Cost Control Essential to Managing Healthcare IT

C-level executives at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital realized two years ago that the medical center needed to shed at least $50 million from its $2.6 billion annual spending budget.

“It was very clear we had to become a much leaner, more efficient organization,” said Ron Walls, the hospital’s chief operating officer.

The Harvard-affiliated facility’s financial crunch followed comparable actions taken by the Mayo Clinic, which was striving toward $1 billion in cost reductions over 10 years, and the Cleveland Clinic, which had pared expenses by $800 million over four years.

The IT Impact

Austerity initiatives tend to affect all aspects of hospital operations from staffing to supplies, and ultimately reach into IT planning and implementation. Consequently, healthcare CIOs should pursue digital transformation opportunities that deliver improved care without bumping up costs, according to IT research and advisory firm Gartner.

The path forward recommended by Gartner places priority in the following areas:

  • Collaborating with the chief financial officer and chief medical officer when designing IT solutions aimed at improving monetary and clinical outcomes. A pilot project addressing a specific use case can provide proof-of-concept for reigning in costs while promoting system adoption. If successful, the project can be scaled up across the organization.
  • Evaluating the organization’s ability to create and manage digital business architectures. Again, feedback from operational managers and clinical leaders should inform strategies needed to reach a state of real-time readiness.
  • Establishing key performance indicators to measure digital progress. Optimization efforts should be focused on delivering positive health outcomes for patients.
  • Assessing whether existing IT investments are being optimized. For example, is the electronic health record (EHR) system providing anticipated value to the organization? Gartner’s 2018 CIO Agenda Survey found that 80 percent of respondents felt their EHR had not yet delivered the intended return on investment, and 50 percent reported only moderate or minor returns.

A separate analysis of leading organizations from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) reveals a number of shortfalls in the use of hospitals’ foundational technologies. To name a few: almost all physicians have access to the EHR system, but only half can access EHR resources using mobile applications; similarly, nearly all physicians can contribute to a Continuity of Care Document, but just 60 percent can consume discrete data from a home health agency or skilled nursing facility.

Similar imbalances exist in regard to what CHIME refers to as “transformational technologies” at organizations considered at the forefront of using IT to improve the delivery of care. Significantly, 76 percent can perform retroactive analysis for care improvement and cost reduction; however, only 43 percent can manage bundled payments or do real-time identification and tracking of value-based care conditions. Additionally, less than 60 percent use clinical and billing data as well as health information exchanges to identify gaps in care.

Overall, integration, interoperability, security and disaster recovery capabilities, along with technologies that support population health management, value-based care, patient engagement and telehealth “need to be in place for an organization to leverage tools to effectively transform healthcare,” the CHIME report stated.

NetDirector’s cloud-based document and data-exchange platform unifies clinical and billing data to help healthcare organizations drive down costs and improve patient outcomes. As such, HealthData Exchange can be an essential component of any IT cost-control or efficiency initiative by moving data among disparate systems among hospitals, labs, pharmacies, imaging centers, and government agencies while adhering to HIPAA security and HL7 compliance standards.

 

To learn more about NetDirector’s HealthData Exchange platform, please contact us or request a free demo.

Artificial Intelligence Set to Soar in Healthcare

The market for artificial intelligence (AI)-based medical image analysis software will grow exponentially over the next several years, from the current level of approximately $400 million to more than $2 billion in 2023, according to a recent report from Signify Research. Product development pace is at an all-time high, driven in part by the improved performance of AI algorithms and rapid advancements in computing, storage, and networking capabilities.

Nonetheless, the promising outlook hinges on algorithm developers identifying use-cases where “AI can be shown to improve clinical outcomes and deliver a clear return on investment for healthcare providers,” writes analyst Simon Harris, author of the report. “Moreover, the technology needs to be fully integrated in the existing user interfaces and workflows found in radiology departments, both working in the background to augment radiologists’ knowledge and efficiency, and [being] readily accessible when specific tools are needed.”

Areas to watch include breast and lung imaging for cancer detection, neurological imaging for stroke detection, and non-invasive imaging for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, according to Signify. If things go as predicted, patients would benefit from personalized treatment made possible by higher accuracy in diagnostic imaging, and radiology departments would be better equipped to handle increasing workloads.

Practical Applications of AI

Many AI algorithms in development for radiology address detection of abnormal structures in diagnostic images and can be used in modalities ranging from CT scans to X-rays.

