Digital in healthcare is no longer optional – it’s an imperative. Health systems across the country are leaning into digital to transform their consumer experience and operations, as well as provide more equitable care. While COVID-19 acted as a catalyst for many health systems, others began implementing digital solutions long before COVID and had already taken steps to become digital leaders in healthcare when the pandemic hit the US.

AVIA Member Geisinger, a 24,000-employee integrated delivery network (IDN) based in Pennsylvania, was one of these forward-thinking digital innovators. The organization recognized the importance of digital early – they first joined the AVIA network in 2018 while forming the Steele Institute for Health Innovation, and deepened their engagement in subsequent years as they rolled out their comprehensive five-year digital transformation plan. 

Finding the right digital solution partners

When beginning the search for a remote patient monitoring (RPM) platform as part of their digital transformation strategy, Geisinger knew that they needed something beyond an off-the-shelf solution. They were looking for a development partner willing to design and build a platform that would seamlessly integrate with their existing technology and accommodate their specific use cases. AVIA accelerated the timeline by providing a solution selection framework that mapped solution companies against Geisinger’s unique needs to find the best fit. 

“AVIA facilitated us finding our RPM solution on a rapidly accelerated timeline,” says Emily LaFeir, Senior Director of Innovation and Automation Operations at Geisinger. “Because of their work, we knew that the company was well-established and fit our unique co-development requirements so we could skip the RFP process.” 

The successful selection of the RPM solution built on Geisinger’s history of leveraging AVIA to inform digital decision-making. The organization identified an organizational focus of supporting the health of the whole person, which included addressing social needs. AVIA partnered with Geisinger from the beginning, facilitating the community resource referral platform selection process with an in-depth assessment and solution landscape analysis. The goal was to find a solution that could connect individuals in Geisinger’s communities to social resources and programs that they needed. 

The organization ultimately landed on Aunt Bertha, based on AVIA’s recommendation.  Launched in 2020, Aunt Bertha (branded as Neighborly) has driven significant engagement within the community, with over 12,000 programs and services listed and 53,463 searches performed on the platform between March 2020 and May 2021. 

Streamlining the solution search

Geisinger originally engaged AVIA after realizing the number of digital solutions that existed to potentially help them transform their organization. As they have built out a robust digital transformation strategy over their years of Membership, Geisinger has relied on AVIA to streamline their selection process, providing them with validation and guidance in their search for the right digital solution partners. 

“We have the ability to do digital solution market research and go through the request-for-proposal (RFP) process, but it would take a significant amount of time and effort,” says LaFeir. “AVIA’s insights and due diligence into the solution company landscape help to expedite and de-risk the process for us.”

The Geisinger team also taps into the AVIA Network and AVIA Connect, using the insights from other Network members and the online platform to support their solution search process. Since joining AVIA in 2018, the Geisinger team has spent many hours using the AVIA Connect platform for research and insights. 

Partnering with AVIA for success

Since creating their digital transformation strategy with the help of AVIA’s experts, Geisinger has been able to launch numerous solutions to improve their patient experience and provide for their community. 

“Any problem that we’ve brought to AVIA, they’ve been able to solve or provide due diligence for. Being able to count on AVIA as a true partner is invaluable,” says LaFeir. “AVIA holds themselves accountable, and from a follow-through and customer service standpoint, they are unparalleled.” 

AVIA is the leading digital transformation partner for over 50 health systems across the US, including Geisinger. To learn more about how you can become an AVIA Member and achieve digital transformation in your organization, contact us today.