Selected Podcast
Leveraging Informatics to Improve Outcomes
This episode explores the evolution and impact of informatics in healthcare. Our guest, Dr. Charlene LePane, dives into and discusses how informatics can be used to improve patient outcomes in today's rapidly changing healthcare delivery system.
Featuring:
Charlene LePane, DO, FACOI, MSPH
Charlene LePane, DO, FACOI, MSPH is an experienced Gastroenterologist with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital and health care industry for over 30 years. Career began as a nurse, earned BS from Auburn University and MS Public Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham before attending medical school at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. Completed Internal Medicine Residency at Mt. Sinai and Jackson Memorial in Miami followed by Gastroenterology Fellowship training at St. John and Henry Ford Healthcare Systems in Detroit, MI. Dual board certified in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine. Skilled in Advanced Endoscopy, Physician Leadership, Healthcare Informatics, Patient Safety, Healthcare Management, Healthcare, Clinical Research, and Medical Education. Currently enrolled in MBA with Healthcare Administration focus, anticipated graduation 2023. First author on multiple published studies. National speaker on discipline of Gastroenterology and Healthcare Informatics. Multiple Medical Society involvement as active member, leader, board member and committee member. Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Medicine, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the American College of Gastroenterology. Dr. LePane is a member of the ACOI Board of Directors. Transcription:
Amanda Wilde (Host): Hello and welcome to the American College of Osteopathic Internist podcast, Docs Off the Clock. Juggling the business of medicine and caring for patients means doctors always seem to be on the clock. Docs Off the Clock features some of today's best voices in healthcare with tips on how to live a better balanced life. I'm Amanda Wilde. Thank you for stopping by today. Our topic is healthcare information technology, and specifically leveraging informatics to improve outcomes. We'll unpack what that looks like with Dr. Charlene LePane, Director Advent Health Medical Group Medicine specialty. Welcome Dr. LaPane.
Dr Charlene LePane: Thank you so much.
Amanda Wilde (Host): So glad to have you here. Informatics is the science of information. What is healthcare informatics?
Dr Charlene LePane: Well, healthcare informatics is where technology and healthcare meet. It's an art and science of using both technology to collect and utilize data to improve healthcare.
Amanda Wilde (Host): So is this a relatively new field? How did healthcare informatics evolve?
Dr Charlene LePane: It is rather a new field. but there is some history I wanna just mention is that in 1949 in Germany, there was a professional organization formed around informatics. And this guy, Dr. Gustav Wagner opened the door. And then subsequent to that in the United States, about 10 years later, there was an article that was published and this was the first to advocate the use of computers in the field of healthcare. So this goes back some time and the article actually proposed that electronic records could reduce medical errors and improve patient outcomes.
So, that started the path and then President Lyndon Johnson signed a law that provided medical coverage to the poor, the elderly, and people with long term disabilities through Medicare, Medicaid in the sixties. And this led to the University of Utah, in the late sixties, opening their first electronic medical record system called Help. So starting about the fifties, through the seventies is when this began, but really the next decade marked the initial period of growth, taking us to most recently to a couple acts, and the one I wanna mention is in 2010 with the Affordable Care Act.
That actually required healthcare professionals to integrate healthcare with IT by using their own, what we call EHR, which is electronic health records in a combined healthcare infrastructure. so I believe that that act and then along with, Meaningful Use in 2009 is really where the field of healthcare informatics gained its prominence.
Amanda Wilde (Host): So there's a historical precedent you mentioned that you can use healthcare informatics to improve patient outcomes. How does that work?
Dr Charlene LePane: Well, in many way, and this is why it is so important. It links information, technology and communications and healthcare to improve the quality of care that we provide as physicians, and that in turn improves outcomes. And let me tell you why. So healthcare informatics actually touches everything. So as a consumer for a patient. It encompasses them wearing devices like smart watches and phones with health applications. We all have those. How about like health monitoring devices? I don't know if you've seen those, like, an EKG, a six lead EKG that patients can use at home, put up against their knee.