The technology automates the handling of data-intensive studies such as mammograms, which are transitioning from 2D to 3D imaging, notes Matt Dewey, CIO of Wake Radiology in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area. “We go from a study that used to be 64 megabytes for a normal, standard study to about 2 gigabytes, so it just takes the radiologist much more time to go through,” Dewey explains. “If we can find a way that a computer looks through it, it should make a difference [by highlighting] things for the radiologist.”

Additionally, AI could help by analyzing data from non-radiology sources such as lab test results and patient-specific files from electronic health record systems. AI’s role would be to extract key pieces of information for each case, says Dewey.

Elsewhere in real-world AI applications:

  • Mayo Clinic is conducting molecular sequencing and analysis for 1,000 patient participants in immunotherapy studies for various cancer types. The results will help shape customized treatment options.
  • Cleveland Clinic has integrated Microsoft’s Cortana AI digital assistant into a command center that monitors 100 beds in six ICUs on overnight shifts. The focus is on identifying patients at high risk for cardiac arrest.
  • Massachusetts General Hospital has installed a “deep learning” supercomputer to tap a database of 10 billion images for applications in radiology and pathology.
  • Johns Hopkins uses predictive analytics to support more efficient operational flow. Among the targets are faster ambulance dispatches, streamlined bed assignments in the emergency department and more patient discharges before noon each day.
  • UCLA Medical Center is testing an AI-driven chatbot that communicates with referring clinicians and provides evidence-based answers to frequently asked questions.

Integration Will Fuel AI’s ‘Engine for Growth’

From a broad perspective across healthcare, AI applications constitute a “self-running engine for growth,” with the potential to create $150 billion in annual savings by 2026, according to consulting firm Accenture.

In pursuit of those projected gains, the technology challenge will be integrating health data across platforms and connecting various data sources.

NetDirector’s cloud-based HealthData Exchange already has a footprint in radiology and imaging centers, enabling them to reduce integration costs and facilitate improved workflows and communications with the extended provider community.

If your organization is investigating or underway with AI-based initiatives, consider how HealthData Exchange can ensure strong integration moving forward across multiple systems and provider networks.

To find out more about NetDirector’s HealthData Exchange platform, please contact us or request a free demo.

No More Healthcare Faxes? Moving Away from the Fax and Legacy Technology

A few minutes into her address at the ONC Interoperability Forum in Washington on August 6, CMS Administrator Seema Verma let fly with an imposing order. “If I could challenge the developers in this room here today to achieve one mission, it would be this: Help us make every doctor’s office in America a fax-free zone by 2020,” Verma said.

That’s going to be a major test of innovation, diligence, and persistence. A 2017 poll conducted by IT website Spiceworks showed 89 percent of small- to medium-sized businesses still using some form of the fax. Further, separate research from International Data Corporation (IDC) found fax usage actually increased year-over-year for 82 percent of survey respondents. In the healthcare sector, fax usage expanded by 9 percent in 2017, IDC reported.

IDC’s study stated, “[Fax] remains a vital communication tool, is relied upon by businesses of all sizes and in all industries, and has an important role within organizations as they embrace digital transformation.” Significantly, such transformation will create value and competitive advantages for organizations that deploy cloud, mobility, data analytics and social technologies in evolving fax solutions.

So, it seems Verma’s directive wouldn’t literally eradicate fax technology from medical offices over the next few years. Instead, IDC predicts an increased presence of software- and cloud-based fax technology that can be integrated with enterprise applications through “secure, trackable and auditable information exchange.” The report adds, “Today’s digital fax server-based systems and cloud services eliminate the standalone fax machines of old and enable integration with users’ desktops, email, back-end applications, and multifunction peripherals.”

Perhaps most promising in IDC’s outlook: About 90 percent of fax users have already integrated or are evaluating the integration of fax with other technologies or applications.

Future of Fax

Faxing, in one form or another, will continue to be used by healthcare providers for years to come, according to Jonathan Coopersmith, the technology historian at Texas A&M University. Part of the support comes from doctors and hospital administrators who believe faxing is more secure than emailing for transmitting protected health information under HIPAA regulations.

At the same time, new generations of electronic faxes have become easier to use. “Faxing is a network technology,” Coopersmith points out. “The more people who use it, the more valuable it becomes.” Future iterations will likely incorporate electronic fax-like capabilities with smartphones, which would make the technology more readily accessible for on-the-go doctors and other caregivers.

