I Work in Patient Care
Last week I attended my first KLAS Conference. Every year KLAS holds a conference for all of its employees and invites healthcare providers to attend and share their perspectives on KLAS. It was an amazing experience, and I learned a lot. I learned that some of my coworkers are talented singers and that some are hilarious comedians. I got to hear firsthand from providers about the impact KLAS is having on healthcare. They spoke about the most pressing challenges facing today’s healthcare CIOs. However, the most important thing I took away from three days of meetings, amazing speakers, team activities, and great networking was one simple fact: clinicians are not the only ones providing patient care.
Russ Branzell, president of CHIME, gave a great presentation where he asked each of us to write down what exactly it is we do at KLAS. He then asked which of us had worked in patient care. Knowing that I had never treated or directly cared for a patient, I kept my hands at my side. Russ scanned the room of KLAS employees and said, “All of your hands should be up.” We all work in patient care. It was an epiphany for me in that moment that even though I don’t directly deliver care to a sick child or see new technology save a patient’s life, I still work in patient care and I still have an impact.
In fact, all of us working in healthcare are working in patient care. Healthcare vendors are striving to create better technologies that will save more patients’ lives. Healthcare publications are making sure the industry is up to date on the latest news and trends in hopes that those findings will improve patient care. KLAS conducts research on healthcare technologies so that providers can make better decisions and so that ultimately patients will receive the best care through the best solutions. No matter what sector of healthcare we work in, we all have a common goal. We all want to improve healthcare so that more people can live healthy lives. In the end, healthcare is about one thing—the patients—and we all work in the same industry—patient care.
How do you contribute to patient care? Share your experiences with us and leave a comment below.
