Enhancing care experiences
Delivering safe, high-quality care to our patients is our top priority at HCA Healthcare. In 2023, we continued to integrate healthcare technology and leverage our strategic collaborations with other organizations to advance our ability to deliver high-quality patient care.
Care Transformation and Innovation
HCA Healthcare’s department of Care Transformation and Innovation (CT&I) is working to improve healthcare delivery through the clinically led integration of technology into care. CT&I is distinctive because the team works directly with clinicians to identify opportunities and innovative ideas while testing, measuring and sharing solutions across the enterprise.
Using generative AI to improve workflows
In August 2023, HCA Healthcare and Google Cloud announced a collaboration to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist care teams with time-consuming tasks like documentation. This work is part of a strategic partnership announced in 2021 that includes safeguards to protect patient privacy and the security of data.
In partnership with Augmedix, a healthcare technology company that specializes in ambient medical documentation, HCA Healthcare and Google Cloud began a pilot program with approximately 75 emergency room physicians at four of our hospitals. Participating physicians use an Augmedix app on a hands-free device to document medical information while speaking with a patient. Augmedix’s proprietary platform then leverages natural language processing, along with Google Cloud’s generative AI technology, Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology and multi-party medical speech-to-text processing, to convert the information into medical notes. Physicians review and edit the notes before they are signed in the electronic health record (EHR).
Teams from CT&I, Google Cloud and Augmedix continue to work closely with highly engaged clinicians to refine this tool, and HCA Healthcare is working to expand its use to additional hospitals.
HCA Healthcare’s Responsible AI Program
We believe that recent advancements in AI present great possibilities in healthcare. HCA Healthcare has established a Responsible AI Program to provide guidance, standards and governance regarding the appropriate use of AI throughout our organization. The program is designed to:
- Address ethical concerns through established policies focused on data privacy, safety, transparency and algorithm fairness;
- Establish, test and monitor safety and security standards for AI solutions;
- Develop AI algorithms that are accountable, explainable and transparent;
- Provide human review and validation of all AI-generated information; and
- Make data used for AI representative, impartial and protected.
The goal of the HCA Healthcare Responsible AI Program is to fully realize the value of this exciting technology in a safe and responsible manner, and to improve the lives of our patients and colleagues.
Automating schedule creation
After speaking with HCA Healthcare nurses, CT&I recognized the need for an automated scheduling and staffing solution that better supports our nursing teams and helps us schedule the right people in the right place at the right time. With the clinician’s voice as its guide, CT&I led the development of Timpani℠, HCA Healthcare’s scheduling and staffing solution. Historically, nurse leaders have manually created staff schedules, a time-consuming process with no data trail. Timpani is designed to reduce this burden by using AI and machine-learning algorithms to help anticipate staffing needs and optimize scheduling.
Timpani is also designed to give our nurse leaders more time on the unit with their team, improve forecasting of unit demand and provide insights into critical processes. Plus, Timpani gives team members more inputs for sharing schedule preferences.
Timpani is currently in operation at nine HCA Healthcare facilities, with an additional 21 hospitals scheduled for deployment in early 2024.
Timpani helps ensure each shift has the right and different skill mixture while it instills confidence in our nurses with the work that they’re doing and the care that they’re providing. It helps our nurses feel safe and supported.
Leslie McClendon, RNC
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Manager, TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center
Expanse
As part of HCA Healthcare’s work to advance technology that elevates care delivery for our patients, we are implementing a modernized electronic health record (EHR) system — Expanse — across the enterprise that is expected to create efficiencies for our care teams, improve the coordination of care for our patients and power innovation.
Expanse untethers frontline colleagues from computer stations by allowing them to scan medications, collect laboratory specimens and complete documentation on a mobile device. HCA Healthcare care teams and patients also benefit from having a single health record that travels with a patient through their entire care journey with us. A unified patient record means less time navigating outdated systems and more time caring for patients.
Expanse was first piloted in January 2023 at our three hospitals in New Hampshire, and beta pilots have since started at six hospitals in our North Florida Division. These pilots equipped our teams with the tools needed to confidently scale Expanse across the HCA Healthcare enterprise. The next implementation at 25 hospitals — Wave 1 of the enterprise rollout — begins in 2024. Wave 2 is scheduled to follow soon after with about 25 more sites.
