Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Craig Richardville most recently served as the senior vice president and chief information officer for Carolinas HealthCare System. During Craig Richardville’s term at the company, the organization implemented a biometric identification platform designed to eliminate costly mistakes that result from the misidentification of patients.
Incorrectly identifying a patient can lead to a number of consequences that can put the life of the patient at risk and unnecessarily cost an organization time and money. A common problem in the healthcare industry, misidentification can occur when a practice has difficulty locating a record or when multiple records exist for the same patient.
Medical record confusion can also occur when patients with identical names or birthdates are in the system. In organizations with thousands or even millions of records to manage, hunting down or recreating charts can mean huge losses.
Several companies have developed new, biometric approaches that help to ensure that patients are properly identified when they check in. Facial recognition programs, palm vein recognition programs, or fingerprint or retina scanners can be efficient and nearly error-free approaches to patient identification.
The Carolinas HealthCare System implemented a voluntary program that relies on palm vein recognition. The organization chose this approach because palm veins change very little as patients age. Today, 96 percent of the network’s patients have opted to use the platform, allowing the organization to reduce errors while saving time and money.
Accomplished health care executive Craig Richardville serves as the CEO and president of his own consulting firm. As such, he leverages more than 30 years of experience in the health care system to provide medical services and equipment companies with strategic services. Prior to this, Craig Richardville led Carolinas HealthCare System, where he was responsible for bringing the organization into the digital age.
New technological innovations are quickly changing the medical landscape. Below are a few medical technology trends to watch for in 2019:
- Artificial intelligence (AI). Implementing AI into health care operations will not only hasten the diagnosis process, but also improve diagnosis accuracy and promote the discovery of new treatment options. Health care operational efficiency will also improve with AI technology, and scientists are looking into advances that automate everything from paperwork and scheduling to accounting.
- Big data. By integrating big data into clinical operations, health organizations are more capable of making faster diagnoses and evaluating patient risk based on their hospital visits in the past. With this information, physicians can prescribe more effective treatment options tailored to each patient’s risk of illness and medical history. At the same time, health insurance companies have an easier time monitoring patient health and offering insurance options that are more tailored to each person.
-Internet of Things (IoT). The use of IoT in health care is virtually limitless and includes everything from smart sensors and mobile apps to remote monitoring technology. Thanks to the IoT, physicians are more capable of monitoring and treating patients regardless of whether they are in the office or at home, thus dramatically reducing health care costs and boosting public health.
Recognized by leading organizations as one of the top CIOs in the country, Craig Richardville most recently served as senior vice president and chief information and analytics officer with Carolinas HealthCare System. Over the years, Craig Richardville has been a key member of several healthcare-focused professional organizations, including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Women continue to represent an emerging and underserved demographic in health information technology. HIMSS has worked over the years to engage this group and empower them to succeed in the field. As part of that ongoing commitment, the organization recently announced a new collaboration with CSweetener, a nonprofit whose goals of gender equality in the workplace align with those of HIMSS.
CSweetner specializes in providing mentorship opportunities. Through the new collaborative effort, HIMSS members will be able to participate in mentoring programs with CSweetner at a 10 percent discount. Through this program, which will consist of both online and in-person mentoring sessions, HIMSS hopes to address the pay gap and other issues plaguing women in the IT healthcare sector.
