Across the country, the number of requests to process clinical documentation has been increasing more than 20 percent year over year, placing more strain on an already stretched health data system and overwhelming many medical records departments. To further exacerbate this challenge, 2018 to 2019 is already proving to be a record year, with a dramatic 300 percent increase in the volume of records requested. Planning and preparing for these requests can be very challenging from an operations perspective.
For many healthcare providers, the solution to address that rising demand is to supply more employees to retrieve those records. However, continually adding resources is not a viable long-term solution for most hospitals or health systems.
The new approach combines the latest technology with the skills of trained records technicians to create an augmented workforce capable of meeting more demand than ever before. Designed to help providers meet today’s ROI needs, it also allows for greater flexibility and productivity as needs evolve and demand continues to grow exponentially.
The Challenge
Without the help of computer-assisted release, requests for records flowed into an organization and piled upon an employee’s desk as items to retrieve manually. The employee would log into the hospital’s EMR and download the record, and then upload it into the system for transmission.
That process became repetitive, recurring thousands of times, day after day and year after year. As the volume of requests for information increases, it is becoming more challenging to fulfill the requests promptly.
The Solution
As a leader in the health data and technology industry, Ciox built HealthSource Stream, a computer-assisted release program that enables faster, more accurate health record exchange and fulfillment. Leveraging a variety of connectivity options from standards-based HL7 to RPA to FHIR, Ciox can customize its deployment model to meet the integration preferences of its clients.
By allowing technology to truly assist the fulfillment teams, turnaround times decrease and more time can be spent performing quality checks before the records are released back to the requestor. As request types vary by client, each HealthSource Stream project plan is mutually created with clients to identify which use cases and request types should be prioritized. Before Healthsource Stream, HIM departments were challenged with staffing needs during the “busy seasons.” With Healthsource Stream and computer-assisted release, organizations can experience a more consistent workforce throughout the year.
As HealthSource Stream is also a learning system, the more request types and workflows that it creates, the more mappings become available to other clients. Best practices distribute across the Ciox customer base, and deployments can happen faster and more often.
The Results
Today, Ciox has nearly 50 sites running on CAR technology, with another 30 projects in the pipeline.
HealthSource Stream has allowed us to save more than seven hours of processing time per 100 charts, meaning faster records retrieval and more accurate delivery with lower overhead. HealthSource Stream is driving a more efficient era in medical records retrieval.
At a large health system in the Southeast, Healthsource Stream has been able to process more Medicare Risk Adjustment (MRA) requests this season without adding additional team members. During previous MRA seasons, a Ciox customer service representative (CSR) was able to process 450 requests per week. This year, with the support of HealthSource Stream, that capability grew to 867 requests per week – an increase in throughput of 160 percent. However, that’s just a single instance running. If demand continued to increase, a single CSR technician could run up to three instances of HealthSource Stream, allowing for a maximum throughput of 2600 weekly requests per CSR, or a 479 percent increase in performance.
Looking Ahead
With HealthSource Stream, Ciox is taking another step in solving the last mile of interoperability. Clinical data exchange is becoming more complex, both in terms of meeting current and impending regulatory requirements and managing the sheer increase in the volume of records requests. Computer-assisted release will play a pivotal role in enabling healthcare providers to meet future demands. By leveraging technology and employing continuous learning as more instances deploy, HealthSource Stream creates efficiencies that lead to improved processes and better use of resources, ultimately benefiting healthcare providers and patients alike.