And although physical fax machines retain a place in most U.S. emergency rooms, the devices will eventually be phased out, says Peter Alperin, MD, an internist and vice president of connectivity solutions at medical networking company Doximity. “Whether that’s a steep slope or a gradual one is hard to tell,” he comments.

Looking forward, as the design of electronic health record systems improves, data transfer should become increasingly simplified as a matter of course. For example, the 21st Century Cures Act requires EHR systems to exchange data in a way that requires “no special effort.” While that language has yet to be fully parsed, it provides guidance for a more integrated approach to what was formerly known as faxing.

NetDirector supports this vision now. The company’s integration options for healthcare make a digital paperless system much more complete and cost-efficient, from billing to record keeping to lab and imaging work.

To learn more about NetDirector’s cloud-based HealthData Exchange platform, please contact us or request a free demo.

Telehealth on the Rise Across Delivery and Payment Components

Momentum in key areas will drive telehealth to new heights in the coming years. Academic investigation confirms telehealth’s effectiveness, according to a review of 145 articles conducted earlier this year by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The study finds evidence that recognizes the advantages of telehealth, particularly for remote intensive care and specialty care consultations.

Aside from improving access to care and delivering clinical benefits, the technology is gaining additional traction in the form or emerging payment models and regulatory support, MobiHealthNews reports.

Doctors are onboard, too. “There’s no question that providers are embracing virtual care more than ever before,” says Jason Gorevic, CEO of telehealth trailblazer Teladoc.

“However, this is a case of ‘and’ not ‘or.’ This is additive because health plan, employer and consumer adoption are rapidly increasing,” Gorevic points out.

Developing Business Models

The most successful telemedicine providers “are those who shift their mindset from reimbursement to revenue,” observes the healthcare practice of law firm Foley and Lardner. Current examples include:

  • Academic medical centers with a surplus of specialist physicians contracting with rural hospitals or other sites of care to supply on-demand medical expertise through professional service agreements such as monthly retainers (as opposed to external fee-for-service reimbursement).
  • Telemedicine companies contracting with accountable care organizations (ACOs) to implement virtual care as a means for ACOs to realize quality and cost improvements, and thereby qualify for Medicare incentive payments.
  • Provider networks offering telemedicine-based care to employer workforces via varying compensation approaches, such as per-encounter fees, capitated per employee per month payments or shared-savings models.

In any of these pathways, there’s potential for cost savings through telehealth, as providers gain the ability to monitor patients remotely, identify symptoms before diseases get worse, and prevent expensive subsequent treatments.

Nonetheless, providers need to be proactive with their telehealth strategy, reports Health Data Management. That means reviewing and updating compliance programs, as well as billing, coding and documentation procedures and policies.

Integration in a Burgeoning Market

Venture capital funding for telehealth-focused companies nearly tripled between 2013 and 2016, according to an analysis conducted by Rock Health.

Meanwhile, the push is on to position telehealth as a low-cost alternative to hospital or physician office visits for non-emergency issues. An employer survey from Willis Towers Watson shows that offerings of telehealth services to employees rose from 64 percent of employers in 2016 to a projected 92 percent in 2018.

“Today, we focus on urgent care, but over time we will be able to focus on other things … [such as the] parts of patient care that are routine and can—and should—be done online,” comments Lyle Berkowitz, MD, the chief medical officer at MDLive. He predicts further emphasis on telehealth within routine care environments, helping set the stage for greater provider efficiency.

NetDirector agrees and also views telehealth as part of automated billing and payment processes. NetDirector can integrate telehealth options to EMR, billing or imaging systems, allowing telehealth to no longer be a standalone service, but a true end-to-end solution.

To find out more about NetDirector’s cloud-based HealthData Exchange platform, please contact us or request a free demo.

NetDirector now offers real-time integration with the Tennessee Controlled Substance Reporting System

NetDirector-Substance-spilled-pills

NetDirector, a cloud-based data exchange and integration platform, continues to solidify their presence as a leading provider of integration services. NetDirector has partnered with The Recovery Platform (TRP) to aid in the delivery of treatment for the growing opioid crisis around the country. NetDirector now offers direct integration with North Carolina and Tennessee Controlled Substance Reporting Databases.

TRP is a cloud-based software platform that assists doctors in performing Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for people with prescription opioid and heroin use disorders. Medications (such as Suboxone) are used to prevent the patient from experiencing opioid withdrawal while they receive the necessary treatment, provided via telemedicine by their network of doctors and therapists to assist their recovery.

