The coronavirus is shining a light on the importance of seamless communication within healthcare firms

Advertisement
The coronavirus is shining a light on the importance of seamless communication within healthcare firms
Advertisement

The coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the US is underscoring the need for healthcare stakeholders to seamlessly relay info to one another - and health IT companies are stepping up to fill in communication gaps. For instance, EHR giant Epic rolled out its COVID-19 Preparedness App to healthcare pros in Washington state to enable screening and triaging outside hospitals or clinics - and allow for easy sharing of patient records among entities.

just over one third of US hospital leaders think their firm successfully shares data with other health systems

And while isolated efforts like this will likely be impactful, widespread interoperability among US healthcare players is essential for health firms to handle the high volume of patients flooding through their doors as well as the new forms of tech they're using to provide care for them.

Boosted interoperability would help hospitals struggling to contend with the pandemic better coordinate care. Enhancing communication among healthcare entities could ensure that hospitals have the latest information from public health officials regarding coronavirus outbreaks and allow healthcare organizations to share emerging information on treatments and symptoms, for example. But the current state of interoperability is likely restricting some of that info to siloes - which could hamper care coordination and weigh on inundated hospitals' operations.

Enhanced communication across healthcare stakeholders could also clear the way for more efficient telehealth implementation as hospitals ramp up remote care offerings amid the ongoing health crisis. Hospitals are racing to boost their telehealth offerings as more and more patients seek care from home: In Washington state, telehealth vendor Amwell has seen a 700% uptick in patient volume since the start of the pandemic, for example. However, providers that are looking to bulk up virtual care - but are lagging on interoperability - will run into hurdles.

For example, hospitals contracting with third-party telemedicine vendors will want to ensure their virtual docs have up-to-date patient records before diving into a consultation to ensure valuable care delivery. And providers deploying remote monitoring solutions for patients will need to make sure that data generated from tracking tools is being inputted into health records efficiently - otherwise already overburdened docs would need to step outside of their workflows to make use of the information, depleting time and resources.

Advertisement

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a set of rules earlier this month that'll require hospitals to boost interoperability - but we're not sure healthcare players will be able to do this now despite the dire need to. The HHS' rules will see hospitals bolster their ability to share data externally and give patients more agency over their health records - both of which are major hurdles for US hospitals: Only 18% and 8% of hospital leaders say they're "extremely successful" at sharing data with other health systems and patients, respectively.

However, shortly after finalizing its interoperability rules, the HHS announced that it's considering pushing back the timeline for firms to adopt them - sparking disagreement among healthcare players on whether the time frame is realistic. For context, the timeline for certain health IT organizations ranges from six months to 24 months, per EHR Intelligence.

Health IT Advisory Committee member Cynthia Fisher thinks that "in light of this coronavirus, it's even more imperative that we move faster," while big names like Allscripts have expressed concern that the timeline is too tight. Whether or not health IT firms, providers, and payers will be pressured into quickly adhering to the rules - or whether efforts will be put on the back burner - remains unclear, but the pandemic is certainly opening up healthcare players' eyes to the importance of augmented coordination.

Want to read more stories like this one? Here's how to get access:

  1. Business Insider Intelligence analyzes the healthcare industry and provides in-depth analyst reports, proprietary forecasts, customizable charts, and more. >> Check if your company has BII Enterprise membership access.
  2. Sign up for the Digital Health Briefing, Business Insider Intelligence's expert email newsletter tailored for today's (and tomorrow's) decision-makers in the healthcare industry, delivered to your inbox 6x a week. >> Get Started
  3. Explore related topics in more depth. >> Visit Our Report Store
  4. Current subscribers can log in to read the briefing here.

Digital Health Pro

Featured Health Articles:
- Telehealth Industry Explained
- Value-Based Care Explained
- Senior Care & Assisted Living Market
- Smart Medical Devices & Wearable Tech
- AI in Healthcare
- Remote Patient Monitoring Explained- AI in Medical Diagnosis Systems

Advertisement
{{}}