While EMRs provide accountable care organizations (ACOs) with data critical for population health management, additional health IT tools that integrate patient data from multiple sources, support the management of care plans and enable patient communications are required as well, according to a report from Mass.-based research firm IDC Health Insights.
Meeting the goals of accountable care and achieving the associated cost reductions requires a more robust health IT infrastructure than just an electronic health record can provide, says a report by IDC Health Insights. The triple aim of improving the patient experience, improving population health, and slashing system-wide costs can only be realized when healthcare organizations incorporate advanced technology and embrace the principles of value-based healthcare that provides the foundation for accountable care organizations (ACOs).
In order to effectively manage population health, accountable care organizations’ technology needs go far beyond electronic health systems. A recent IDC spotlight has identified the IT systems and technological abilities ACOs need to effectively monitor the health of a population.
A new report from research firm IDC Health Insights examines the information technology needs of accountable care organizations beyond an electronic health records system.
The Value of Integrating EMR and Claims/Cost Data in the Transition to Population Health Management
It might be a move in the right direction, or it could be a significant change in how the physician fee schedule encourages certain types of care—we won’t know until later—but right now it’s encouraging that CMS is considering paying primary care physicians for chronic care management services without an in-person visit, and also for telehealth services. “I think primary care physicians are going to see a tsunami of patients wanting care and newly insured in 2014, and this is one of the easier ways to expand capacity,” said Tom Doerr, MD. “You don’t have to take on the hiring of a new midlevel clinician. There is a lot less stress involved with just sending an email and getting reimbursed for it.”
In my role at Lumeris I often get asked by our clients, “What does care management really mean?” For me, having spent decades practicing geriatric medicine and teaching the principles of post-acute care coordination at a private research university and medical center, care management can be defined, most completely, as better care at lower cost for people with multiple health and social needs.
CMS released a long-awaited checkpoint status on its Pioneer ACO program. Of the 32 entities enrolled in the program, according to CMS…
Lumeris developed the Nine C’s℠ to ensure a powerful, proven framework for delivering the Triple Aim Plus One: quality, cost, plus patient and physician satisfaction. The Nine C’s offer providers a roadmap for making a successful transition from a volume-based to a value-based model.
The rumors are starting to be heard and the rumblings are starting to be felt. Will there be major financial fallout under accountable care and specifically CMS’s regulatory ACO programs?