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Discussion of Treatment Online Leads to Greater Patient Satisfaction
Patients, who seek information online and discuss their treatment options by utilizing social media and email, feel more confident in their healthcare decisions. Researchers analyzed a sample of over 2400 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer in new research in JAMA Oncology. Researchers found 41 percent of the women interviewed responded to their individual diagnosis by discussing it through electronic means. Results from the study indicate a correlation between those patients who use online communication and those who weighed treatment decisions with greater care. They also indicated increased satisfaction with the decision.
Electronic Patient Referrals a Promising Alternative to Face-to-Face Consultation
Electronic exchange of referral information from primary care providers to medical specialists has the potential to overcome problems associated with time intensive paper based referrals. In a new report, the Joint Commission revealed that electronic exchange, in fact, works pretty well. Sixty-eight percent of referrals to the adult gastroenterology clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital were either resolved without a visit or did not require follow-up care. The study, “Minding the Gaps: Assessing Communication Outcomes of Electronic Pre-consultation Exchange”, is featured in this month’s issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
EHR Use Helps Improve Quality of Inpatient Nursing Care
Hospital use of electronic health records by inpatient nurses can significantly improve the quality of care without increasing direct costs - so says a study published in the Journal of Nursing Administration. In a retrospective analysis conducted at a 430+ bed urban hospital, researchers measured the impact of implementing integrated EHR systems on the quality of quality nursing care. By examining various procedures, the researchers revealed that EHR adoption had a positive effect without increasing per patient costs.
Study Ties mHealth Use to Clinical Improvements
Providers using a digital health platform in order to treat children with ADHD to connect with caregivers saw a reduction in symptoms due to better medication management. This study, in Pediatrics, finds that doctors can use online tools to measure a patient’s response to ADHD medication and adapt the care plan based on stimuli. The approach also facilitates increased cooperation between providers and the wider world. Researchers tested the software in 50 community practices with more than 200 providers and 373 patients.
Patients Say EHRs and Digital Health Tools Transforming Care Experience
Almost 75 percent of patients expressed a high level of interest in easily accessing their electronic medical records according to new research from CareCloud. Thirty-three percent indicated that EHR has already changed their personal healthcare experience for the better. Contrary to popular belief, Baby Boomers beat out Millennials as the group most likely to use these tools. Sixty-two percent of baby boomers use the technological tools to access their health records. CareCloud surveyed 1,443 patients in this survey.
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Impact of MACRA Shared with eHI Members
Last week, the Council of Data Analytics Experts heard from Mark Segal of GE Healthcare IT who gave a riveting presentation on the impact of MACRA, MIPS, and APMs on the future of healthcare in America. In addition to serving as GE’s VP of Government and Industry Affairs, Mr. Segal serves as a member of eHI’s Policy Steering Committee. He spoke extensively on how alternative payment models are critical to the successful implementation of healthcare reform. Mr Segal reported that advanced APMs are the only ones that are eligible for non-inclusion in MIPS and that the MACRA legislation does not change how the individual APM rewards value internally. For more on MACRA and APM click here.
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Idaho Updates Medicaid Program to Include Telehealth
The State of Idaho recently updated its Medicaid managed care contracts in order to address the impact of telemedicine on meeting provider network requirements. In a new analysis, consulting firm Navigant investigated recent changes in Medicaid managed care state-by-state. Earlier in the year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) indicated that technology could be used as a path to greater specialist coverage in those areas that are lacking specialized services. The report reveals that 14 states “encourage” telemedicine for improved access, only Idaho allows it to develop network adequacy.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, August 17, 2-3 pm ET, Advisory Board on Business and Clinical Motivators- Mark Savage, Director of Health Information Technology Policy and Programs at the National Partnership for Women and Families
Thursday, August 25, 2-3 pm ET, Council of Data Analytics Experts- Doug Dietzman, Executive Director, Great Lakes Health Connect
Monday, September 12, 2-3 pm ET, Interoperability Workgroup, Janine Akers, CEO, Data File Technologies
Tuesday, September 27, 9 am- 4 pm ET, Executive Advisory Board of Privacy & Security
October 4-5, 2016 Innovation Showcase at House of Sweden in Washington, D.C.
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AMA Partners with Omada and Intermountain to Reduce Type-2 Diabetes
The American Medical Association (AMA) recently announced a new partnership with Intermountain Healthcare and HIT firm Omada Health in an effort to use digital health to prevent Type-2 diabetes. This collaboration will create a roadmap for larger health care organizations nationwide to adopt proven online behavior change interventions for at-risk patients. The new collaboration expands Intermountain’s current efforts in using digital health to stem the tide of Type-2 diabetes.
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FDA Issues Final Guidance on Wearables and Apps
The Food and Drug Administration recently released guidance on the low-risk devices intended to promote general wellness, including mobile health and fitness applications. This final guidance contains “non-binding” recommendations for the wearable and app industry. Despite these recommendations, the FDA indicated that it does encourages the development of applications and wearables with a wide variety of uses to empower individuals to take a more active role in their personal healthcare.
CMS Selects Specific Markets for New Initiative
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has committed to launching an ambitious primary care quality initiative in 14 regions nationwide, including 11 entire states. This program, the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus or CPC+, initiative were selected based on density and interest shown by stakeholders. Under the program, CMS and insurers would reimburse physicians a monthly fee for primary-care visits. CMS indicated that they will only release the program in markets with significant private payer interest. CMS is soliciting applications from practices within the states through September 15, with rollout expected after the first of the year.
NIH Promises $31 million to Precision Medicine for Minorities
The National Institutes of Health division on Minority Health and Health Disparities will allocate $31 million in funding over the next five years to launch new precision medicine initiative to tackle health disparities that impact minority communities in the United States. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, MD, director of the NIMHD said in a statement, "precision medicine research endeavors must go beyond biologic and clinical markers and include social determinants of health, such as the economic, social and political conditions that influence health status.”
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Hackers Used Third Party to Breach Clinic
Athens Orthopedic Clinic of Athens, GA was the victim of a data breach recently on its electronic health records system that used the log-in credentials of an outside vendor. According to a notice sent to patients, this breach occurred in the middle of June this year with the practice learning of it on June 27. Information at risk includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers, birthdays, telephone and account numbers, and in some cases diagnoses and partial medical histories. The contract with the outside vendor has been terminated.
Hospitals Hit with 88 Percent of All Ransomware Attacks
Solutionary’s Security Engineering Research Team Quarterly Threat Report Q2 2016 revealed that hospitals and health systems are hit by more ransomware attacks than any other. In the report, it reveals that 88 percent of ransomware attacks targeted hospitals. A major reason is that hospitals may be particularly vulnerable for they use many systems and devices leaving many open avenues for cybercriminals and maleficent actors.
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