There's, glucometers, I mean they're testing their, blood sugar at home. They have blood pressure cuffs that are internet enabled. And then what about like health portals, as a patient connects to their health records? That's one component. And then we look at something like an end user, someone like a physician in a hospital. It encompasses electronic medical records we call EMR, and allows us to prescribe. having dinner, I can prescribe a medication for a patient. It also provides biomedical devices, like when you wake up after anesthesia, you have, a monitor that integrates in the system for vital sign. And then lastly, there's like a telemedicine platform that allows, the provider to connect with their patients.
So we can do telemedicine, the patient doesn't have to drive in. So, it improves those outcomes because it encompasses so many different things that just don't impact one person. It impacts the patient, the provider, and even the healthcare system. It allows. To use analytic tools to make sure they have quality metrics that are met, and then reporting and data aggregation. So, I think that answers the question, but it improves those outcomes by so many different ways.
Amanda Wilde (Host): It sounds like healthcare informatics has been an important tool too, as technology has advanced and increased. How do you keep up with that?
Dr Charlene LePane: You actually just simply dive into it and you try your best to learn. And that's at least what I've done as a physician is rolled up my sleeves and tried to understand, how does it get from A to B? Then once you understand that you can leverage that to make things more efficient as a provider. And in turn, in doing that, it gives us a sense that we're providing better patient care because we're able to recognize errors, more than ever.
Amanda Wilde (Host): In terms of organizing all this information, what is a C M I O that's Chief Medical Informatics Officer? What is their role?
Dr Charlene LePane: So this is essentially evolved, recently. The role of a chief medical informatic officer is that they serve as a bridge, if you will, of a conduit between medical and IT departments in any healthcare organization. And most CMIOs are physicians, with a background or interest in technology. And most actually continue to see patients at least part-time. But their overall responsibility is to oversee any healthcare organization's, design, implementation, and the use of technology. But in doing so, they must promote patient care that has to be safe, efficient, effective, patient centered, and equitable.
Amanda Wilde (Host): How did you get into this specialty? Why are you so interested in healthcare informatics?
Dr Charlene LePane: Well, I've wanted to be a physician since I was six. I was that child that asked for a microscope for Christmas, most, girls asked for dolls. So I knew I wanted to do something in science, and I really wanted to be a physician. And today I'm a practicing gastroenterologist. but I'm most passionate about improving patient care. And at the end of the day, you know, my goal as a physician is to improve the outcomes of patients by improving their health and then really removing any obstacles that could impede their safety or impact our safety. And I knew this by leveraging my stethoscope in hand. What I find fascinating is that the CMIO has the same exact goal, but their impact is much grander.
So they leverage informatics instead of the stethoscope, and they do that to improve those patient safety. Things like medication errors, improved outcomes. They can help decrease length of stay in the hospital. And they do that also while positively impacting provider satisfaction. So when I'm at the computer, they decrease my alert exhaustion and help me get through an EMR. So that is why I'm most interested in healthcare informatics because at the end of the day, we have this same endpoint. It's about improving patient care. It's just a very different trajectory getting there.
Amanda Wilde (Host): Healthcare informatics have obviously become a very important healthcare tool. Are there any additional resources you can direct us to for more information?
Dr Charlene LePane: Yeah, I think a wonderful site for anybody to learn about healthcare informatics is the American Medical Informatics Association called the A M I A. Has a very, very good source of information. And I think if anyone's interested in exploring a role, especially as a physician, if you're looking to go into this field, there are many opportunities to learn. And I think that it's a very satisfying, career as a CMIO because again, you're still having that same outcome of improving a patient's life and improving patient safety. So I encourage anyone to explore AMIA.
Amanda Wilde (Host): Satisfying and exciting because it's always changing as technology and healthcare is changing.
