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Care coordination, often considered the backbone of effective healthcare delivery, is an intricate dance of information sharing and collaboration among providers. In theory, it seems straightforward – healthcare providers should seamlessly exchange patient health information to ensure comprehensive and unified care. However, reality paints a more complex picture. Despite notable strides, achieving true care coordination […]
Care coordination, often considered the backbone of effective healthcare delivery, is an intricate dance of information sharing and collaboration among providers. In theory, it seems straightforward – healthcare providers should seamlessly exchange patient health information to ensure comprehensive and unified care. However, reality paints a more complex picture. Despite notable strides, achieving true care coordination remains an incredibly difficult feat.
Recent statistics offer a glimpse of progress though: the percentage of hospitals using certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs) that were able to successfully exchange patient health information with other providers in the US increased from 28% in 2015 to 55% in 2021 according to the The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. These numbers reflect a tangible positive shift towards enhanced data sharing, indicating a growing awareness of the critical role that interoperability plays in modern healthcare. Yet, this increase doesn’t tell the complete story.
While this upward trajectory is cause for celebration, there is unfortunately still much to be desired. Even with changes in regulation and technological advancements, certain healthcare providers find themselves encumbered with EHR systems that hinder the effortless flow of data beyond the confines of their facilities. These data silos obstruct the vision of a unified healthcare ecosystem where patient information can be accessed seamlessly by various stakeholders.
The need for change is clear – for healthcare providers to seamlessly share data, for patients to access their information effortlessly, and for both to reap the benefits of such a transformation. The missing link to EHR success is interoperability, which serves as the bridge that connects isolated islands of health information, ensuring that the entirety of a patient’s medical history is readily available where and when it’s needed most.
Interoperability refers to the capability of different systems, devices, or applications to seamlessly work together, exchanging and utilising information in a smooth and efficient manner.
In the healthcare context, achieving true interoperability is not solely about the exchange of data; it extends beyond to encompass the usability of shared data. The concept of “meaningful use” emerged in the US in the late noughties as a major driving force in the pursuit of EHR interoperability. Although no longer a legal requirement, meaningful use enabled users to not only capture and transmit information but also facilitated their ability to leverage this data for critical processes such as prescriptions and summaries across diverse healthcare settings, ultimately resulting in improved health outcomes.
However, realising this vision has proven to be incredibly difficult. Proprietary concerns, technological disharmony, competition among healthcare providers and the complexities of customised in-house workflows further impede progress. In addition, the lack of direct incentives for vendors of EHRs to enhance the interoperability of their software further compounds the challenge, discouraging some providers from committing additional resources towards its realisation. To make matters worse, some have been found to charge users very high fees for their EHRs to interface with laboratories, blood and pathology, pharmacists and other providers according to this source.
At Meddbase, our commitment to seamless software design shines through our unwavering dedication to interoperability, which facilitates the smooth sharing of data with external parties whenever necessary.
Conformation to Industry Standards: We implement widely recognized standards for data exchange to ensure compatibility with other systems and make it easy for data to flow seamlessly between different platforms. This way, your patient’s data can move along with them as they receive care from multiple providers on their journey to recovery.
Data Mapping and Transformation: Meddbase uses modules that facilitate data mapping and transformation between different data formats and standards. This helps bridge the gap between various EHR systems’ data structures, enabling smoother data sharing.
Patient Identity Matching: We implement robust patient identity matching algorithms to accurately link patient records across different EHR systems. Accurate patient matching is essential for exchanging correct and relevant patient data.
Consolidated Patient Records: Our features provide a consolidated view of patient records by pulling information from different sources, helping healthcare professionals to access comprehensive patient information from various systems.
User-Centric Design: We prioritise user experience by designing intuitive workflows that seamlessly incorporate data from external sources. Ensuring that clinicians can easily access and interact with interoperable data leads to better adoption.
Interoperable Workflows: Our design workflows encompass the complete patient journey, even across different EHR systems, which enhances seamless handoffs between healthcare providers, ensuring continuity of care.
Secure Data Sharing: We implement robust security measures, such as encryption and access controls, to protect patient data during exchange. Addressing security concerns is vital to gaining trust among both healthcare providers and patients.
Meddbase is Cloud-Based: Cloud-based EHRs foster interoperability by offering real-time data access across locations and centralised patient data storage. These systems bridge healthcare entities, enabling seamless data exchange, reducing implementation barriers, and supporting telemedicine, thus enhancing collaboration and patient care.
Provision of Educational Resources: Meddbase offers training and resources to users on how to effectively utilise the features in our software. Correct and adequate use of our platform helps our users achieve interoperability without relying on expensive additional feature enhancements.
Compliance with Regulations: We ensure that our software aligns with relevant healthcare regulations and standards, such as HIPAA, GDPR, and regional interoperability mandates.
Feedback Mechanisms: Our users can easily provide feedback on interoperability features and challenges they encounter with our systems. We believe that continuous improvement based on user input can lead to more effective solutions.
The journey towards interoperability involves a delicate balance of technology, regulation, collaboration and commitment among stakeholders. At Meddbase, this truth resonates even more profoundly. The potential benefits of interoperability for our esteemed clients, their valued patients and the broader healthcare ecosystem make our dedication towards achieving it well worth the effort.
