Guided Assessments

Transforming a frustrating post-hospitalization tool into a streamlined, clinician-centered Smartapp.

Company

Role

Year

DaVita

Design Lead

2024 - Present

The Challenge

A tool that created more problems than it solved

In 2024, DaVita launched Care Pathways, an EHR-native application intended to help Registered Nurses (RNs) & other care team members to provide relevant follow-up actions after a patient's hospitalization.

The idea—guiding clinical outreach to reduce repeat hospital visits and improve long-term health outcomes—was sound, but in practice, the app caused more delays than intended.

RNs found the user experience overwhelming—bloated with redundant questions, disorganized clinical sections, and an over reliance on free-text responses.

Buried in the frustration was a signal: the structure was helpful for newer nurses. There was potential to simplify, refocus, & redesign.

"Is this a tool or a threat?"

"The charting expectation across Cerner is unhinged."

"It feels like they're babysitting us."

Bloated Input Volume

The application required RNs to input far too much information even for quick phone calls—over 70 fields led to clinician burnout.

Disorganized Clinical Sections

Because the clinical workflow wasn't created with the user in mind, RNs were forced to skip around the application while intaking patient info.

Free Text Overreliance

The application forced RNs to 'write a story' about their phone call, while the free text areas didn't correlate to a real world experience.

The Design Approach

From EHR-native to the Smartapp ecosystem

Alongside my product & technical partners, we proposed to rebuild Care Pathways as a standalone SMART on FHIR application, removing it from Oracle Cerner's constraints while integrating it into our growing suite of connected clinical tools.

This shift was focused on changing the philosophy behind the product.

The redesign journey began with deep discovery. I partnered closely with product leadership to set a timeline, understand business goals, and map a feasible quarterly plan.

With that foundation in place, I conducted a UX audit then plotted audit findings alongside user feedback into an impact vs effort matrix.

Landing Page

- Lack of one click entry to open a Pathway from the 'Available Pathways' section

- Inability to edit completed Pathways & unclear usage of Suggested Pathways

- Disconnect from hospitalization data, which helps drive Pathway completion

Application Landing

- No obvious connection between input (left column) and user action (right column)

- Lack of decision hierarchy for user actions connected to patient treatment

- Inclusion of dead link (Show All Treatment Options) standard across app

Application In Progress

- User forced to scroll up to recall Treatment Options (recommended actions)

- Inability to save work while completing form lead to wasted time

- Lack of visibility into entirety of input section in progress

Completing the Workflow

- Unclear Pathway status once the input & output data is complete

- Inaccurate call to action description for Active Pathways

- Treatment Options locked inside Pathway once Completion is clicked

High Impact

Low Impact

Low Effort

High Effort

Streamline completion process by consolidating save & complete sections

Increase time to value for user by facilitating relevant actions to drive patient behavior and healthier outcomes

Enable a permanently fixed column for the Treatment Options Data, reducing user's cognitive load

More clearly connect data input and treatment output data & link CTAs to specific actions for relevant data

Better connect Care Pathways to Care Plan component to better enable continuous patient care

Build a comparison pane within the application to compare current patient data entries to past patient data entries

Include tasking from within Pathways to set up action lists for other clinicians to follow up on specific patient logisitcs

Summarize previous 2-day pathways or other Care Pathways to match the selected new one in progress

Allow for required fields questions so users can see which questions are most important

Create interconnected prompts that become more or less relevant as the RN moves through the form

Enable read only fields that allow the user to better understand context for patient care

Remove the functionality for documentation off pathway or other unused features within the existing app

Separate lines for binary responses to better improve reporting data pipelines

Add a fill from form to allow an RN to upload documents like Discharge Summaries

Automate Activity Log entry that saves each conversation between RN and patients

Enhance conditional prompts based on previous pathway entries with relevant suggestions

The Solution

A smarter & more focused experience

From sketches to high fidelity UI, led the full end-to-end design effort. The key was balancing clinical nuance with intuitive usability.

Every element was designed with clarity and clinical context in mind. We also built with the future in mind—connecting Care Pathways to existing smartapps like the Patient Care Summary, and ensuring flexibility to integrate with upcoming modules like Care Plans.

Modular Workflows

- Reduce noise & surface only what's relevant to each patient

- Greater clinical customization across any role using the application

Smart Inputs

- Replaced long, narrative-driven text with guided select and multi-select fields

- Leveraged the UX research team to understand what's important to clinicians

Custom Components & Prototype

- Purpose built for the app's unique needs, expanding beyond our standard design system

- Leveraged prototyping capabilities to communicate design decisions & product intent to stakeholders

Solution Quickview

Results

The Guided Assessment smartapp is fully spec’d with a custom component library and in development. The total investment across UX, product, and tech is projected at nearly $1 million—a direct reflection of the strategic value this tool now holds for the business.

What began as a frustrating tool for overworked RNs is being transformed into a seamless, clinician-centered experience. Our redesign gives time back to care teams, makes documentation faster and clearer, and aligns DaVita’s platform around smarter, more connected digital care.