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WISHIN is more important than ever as Wisconsin healthcare organizations confront the challenge of staffing shortages.
Nationwide, more than 230,000 physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other clinicians quit their jobs in the past year, according to a report from Definitive Healthcare. Moreover, hospitals, clinics, and ambulance services across the country are closing or struggling to stay afloat. Mandatory overtime is on the rise and so is employee burnout.
Now More Than Ever, Automated Vendor-Agnostic Interoperability Is Essential
“WISHIN has really been indispensable,” says Dr. Mark Lodes, the chief medical officer for population health at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin. “WISHIN has the ability to provide information that we can’t obtain through our own (EHR) system. Information that exists in other systems does not always flow over (to our system). WISHIN has been that connector.”
WISHIN Saves Time
“WISHIN saves everybody a lot of time,” according to Melissa Smart, RN, operator of Smart Choice Personal Care, Inc., based in
Oconomowoc. “WISHIN is extremely easy to use. It saves us, as an agency, a lot of time. It saves time for doctors’ offices because if we don’t have (WISHIN), I would have to call doctors’ offices every week.”
WISHIN Works for Public Health Departments
Public health departments have been busy with Covid work piled on top of their regular workload. “WISHIN has been a great asset,” says Ashley Palen, Director of Community and Environmental Services with the West Allis Health Department. “WISHIN is incredibly easy to use. With staff turnover and retirements, our new nursing staff is incredibly supportive of (WISHIN). Getting the information we need without using WISHIN would take a lot more time and training.”
WISHIN Works for Emergency Medical Services
The American Ambulance Association says the turnover rate last year for full-time emergency medical technicians (EMTs) was 36 percent. For full-time paramedics, the turnover rate was 27 percent. Surveys say more than one-third of new emergency services hires don’t make it through their first year.
Erik Rhine, the Revenue Cycle Coordinator at Bell Ambulance, says “WISHIN definitely makes everything easier on our end. Without WISHIN, we’d probably have to hire at least two more full-time employees that these days just aren’t found.”
WISHIN Works for Pharmacies
Pharmacies are not immune to staff shortages. CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart have cut pharmacy hours because of staff shortages. Kyle Beyer, Owner of North Shore Pharmacy, cannot imagine life without WISHIN. “(WISHIN) saves patients time, saves health systems time, and it saves us time at North Shore Pharmacy,” Beyer said. “WISHIN has really been indispensable.” To find out how WISHIN can help you go to wishin.org.
