The healthcare industry is undergoing major shifts that are changing the way things are…
Finally, the concept of health information exchange is being more concretely defined and accepted by the healthcare community.
Betty
Otter-Nickerson
The healthcare industry is undergoing major shifts that are changing the way things are done in medical centers across America. We are witnessing a revolution in healthcare delivery as government initiatives and healthcare IT advancements are shifting the focus of information gathering from the provider to the patient and from each individual practice to a national, more connected healthcare community. Electronic health records (EHRs) are the focal point of that shift, allowing practices and hospitals to provide improved patient care through greater workflow efficiency. Additionally, EHR technology allows patients to be more involved in their healthcare and to have 24/7 access to their physicians through the patient portal. The next leap in this transition will consist of increasing the interchange of healthcare data through health information exchange (HIE), which encourages practices, hospitals and providers to participate in providing the patient with solid continuity of care.
HIE has been developing in one way or another for years, though it is only now that this concept is being more concretely defined and accepted by the healthcare community. This can be largely attributed to meaningful use and its incentive to implement EHRs. However, as an industry, we have yet to really see the power of this technology. The reason it hasn’t reached its full capabilities lies in the lack of connectivity that currently reins the healthcare space. Hospitals and practices are transitioning to faster, more efficient methods but, for patients and physicians to fully enjoy the advantages of an interoperable healthcare system, all the parties involved in HIE have to come together and reach a consensus on issues such as a standardized format in the sharing of information. Nonetheless, HIE is moving forward and is here to stay.
HIE offers a wealth of benefits for both patients and physicians alike. When medical teams have the ability to exchange information about a patient electronically, the care given becomes more homogenous and continuous. Physicians can, with the click of a button, look up a patient’s entire history and have a comprehensive view of their health. This allows doctors to make more informed decisions, thus improving the quality of care and potentially generating better outcomes.
Another major advantage of HIE is its security benefits, especially in the event of an unpredictable natural disaster – think Joplin this past May. Hospitals across the country are susceptible to such destructive events. Medical centers that have been hit by a natural disaster understand the importance of having a health record system that ensures patients’ histories will remain intact, regardless of how bad the hospital or practice is damaged. Medical centers across the country have experienced the terrible consequences of losing medical records, including serious financial penalties if the security of their records is breached, and the tedious and very expensive task of recompiling a massive amount of patients’ health information.
However, when health histories are kept electronically, they are backed up in a secure location. This ensures that, no matter what happens to the hospital or practice building, the patients’ histories will be safe and accessible to other physicians in an HIE-affiliated hospital or practice, thus providing improved and efficient patient service and, most importantly, much needed continuity of care during those difficult times.
Patients, above all else, must be the focus of our healthcare system, and HIE is one of the ways the healthcare IT industry is helping doctors concentrate on the people they serve and deliver the best possible care.
Betty Otter-Nickerson is president of Sage Healthcare Division.
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