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SHSMD19 Day 2 – Successful Combinations

Day 2 at SHSMD19 was all about making 1 + 1 = 3. My entire day was filled with examples of two or more disparate elements being combined to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Crime data + patient transportation needs and music + internal communications, were just two examples of successful combinations at SHSMD19.

Esri – Combining data sources for improved site planning

Whenever I see the Esri booth at a healthcare conference, I make it a point to stop in. They always have a new application of their geospatial platform or a customer success story that blows me away. Yesterday at SHSMD19, Esri did not disappoint.

On display in their booth was an example application where a healthcare facility used geospatial data combined with:

  • Patient demographic data (internal source)
  • Transportation connectivity/Isolation to other providers (external source)
  • Age-derived frequency of visits (internal + external sources)
  • Household income/spending (external source)

…to gain insight on how to optimally locate their clinics in the community.

Individually these data elements do not provide useful insight. However, when combined, the result is a stark illustration of the impact adding or removing a facility can have on a patient population. In Esri’s example, this analysis revealed that two existing clinics could be closed with minimal impact on the surrounding community (due to the proximity and ready access to public transportation to alternate facilities).

It also revealed four areas where a new facility would have a significant positive impact the health and wellness of the surrounding population.

Mary Washington Healthcare – Combining humor, fun and facts to launch new Health IT projects

Lisa Harvey of Mary Washington Healthcare presented my favorite session at SHSMD19 so far – “Internal Comm-edy: How to Infuse Humor to Engage Employees”. Harvey told the story of how her CEO challenged her to outside the box and create something more exciting than the standard “talking head” video to kick off an important EHR upgrade.

By embracing fun (Day 1’s keynote speaker Shabnam Mogharabi would have been proud) and by bringing together users and stakeholders from different areas of their organization, a wave of creativity and energy was released. The results was this incredible video about their EPIC implementation.

My colleague John Lynn wrote about these videos on Healthcare IT Today when they were first released.

What I found fascinating about Henry’s story was how all the different pieces for this video came together in just two weeks. The costumes, the lyrics, the video crew, etc. All of this was made possible because different parts of the organization came together in a novel way.

MERGE – New branding for a cohesive organization

One of the exhibitors on my must-see list was MERGE (a HITMC sponsor), who were unveiling their new branding at SHSMD19.

Back in 2018 Dodge Communications and Avid Design got together to form a new agency, MERGE Atlanta which operated under parent company MERGE, formerly Myelin Communications. For the past several years, the combined company has operated under three distinct banners: MERGE Atlanta, MERGE Chicago and MERGE Boston.

With the rebrand, all three parts of the company are rolled into one. The company is now simply known as MERGE, with three centers of excellence in Atlanta, Chicago and Boston. The rebrand is subtle, but effective. Gone is the monochrome Black & White motif. The new look introduces a bold splash of green which really stands out against both the company’s traditional black and white colors.

I really love the new look. I think it’s sleek and modern. I am especially a fan of the single name which will help make it easier for people to remember and recognize.

Social Event Team-Ups

There was a surprising new development for the evening social events at SHSMD19. In prior years, most companies would host their own parties. This year, two groups of companies banded together to throw a single mega-party rather than have a smaller social event by themselves.

ReviveHealth, Eruptr, BrandActive, WriterGirl and Welltok hosted an incredible party at the Revive office in Nashville. Using their combined resources, the 5 companies were able to bring back last year’s keynote speaker for an encore appearance – the amazing Johnny Cupcakes. The event was a smash.

Not only was the food phenomenal, but the vibe, the music (DJ’d by none other than Johnny Cupcakes himself) and of course the custom t-shirt made it extra special. Oh and did I mention the food was awesome – hand crafted ice cream sandwiches!

Lionshare, Scorpion, Care Sherpa and Private Health News also teamed together to host a mega-party at Ole Red, located on Nashville’s famous Broadway Ave. The live music was fantastic as was the food and ambiance.

Each social event attracted well over 150 people, which I believe was much higher than what each company could have brought in on their own. The larger crowd meant more opportunities to meet new people and more chances to find old friends. It also meant fewer destinations on the party-hop tour (my feet are much less sore than usual).

Personally I hope this trend continues. The larger team-up social events were fun.

Day 2 – Takeaway

For me, the key takeaway from Day 2 of SHSMD was that magic can happen when you bring different people/companies/departments together in new and novel ways. In a few cases you may only get 1 + 1 = 2, but often 1 + 1 can become 3 or 3+. Be open to unique combinations – they may lead to success that exceeds expectations.

About the author

Colin Hung

Colin Hung is an award-winning Marketing Executive with more than 15yrs of healthcare and HealthIT experience. He co-founded one of the most popular healthcare chats on Twitter, #hcldr and he has been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Healthcare IT Influencers”. Colin’s work has been published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, American Society for Healthcare Risk Managers, and Infection Control Today. He writes regularly for Healthcare Scene and here at HITMC.com. Colin is a member of #pinksock #TheWalkingGallery and is proudly HITMC. His Twitter handle is: @Colin_Hung.

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