THE TECHNOLOGY & ANALYTICS ROUNDTABLE

The goal of the Technology & Analytics Roundtable was to recommend 3-5 practical, patient-centric outcomes that would improve care for patients with chronic conditions through technology, analytics, and interoperability. Preliminary discussions revolved around closing gaps in data, removing barriers to sharing information, educating patients and providers about consent around data sharing, potential uses for labs and lab data, incentivizing patients and providers to share data, remote patient monitoring, and patient engagement.

The group split into three sub-groups, consumers, providers (including clinicians, labs, and pharmacy), or those working with the actual technology and data, to further narrow down tools for effective chronic condition management. The premise was that it is best to build technology around the needs and expectations of consumers and providers. The patient and provider sub-groups independently determined that patients and providers had the following expectations:

Know me: Physicians should already have access to patient data without needing the patient to repeat basic information. For example, medications, past surgeries, etc.

Guide me: Information that will guide patient care should always be readily available to both physicians and patients, including the who, what, when, where, and why of diagnoses, prescriptions, and care plans. Physicians are also interested in peer comparison reports.

Accessibility: Patients and physicians expect reasonable access to patient data. Patients want access on their terms. For example, they want to be able to see lab results in a patient portal and then to ask questions about the results.

Financial Transparency: Patients and clinicians want to be knowledgeable about the tests, services, and devices covered by health plans. Patients are particularly interested in total out-of-pocket costs and want suitable, and affordable, alternatives to services that are not covered.

The technology sub-group focused on offering decisional support systems; analytics; integrating data into the provider’s workflow, including relevant data sets, claims and medication information; and any information collected outside the walls of a traditional clinical setting, such as social determinants of health data and patient generated health data.

KEY FOCUS AREAS

The overlapping priorities identified by the three sub-groups were as follows:

• Patient consent   
• Establishment of data needs & data in the correct locations    
• Expanding current success through other pilots
• Provider & consumer incentives    
• Financial transparency between provider and patient   
• Education/awareness
• Standards of care
• Condition management bundles (i.e. pre-approval)     
• Gaps in claims data reported back to care team
• Measurable benchmarks     
• Remote patient monitoring
• Social Determinants of Health
   

The group identified three key focus areas:

1. Automate and share patient consent information among providers
2. Create seamless integration of data for patients with diabetes care
3. Create a pilot to demonstrate how to streamline and integrate information for providers caring for patients with diabetes

The long-term goal of the pilot project is to create a facilitation process or platform, as well as a methodology and communication toolkit, create a model of engagement for long term use, and to have patients manage their chronic conditions better.

POLICY PLAN: TECHNOLOGY & ANALYTICS

• Constructively engage with the Administration on their regulatory reduction efforts.
• Support the FDA’s Software Precertification Pilot Program, a part of the Digital Health Innovation Action Plan, which streamlines the regulatory process for companies with a history of developing and testing quality programs.
• Explore relevant Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reimbursement policies for certain remote patient medical device monitoring, such as glucose monitors.
• Continue to monitor and provide input on information blocking policies, including the anticipated Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) proposed rule, which will clarify the definition of information blocking and other issues.
• Consider a campaign and use case to get patients to understand the value of sharing data
• Research and evaluate states’ consent laws and encourage the federal government to nudge states towards changing consent forms to encourage patient sharing.
• Discuss standardization of patient consent forms, where states have the option to add additional consent requirements.
• Weave value-based payment themes into work and advocacy, such as CMS’ new voluntary episode payment model, Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced)

Presentation slides and recording from 2/20/18 webinar.

eHI’s Electronic Medication Adherence Collaborative (eMAC) is a group of healthcare executives dedicated to improving health outcomes and quality of life through analytics and behavioral interventions targeting medication adherence and safety. The group brings innovative research, best practices, and the latest technologies to the table through eMAC.

Through this webinar, participants will get an insider’s view of eMAC as we explore:

• Attitudes and beliefs impacting medication safety and adherence 
• Potential benchmarks for intervention
• Coordination across transitions of care
• Quality measures as tools for tracking adherence

Speakers:
-Rick Ratliff, President and Chief Commercial Officer, ConnectiveRX
-Mike Fitzgibbons, Vice President, Pharmacy STARS, UnitedHealthcare Medicare and Retirement, UnitedHealthcare
-Tim Arnold, Senior Strategist, Advocate Cerner Collaborative, Cerner Corporation

Over the years, the healthcare industry has moved from paper-based records to electronic records. While there have been significant investments in electronic health record (EHR) systems, the lack of interoperability between EHRs limits accuracy and efficiency when exchanging patient data across the continuum of care. In the current transition from fee-for-service models of reimbursement to value-based care, access to comprehensive patient information is increasingly important. In its quest for optimal patient outcomes, the healthcare industry is trying to improve the quality and availability of data and are using analytics as a catalyst to improve performance.
eHealth Initiative (eHI) interviewed nine executives from provider organizations and Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) to gain insight on the current state of interoperability, population health, and their future potential. In November and December 2017, executives answered questions on the types of data they collected, how it is shared and analyzed, and the successes and challenges in using data analytics for population health management.

The healthcare industry is moving the needle forward on interoperability and population health management. Our webinar, Pulse on the Industry: Interoperability and Population Health Management, examines the results of eHealth Initiative’s interview-based research project on the topic.

The webinar features executives interviewed for the project. Join us as the Kansas Health Information Network (KHIN) and Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) delve into the biggest trends in interoperability and population health management:

• Challenges in the exchange of Continuity of Care Documents 
• Issues resulting from poor data quality
• Data being collected to support population health management and value-based care
• The role HIEs play in population health management

Speakers:
Morgan Honea, Chief Executive Officer, CORHIO 
Robert Denson, Chief Information Officer, CORHIO
Laura McCrary, Executive Director, KHIN
Heather Hallett, Vice President, Medicity

American College of Radiology explores how an Indianapolis hospital implements a radiology cloud for seamless image transfer among referring hospitals in a tri-state area.

Study from JASON, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that considers how AI will shape the future of public health, community health, and health care delivery. They focus on technical capabilities, limitations, and applications that can be realized within the next ten years.