Both the HCA Inspire app and our Coding for Caregivers event are examples of creative solutions that ultimately improve patient care. 

“Nurses want more time by the bedside, more application of their expertise, and increased interaction with patients and their families,” says Nicole Tremblett, HCA Healthcare’s vice president of the Information Technology Group (ITG). “They need technology designed especially for them.” 

It’s this technology that empowers our colleagues to change more lives in more ways. 

Nicole Hargrove, BSN, RN, NE-BC, recalls how challenging the past 18-plus months have been. She and other nurses needed a helping hand, a guide — and they got one with HCA Inspire. 

“The app has been instrumental in discovering possibilities,” says Hargrove, nurse manager for a cardiovascular medical surgical nursing unit at Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “It’s easy to use and offers a variety of information for the user.” 

Available for smartphones as a free download from Google Play and Apple’s App Store, it features a unique user experience for nurses and non-nurses. Though the multifunctional app was introduced before COVID-19 struck, the timing of its release gave nurses more tools to help them cope with the added stress of the pandemic. 

“It really focused on the need to support and recognize the staff,” says Annabaker Garber, Ph.D., RN, chief nursing informatics officer for HCA Healthcare. That focus translated into action. “The app has bolstered the sense of community within the hospital, fostering an environment where nurses feel supported, which translates into improved patient care.” 

“The HCA Inspire App was initially created and marketed as a nursing app — ‘Created by nurses, for nurses’ — to help connect, grow, develop and recognize each other,” says Dr. Zach Mueller, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, division chief nursing executive at Medical City Healthcare in Dallas, Texas. “Since its launch, we learned that there was a significant need for all staff to use HCA Inspire. It’s available when they’re at home and off the HCA Healthcare network, which makes it convenient and easy to use.”

Later this year, HCA Inspire will be expanded for use by all colleagues, both clinical and nonclinical staff. 

Conceived with several key components, the app supports the posting of photos, videos and messages — allowing nurses to upload their certifications, explore career pathways and locate mentors. The most popular feature, MyScheduler, was added during the pandemic to allow nurses to view their work schedules, find open shifts and request time off. 

“The app was designed to help nurse leaders engage staff with a social media experience as well as support  recognition of staff by leaders and other staff members,” says Annabaker. “It’s also a way to communicate to all RNs on the unit or throughout the hospital.” 

“Keeping our staff engaged and informed leads to better outcomes at the bedside,” says Dr. Mueller. “Having clinicians who are happy in their workplace leads to a better quality of care for our patients.” 

Technology was also the central theme of the three-day Coding for Caregivers “hackathon” this past spring. More than 5,000 ideas were submitted by HCA Healthcare nurses, and 29 teams composed of nearly 600 participants — clinical representatives, developers, project managers and quality analysts — gathered to find solutions that would improve patient care efficiencies for nurses across the organization. 

“This event was the brainchild of our Information Technology Group; some of our partners couldn’t resist participating!” says Tremblett, adding that the event’s greatest benefit was “removing the day-to-day frustrations of our clinicians through innovative technology solutions.” 

The collaboration produced a “top eight” list of projects that HCA Healthcare has committed to supporting: 

• Collaborating with healthcare tech support provider CereCore 
• Launching YourCause from the HCA Inspire app 
• Improving organizational information protection and security through active directory lockout and password resets 
• Developing a nurse-friendly view of the OR schedule 
• Improving access to My Patient Feed, which keeps family and friends informed while a loved one is hospitalized 
• Projects (to be determined) for three regions: North Carolina, Florida and Texas 

“Holding this event produced an actionable list of ideas to help our nurses every day,” says Tremblett. “Our intent is to address as many of the solutions as we can by incorporating them into existing or new project work. There’s more to come.” 

The 2021 event exceeded expectations for HCA Healthcare’s first attempt at a hackathon of this magnitude. “It showcased the best of what we have to offer: creative solutions employed by the greatest minds in healthcare information technology to assist one of the most important roles in any patient experience.”

The plan is to go even bigger next year. 

According to Dr. Jane Englebright, chief nurse executive, and Marty Paslick, chief information officer, HCA Healthcare is uniquely positioned to find solutions through events like Coding for Caregivers. 

“We have the resident expertise required to identify the best opportunities and to deliver the associated improvements for nurses and other care team members,” says Jane. “Our skills may vary, but our compassion and devotion to the mission of caring for and improving human life is something that unites all 275,000-plus colleagues.” 

Working in unison, the HCA Inspire app and Coding for Caregivers have empowered HCA Healthcare’s nursing staff and technology experts, providing a blueprint for advances benefiting even more colleagues — and, ultimately, more patients.