Practices that effectively utilize and integrate health information exchange (HIE) data into their daily workflow were able to reduce the rate of unplanned hospital readmissions and the rate of emergency department (ED) visits, according to new research.
The recent study was conducted by HEALTHeLINK, Western New York’s regional HIE, in cooperation with a researcher at University of Connecticut and Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation. The research demonstrates that provider offices effectively utilizing HIE technology can help save their patients and the greater healthcare community both time and money, according to the study’s authors. The results of the study of integrating HIE into workflow practice were published in the January 2020 Information Systems Frontiers.
The study examined whether integration of HIE services into medical practices’ workflow would have an impact on ED visits and unplanned 30-day readmission amongst patients who were treated at the practice. When practices were trained on how to efficiently utilize and integrate the HIE into their daily workflow, the pilot concluded that the rate of unplanned hospital readmissions was reduced 10.2 percent and the rate of ED visits was reduced 13.3 percent, according to the study’s findings.
Prior to the start of the pilot study, HEALTHeLINK first shadowed several practices to observe current workflows and gain insight into how they were currently gathering clinical information and potential ways HIE utilization, especially notifications, could save time in obtaining relevant patient records and test results. This resulted in the development and implementation of a training program at the pilot practices.
“The study demonstrates that HIE can significantly enhance patient care if incorporated into practice workflow,” said study author Niam Yaraghi, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Operations and Information Management at the University of Connecticut's School of Business and a non-resident fellow in the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation. Yaraghi’s research is focused on the economics of health information technologies.
Yaraghi went on to say that, “The ability of a provider office having immediate access to review a hospital discharge summary or the results of a recent test can result in fewer redundancies and better medical decisions for the patient and naturally less time that patient has to wait in the reception area, all of which lead to costs savings in the health system.”
Dan Porreca, executive director, HEALTHeLINK, added, “This is now the fourth study conducted by HEALTHeLINK that demonstrates greater efficiency in the healthcare setting, better care for patients and the overall cost savings through the region’s HIE and another example of how HEALTHeLINK is working when utilized by providers.”
Porreca continued, “In addition to utilizing HIE to reduce unplanned hospital readmissions and ED visits, participating study practices also reported to us increased ease of obtaining patient information and proactively supporting office visits. By accessing patient test results and records in advance, the practices saved up to seven hours a week in chart preparation and pre-visit planning and experienced a reduction of up to 40 minutes in patient cycle time.”
