staff. They can target news by departments or by group and we know that they got the message.


The biggest surprise has been the medical staff's willingness to use their mobile device to send inpatient and outpatient consults as well as schedule procedures. The ROI has been great with Practice Unite. We think it paid for itself in a few months.

DMN: What's your advice to other hospitals and medical facilities considering adopting new communication tools like text messaging and patient portals?

JS: If you are trying to solve the problem of doctors sending each other unsecured texts, ask yourself if you can solve some other problems at the same time. With our solution, we addressed the unsecured text issue and created new ways to communicate with the staff, as well as creating new channels for consults and scheduling procedures.

We could have settled for a penknife, instead we got the Swiss Army knife.

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