Imagine going to see your doctor and having to carry paper copies of all your medical records with you. That has been the case for many patients whose healthcare organizations have not embraced the integration of workflows, such as electronic health records, and the interoperability of health information systems.
Now imagine the resulting challenges: gaps in providers’ knowledge about their patients’ medical histories and medications, needless duplication (and duplicated costs) of medical tests, and inefficient and potentially inaccurate diagnoses and treatment.
“If you go between providers, and one provider doesn’t know what the other provider did, they’re more likely to ask you the same questions, redo tests, and perhaps not make the right diagnoses because they don’t have your full history,” says Dr. Matthew Eisenberg, associate chief medical information officer at Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto, Calif.
Siloed systems and processes also challenge healthcare organizations, which already face resourcing hurdles involving insufficient workforces, clinician burnout and cumbersome processes. Among healthcare CIOs, 60% say inefficient processes and a lack of automation are users’ top frustrations.
An optimized workflow with streamlined solutions and processes can be achieved through integration and interoperability. With integrated systems such as EHRs, collaboration platforms and patient management tools, all clinicians have the data they need to provide care effectively and efficiently. As a result, healthcare organizations get more from their existing IT solutions — which 56% of healthcare CIOs say is their top IT-related financial goal.
Novid Parsi