| Changing Demographics Require New Physician Retention Initiatives |
| Executive Advice | |
| By Donald W. Fisher and Carol D. Westfall | |
| Thursday, 19 July 2007 | |
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In today’s fragmented healthcare system, patient data is scattered among physicians, hospitals, lab companies and pharmacies. This can lead to medical errors, adverse patient outcomes and costly hospitalizations. Efforts are underway by leading health plans and employers to aggregate patient information into personal health records (PHRs). This aggregation of data into a patient-centered and patient-controlled record can empower consumers and optimization among physicians, other caregivers and patients. PHRs can help enable the consumer-driven health movement, and support President Bush’s federal priority to provide Americans with electronic health records by 2014. PHRs are a centerpiece of public and private sector healthcare IT connectivity initiatives to improve care, reduce medical errors and lower costs. There are many PHRs on the market today. They are offered by health plans, employers and independent vendors and offer varying levels of sophistication and usefulness. Several are pre-populated with medical claims data so that each time a patient visits a doctor, fills a prescription or gets a lab test, this information is added to the PHR. The result is an evolving, comprehensive picture of the patient’s health. Some PHRs encourage users to enter personal health information not available from claims, such as height and weight, smoking status, allergies, over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements. Patients may be able share portions of their PHR with their physicians or print out sections to bring with them to appointments. Most PHRs stop there and are effectively static data repositories. An analytical, dynamic PHR takes this data-rich environment to the next level by actively driving patient activity, access and interaction between physician and patient. PHR technology today can provide real-time clinical analysis and two-way, interactive exchange of data. An analytical, interactive PHR can help improve healthcare quality and lower costs through the communication of individualized, timely information to both patients and their physicians. Dynamic PHRs integrate in real-time with clinical decision-support technologies. These are designed to aggregate data to compare with thousands of medical rules that represent incontrovertible standards of care. Discrepancies can be highlighted between the care that a patient is actually receiving as reflected in his or her claims history, and the care that he or she should be receiving as reflected in the evidence-based literature. As new data is received, either from claims or from the patient, it is added to existing patient data and analyzed for targeted and actionable opportunities to improve care. When an issue is identified, the user receives an alert in the PHR, through e-mail notification. The issue is also communicated to the treating physician. By sending clinical alerts to both the patient and the physician, both parties are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions and to collaborate intelligently and productively. An analytical PHR can be made even more powerful when integrated with disease management programs or regional health information organizations. By leveraging clinical intelligence and data analytics, the latest generation of PHRs can serve as a true foundation for consumer-directed healthcare and help achieve the goals of improved care, lowered costs and empowered consumers. HCW Dr. Lonny Reisman is a cardiologist and founder/CEO of ActiveHealth Management, a clinically based, technology-driven health management services company serving health plans and employer groups. Visit www.activehealth.net for more information. |
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