Dr Charlene LePane: Absolutely. Hopefully I've conveyed how critical the role is for any healthcare organization's overall mission strategy because this role has only begun to be defined over the past 20 years, it will only continue to evolve. It's very exciting.
Amanda Wilde (Host): Yes, Dr. LePane, thank you for explaining healthcare informatics and how our understanding informatics can affect healthcare.
Dr Charlene LePane: It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Amanda Wilde (Host): Thanks so much for your time, and thank you for spending a little time with us today. We look forward to future podcasts where we will continue to explore issues of importance to you. So be sure to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. For additional information, please contact ACOI directly at 1- 800-327-5183 or by visiting our website at www.acoi.org. You can also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Until next time, be well.
Amanda Wilde (Host): Hello and welcome to the American College of Osteopathic Internist podcast, Docs Off the Clock. Juggling the business of medicine and caring for patients means doctors always seem to be on the clock. Docs Off the Clock features some of today's best voices in healthcare with tips on how to live a better balanced life. I'm Amanda Wilde. Thank you for stopping by today. Our topic is healthcare information technology, and specifically leveraging informatics to improve outcomes. We'll unpack what that looks like with Dr. Charlene LePane, Director Advent Health Medical Group Medicine specialty. Welcome Dr. LaPane.
Dr Charlene LePane: Thank you so much.
Amanda Wilde (Host): So glad to have you here. Informatics is the science of information. What is healthcare informatics?
Dr Charlene LePane: Well, healthcare informatics is where technology and healthcare meet. It's an art and science of using both technology to collect and utilize data to improve healthcare.
Amanda Wilde (Host): So is this a relatively new field? How did healthcare informatics evolve?
Dr Charlene LePane: It is rather a new field. but there is some history I wanna just mention is that in 1949 in Germany, there was a professional organization formed around informatics. And this guy, Dr. Gustav Wagner opened the door. And then subsequent to that in the United States, about 10 years later, there was an article that was published and this was the first to advocate the use of computers in the field of healthcare. So this goes back some time and the article actually proposed that electronic records could reduce medical errors and improve patient outcomes.
So, that started the path and then President Lyndon Johnson signed a law that provided medical coverage to the poor, the elderly, and people with long term disabilities through Medicare, Medicaid in the sixties. And this led to the University of Utah, in the late sixties, opening their first electronic medical record system called Help. So starting about the fifties, through the seventies is when this began, but really the next decade marked the initial period of growth, taking us to most recently to a couple acts, and the one I wanna mention is in 2010 with the Affordable Care Act.
That actually required healthcare professionals to integrate healthcare with IT by using their own, what we call EHR, which is electronic health records in a combined healthcare infrastructure. so I believe that that act and then along with, Meaningful Use in 2009 is really where the field of healthcare informatics gained its prominence.
Amanda Wilde (Host): So there's a historical precedent you mentioned that you can use healthcare informatics to improve patient outcomes. How does that work?
Dr Charlene LePane: Well, in many way, and this is why it is so important. It links information, technology and communications and healthcare to improve the quality of care that we provide as physicians, and that in turn improves outcomes. And let me tell you why. So healthcare informatics actually touches everything. So as a consumer for a patient. It encompasses them wearing devices like smart watches and phones with health applications. We all have those. How about like health monitoring devices? I don't know if you've seen those, like, an EKG, a six lead EKG that patients can use at home, put up against their knee.
There's, glucometers, I mean they're testing their, blood sugar at home. They have blood pressure cuffs that are internet enabled. And then what about like health portals, as a patient connects to their health records? That's one component. And then we look at something like an end user, someone like a physician in a hospital. It encompasses electronic medical records we call EMR, and allows us to prescribe. having dinner, I can prescribe a medication for a patient. It also provides biomedical devices, like when you wake up after anesthesia, you have, a monitor that integrates in the system for vital sign. And then lastly, there's like a telemedicine platform that allows, the provider to connect with their patients.
