Integrating Health Information Technology in Healing Hands Hospital
Future Health Care Reimbursement Trends
Information technology has led to a radical shift in health care management, and especially in the reimbursement sector. One of the possible future health care reimbursement trends is increased adoption of value-based reimbursement that takes advantage of improved electronic health records to collect data (Lee, 2016). Data analytics, whether genomics, predictive analytics, or big data will be critical in shaping value-based reimbursements. Data analytics will provide reliable information concerning quality delivery of services in health care settings. As such, data analytics will become integral in determining the amount of reimbursements to health care facilities. Currently, there are alternative payment modes in place that align with value-based reimbursement models, such as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) (Lee, 2016). Health care organizations will lean more on data analytics in analyzing their outcome measurements.
Another future reimbursement trend in the health care industry is Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative (BPCI). The BPCI initiative comprises of four models of care. The four models link payments to the particular service beneficiaries involved during care delivery. This has been possible with the introduction of data analytics. This is because patients can receive episode data that allows them to estimate how much it will cost to get treatment. The BPCI initiative continues to become increasingly important in the value-based reimbursement model. Another future health care reimbursement trend is accountable care organizations (ACO). This concept aims at establishing a coordinated health care system and improving on clinical best practices by ensuring that members involved in a patient care team are responsible for the costs and quality of care (Karabinos, 2013). The technologies necessary to support ACOs include business intelligence, interoperable electronic management records, data analytics, and other technologies.
Information System Technologies and Interoperability and Scalability
The issues of interoperability and scalability will significantly affect Healing Hands Hospital. Interoperability relates to the ability of a particular technology or system to allow integration with any application (Lee, 2016). Currently, health care facilities including Healing Hands Hospital are still grappling with challenges involving interoperability of medical records software systems. In order to overcome interoperability challenges in the future, health care organizations must adopt ways of sharing data freely. In addition, there is need for a more collaborative electronic health records system that encourages sharing of patient records among health care facilities (Lee, 2016). Currently, some health care facilities still rely on medical records software that does not support interoperability. This makes it difficult to access data from such systems. In the future, advancements in medical software technology will enhance interoperability in such a way that physicians will be able to interact with health care entities or providers outside their organization.
Scalability refers to the ability of an information system to accommodate more workload or adapt to new changes. The increased workload may result from more users, high scope of demands, expansion of the health facility, and other reasons. The system should be able to accommodate mire users or data volumes. The hospital’s system should be able to accommodate new technologies as they emerge, for instance, GPS technologies, imagery technologies, and mobile technologies. Future systems should be able to integrate with new technology platforms with ease, permitting the transfer of data from one platform to another. Healing Hands Hospital should adopt a system that allows for extension of its capacity to handle increased volume of data or users as well as innovations.
Innovations in Telemedicine and Tracking Devices
Innovations in telemedicine and tracking devices have taken root in the health care industry. Telemedicine refers to the application of communication and information technologies to offer medical services to patients from a distance (Beck, 2016). Health organizations such as Healing Hands can apply telemedicine to reach out to its patient population. By doing so, the hospital will improve the quality of care, thus receive higher value-based reimbursements. Although the proliferation of internet technologies and smartphone devices has mainly contributed to the emergence of telemedicine, the changing insurance policies have also played a significant role (Beck, 2016). For instance, Medicaid is currently providing value-based reimbursement, a shift from the service-based models. This means that hospitals have to look for innovative ways to increase the quality of care. Telemedicine is one of the effective ways that hospitals can apply to improve health care standards among the patient population.
Tracking devices have become increasingly available in the medical field. This is because of lower costs, increasing access, and more convenience to consumers as the devices are now smaller (Chiauzzi, Rodarte, & DasMahapatra, 2015). Tracking devices enables the collection of personal data that is vital in patient management, and especially with regard to chronic illnesses. Tracking devices have shown positive health outcomes among a cohort of recovering cardiac surgery patient, diabetic patients, and those who undergo pulmonary rehabilitation (Chiauzzi, Rodarte, & DasMahapatra, 2015). The improved health outcomes translate to higher value-based reimbursements to such hospitals. By adopting the tracking technologies, Healing Hands Hospital will be able to improve patient outcomes and thus higher value-based reimbursements.
References
Beck, M. (2016, June 26). How telemedicine is transforming health care. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-telemedicine-is-transforming- health-care-1466993402
Chiauzzi, E., Rodarte, C., & DasMahapatra, P. (2015). Patient-centered activity monitoring in the self-management of chronic health conditions. BMC Medicine, 13, 77. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0319-2
Gelburd, R. (2017). Bundled payments and episodes of care: what’s next? Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/03/30/bundled-payments-and-episodes- of-care-whats-next/#6bcc5e37e468
Karabinos, D. (2013). Technology’s role in the pursuit of ACO sustainability. Retrieved from https://www.itnonline.com/article/technology%E2%80%99s-role-pursuit-aco- sustainability
Lee, K. (2016). Data analytics aids value-based reimbursement, but bigger goals loom. Pulse, 4(3): 3-9.
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