The stages of Meaningful Use established by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are meant to improve health care through the adoption of electronic health records. By leveraging rising technologies, physicians can provide patients with higher quality care based off the comprehensive medical history available to them from EHRs.
With better health outcomes, the overall delivery and efficacy of care would change as patients become more invested in their own medical futures. Stage 1 of Meaningful Use discusses using EHRs to coordinate care across practices, thusly setting up health information exchange rings among health care providers. Moving into the final two stages, the focus shifts to more patient-centered Health Information Exchange with emphasis on collecting data across various facilities.
For example, a successful HIE would permit physicians working in Diagnostic Radiology to communicate with a primary care doctor specializing in dermatology on the various treatment options available to a specific patient.
The history of HIE
According to a report from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, the idea of HIE was to facilitate and expand the electronic transmission of health information among organizations in accordance with national standards and regulations. Its goal is to improve patient safety and quality of care for patients, while enabling more effective clinical research and public health programs.
In the field of radiology, the topic of dosage reduction has been pushed to the forefront as radiologists look for new ways to limit patient exposure to radiation. HIE could limit this overexposure by allowing imaging specialists and physicians to see any previous exams, so as to know which procedures should not be repeated unnecessarily.
The NORC report, presented by authors Prashila Dullabh, Adil Moiduddin, Christine Nye and Lindsay Virost to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, indicated that the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act has been instrumental in driving adoption rates of HIE in states around the country. The resources afforded to providers also facilitated the initiation of widespread exchange activity.
The documentation of HIEs
When health care providers participate in HIE, they are making a commitment to coordinating care for the benefit of both patients and physicians. Typically, the transmittal of patient data involves the electronic transfer of EHRs, which can include documentation such as Digital Imaging records, prescription medication information, lab test results and more.
Being provided with this comprehensive data, physicians are able to make better clinical decisions regarding treatments and care strategies. For radiologists, they can determine proper justification for performing Medical Imaging procedures on patients. Once the scan is added to the patient’s record, future readmissions can be effectively eradicated, as explained by Success EHS.
While successful HIE can provide financial savings to health organizations, the majority of the benefits lie in the improvement of care across practices. The efficiency of physicians can increase, leading to better health outcomes for patients and reducing the instances of medical errors and unnecessary tests.
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Ronny Bachrach
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