So we can do telemedicine, the patient doesn't have to drive in. So, it improves those outcomes because it encompasses so many different things that just don't impact one person. It impacts the patient, the provider, and even the healthcare system. It allows. To use analytic tools to make sure they have quality metrics that are met, and then reporting and data aggregation. So, I think that answers the question, but it improves those outcomes by so many different ways.
Amanda Wilde (Host): It sounds like healthcare informatics has been an important tool too, as technology has advanced and increased. How do you keep up with that?
Dr Charlene LePane: You actually just simply dive into it and you try your best to learn. And that's at least what I've done as a physician is rolled up my sleeves and tried to understand, how does it get from A to B? Then once you understand that you can leverage that to make things more efficient as a provider. And in turn, in doing that, it gives us a sense that we're providing better patient care because we're able to recognize errors, more than ever.
Amanda Wilde (Host): In terms of organizing all this information, what is a C M I O that's Chief Medical Informatics Officer? What is their role?
Dr Charlene LePane: So this is essentially evolved, recently. The role of a chief medical informatic officer is that they serve as a bridge, if you will, of a conduit between medical and IT departments in any healthcare organization. And most CMIOs are physicians, with a background or interest in technology. And most actually continue to see patients at least part-time. But their overall responsibility is to oversee any healthcare organization's, design, implementation, and the use of technology. But in doing so, they must promote patient care that has to be safe, efficient, effective, patient centered, and equitable.
Amanda Wilde (Host): How did you get into this specialty? Why are you so interested in healthcare informatics?
Dr Charlene LePane: Well, I've wanted to be a physician since I was six. I was that child that asked for a microscope for Christmas, most, girls asked for dolls. So I knew I wanted to do something in science, and I really wanted to be a physician. And today I'm a practicing gastroenterologist. but I'm most passionate about improving patient care. And at the end of the day, you know, my goal as a physician is to improve the outcomes of patients by improving their health and then really removing any obstacles that could impede their safety or impact our safety. And I knew this by leveraging my stethoscope in hand. What I find fascinating is that the CMIO has the same exact goal, but their impact is much grander.
So they leverage informatics instead of the stethoscope, and they do that to improve those patient safety. Things like medication errors, improved outcomes. They can help decrease length of stay in the hospital. And they do that also while positively impacting provider satisfaction. So when I'm at the computer, they decrease my alert exhaustion and help me get through an EMR. So that is why I'm most interested in healthcare informatics because at the end of the day, we have this same endpoint. It's about improving patient care. It's just a very different trajectory getting there.
Amanda Wilde (Host): Healthcare informatics have obviously become a very important healthcare tool. Are there any additional resources you can direct us to for more information?
Dr Charlene LePane: Yeah, I think a wonderful site for anybody to learn about healthcare informatics is the American Medical Informatics Association called the A M I A. Has a very, very good source of information. And I think if anyone's interested in exploring a role, especially as a physician, if you're looking to go into this field, there are many opportunities to learn. And I think that it's a very satisfying, career as a CMIO because again, you're still having that same outcome of improving a patient's life and improving patient safety. So I encourage anyone to explore AMIA.
Amanda Wilde (Host): Satisfying and exciting because it's always changing as technology and healthcare is changing.
Dr Charlene LePane: Absolutely. Hopefully I've conveyed how critical the role is for any healthcare organization's overall mission strategy because this role has only begun to be defined over the past 20 years, it will only continue to evolve. It's very exciting.
Amanda Wilde (Host): Yes, Dr. LePane, thank you for explaining healthcare informatics and how our understanding informatics can affect healthcare.
Dr Charlene LePane: It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Amanda Wilde (Host): Thanks so much for your time, and thank you for spending a little time with us today. We look forward to future podcasts where we will continue to explore issues of importance to you. So be sure to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. For additional information, please contact ACOI directly at 1- 800-327-5183 or by visiting our website at www.acoi.org. You can also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Until next time, be well.