Expanding care models to
meet patients’ needs
At HCA Healthcare, we actively look for ways to improve patient care by providing more support and resources to our care teams. In 2023, we continued to optimize care team models to help care teams spend more time practicing. We added a dedicated Nursing Operations team to focus on researching, evaluating and scaling innovative models of care to maximize efficiencies, support care teams and improve work environments. Our virtual nurse program supplements administrative tasks and provides additional support to bedside nurses.
Learn more about how we implement care models and integrate technology to support our care teams.
Leveraging data to
improve cancer care
We launched a pilot program in 2022 to help address the disparity in early diagnosis of lung cancer and better identify high-risk patients in the Nashville, Tennessee, and Richmond, Virginia, communities.
By filtering multiple data points through data integration from electronic health records, we are helping to identify high-risk patients. We are looking to expand the lung health program to more communities in 2024.
In our local communities, HCA Healthcare is strategic and intentional about partnering with organizations to advance better health for all patients. Together, we work to improve access and overall health outcomes for our patients, communities and the healthcare industry at large.
Awards and recognition
World’s Most Admired Companies™
HCA Healthcare was ranked first in our industry by Fortune on their 2023 list of World’s Most Admired Companies. The annual global survey identifies organizations that excel in a variety of corporate reputation measures including innovation, ability to attract and retain talent, quality of management and social responsibility to the community and the environment.
2024 World’s Most Ethical Companies®
In early 2024, Ethisphere recognized HCA Healthcare as one of the 2024 World’s Most Ethical Companies. This is the 14th time we have been recognized on this list, which honors companies for their commitment to business integrity. Honorees undergo a rigorous assessment across five categories — Governance, Culture of Ethics, Environmental and Social Impact, Ethics and Compliance, and Third-party Management — and are judged against organizations of similar size, structure and operations.
Fortune/PINC AI Top Hospitals
Fortune and PINC AI recognized 32 HCA Healthcare hospitals on their 100 Top Hospitals list for 2023 and 19 HCA Healthcare hospitals on their 2024 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list. The 100 Top Hospitals list is based on data about patient outcomes and experience, operational efficiency, financial health and community impact. Two HCA Healthcare health systems, the Continental Division and the Mountain Division, were recognized among the Top 15 Health Systems.
Healthgrades’ 2024 Specialty Excellence Awards
Healthgrades recognized 105 HCA Healthcare hospitals with at least one Specialty Excellence Award™ for delivering superior patient outcomes in a specific area. Enterprisewide, nearly 600 awards were received with 17 hospitals being recognized for the first time.
HCA Healthcare facilities received recognition in the top category for cardiac surgery, vascular surgery and surgical care. Facilities were also frequently recognized for orthopedic surgery and critical care.
U.S. News and World Report’s Best Regional Hospitals
U.S. News and World Report ranked 11 HCA Healthcare hospitals as top hospitals in their region.
Magnet® and Pathway to Excellence® Designation
HCA Healthcare’s network included 17 Magnet-designated facilities and 19 Pathways to Excellence-designated facilities.
Awarded through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Magnet and Pathway to Excellence programs identify healthcare organizations with exceptional professional practice environments. Designations must be redone every four years. In 2023, one new and one redesignated HCA Healthcare hospital received a Magnet Designation. These organizations have nurse leaders who successfully align their nursing strategic goals to improve the organization’s patient outcomes while engaging their clinical nurses to create a culture of nursing excellence and innovation. The Pathway to Excellence Program recognizes a healthcare organization’s commitment to creating a positive practice environment that empowers and engages staff. In 2023, one new and four redesignations were received by HCA Healthcare facilities.
America’s Best Hospitals
Healthgrades’ 250 Best Hospitals Award recognizes the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for clinical excellence. In early 2024, 54 HCA Healthcare hospitals were included on the list. Of those, 10 hospitals made the Top 100. Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, was recognized in the Top 50.
“World’s Most Ethical Companies” and “Ethisphere” names and marks are registered trademarks of Ethisphere LLC.