As health records are increasingly digitized, there are a wide variety of systems being implemented to contain this data. These systems are designed and developed separately, and they are often not interoperable. The inability to share data between healthcare providers largely curtails the potential of larger scale statistical research to be conducted.
How does this relate to value-base health care?
Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) programs define “value” as outcomes that are achieved for the patient while considering the cost of care. The idea with these programs is to financially reward for the quality care. This, in turn, promotes a level of accountability from providers to patients, and its full adoption would ultimately change the direction of modern medical practice. This payment model is centered around patient evaluations and satisfaction levels as well as results of treatment.
For this plethora of patient information to be collected and organized in a meaningful way between systems, there must be standardization between the information collection processes. This is hinged on the creation of a system that fosters a complete patient information cache. Synthesis of this data will allow for more guided conclusions for issues such as Social Determinants of Health that will allow for more proactive “upstream” healthcare to prevent health problems from developing.
Today, it is estimated that around 30% of healthcare resources are wasted. The use of semantic management technology, such as HealthTerm, will lead the healthcare sector into a future where not only will these records and data are properly organized, but their analyzation will allow providers to identify areas that need more financial support, and others that might be wasting resources. In turn, this will help these providers create a better and more efficient system designed to provide honest and useful healthcare to its patients, as well as being financially accessible for the providers.
The propulsion of a new Value-Based Health Care system is completely dependent on these electronic health record systems becoming interoperable. Regardless of whether all players benefit from this Value-Based Care system or not, it is only truly achievable through interoperability.
Sources:
www.healthdatamanagement.com
www.pcpcc.org
copenhagensummeruniversity.ku.dk