NetDirector’s cutting-edge integration technology allows healthcare providers to more accurately monitor their patients’ compliance. By providing an automated integration to Controlled Substance Databases, NetDirector helps prevent “doctor shopping” – a major contributor to the abuse of opioid recovery drugs that has hindered the opioid rehabilitation efforts in the past.


Interested in finding out more? Contact Harry Beisswenger at harry@netdirector.biz or by phone at 813-774-4797, or click here to request a demo.

Want to learn more about how NetDirector works? Take a look at our case study about American Health Imaging, who saved almost $500k per year by automating with NetDirector!

VA Can Learn from DoD in EHR Overhaul

As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) moves toward replacement of its decades-old VistA electronic health record (EHR) system, a tumultuous first half of 2018 seems to have settled into a period of practicality.

President Trump fired VA Secretary David Shulkin from his post on March 28 after an inspector general report asserted violations of federal ethics rules and procedures related to an overseas trip by Shulkin. The agency’s acting CIO, Scott Blackburn, then resigned on April 17, leaving in limbo a $10 billion contract for VA to adopt the same Cerner EHR platform being pilot-tested by the Department of Defense (DoD).

The proposed VA-Cerner deal had already triggered concern in Congress that the project’s price tag wouldn’t cover an additional 50 to 60 percent in costs to upgrade supporting infrastructure as well as ongoing maintenance for the new EHR.

Nonetheless, VA announced on May 17 that a contract with Cerner had indeed been signed, capping out at $10 billion over 10 years, and stipulating that VA would adopt the same EHR platform as DoD. Acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, Shulkin’s successor, said the new system, when fully deployed, would represent “a monumental advance in veterans’ healthcare” and build on DoD’s experiences in rolling out its EHR.

Operating the VA’s and DoD’s EHR systems on the same platform would improve interoperability and health data exchange, which in turn would simplify and facilitate care coordination for VA providers, Wilkie explained.

System Shortcomings

While striving to meet high expectations for its new EHR, the VA will undoubtedly learn from DoD’s Cerner-based MHS Genesis EHR implementations at Fairchild Air Force Base, Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor and Naval Hospital Bremerton — all located in Washington state — from September through December 2017. A DoD memo dated April 30, 2018, concluded that system rollouts at those three sites “[did] not demonstrate enough workable functionality to manage and document patient care.” The report said MHS Genesis “is not operationally suitable because of poor system usability, insufficient training and inadequate help desk support.”

Other specifics cited in the DoD memo included “poorly defined user roles and workflows, [which] resulted in an increase in the time required for healthcare providers to complete daily tasks.” Some providers complained that they needed to work overtime and saw fewer patients per day due to delays caused by defects in the EHR system.

In response, Cerner President Zane Burke told shareholders in May that the company was aware of certain issues upfront at the three test sites, but DoD’s delivery on the project had gone “incredibly well overall.” Cerner plans to evaluate and remediate as necessary at the pilot MHS Genesis sites, Burke added.

In doing so, Cerner will need to address the workflow issue in particular, according to Navy Vice Admiral Raquel Bono, director of DoD’s Defense Health Agency. “Workflow adoption is the crux of the change management that’s needed to successfully deploy an EHR system, Bono said during a panel discussion at the HIMSS18 healthcare IT conference in March. Bono noted that DoD would be working in concert with VA to ensure proper identification and “unanimity of workflows.”

Meeting Challenges Through Integration

Although the DoD and VA EHR implementations may be unprecedented in size and scope, the inherent obstacles translate to smaller but similar-in-concept projects underway at healthcare stakeholder facilities across the country. In many cases, cloud-based integration and strong data management are critical factors for success.

A single cloud-based platform, such as NetDirector’s HealthData Exchange, enables hospitals and physician practices to reduce the time, cost and effort associated with EHR integration. By streamlining clinical workflow and communications with trading partners, facilities can support automated processes in place of paper-based workarounds, thereby reducing administrative costs and complementing existing IT investments. And, in the end, that frees up providers for their primary task — taking care of patients.

To find out more about HealthData Exchange, please contact us or request a free demo.

Apple Leads Big-Name Tech Charge Focusing on Health Data

Apple’s $921 billion market valuation, perched atop the Fortune 500, reflects investors’ belief that the company’s relentless growth should continue in coming years. And an iPhone-based health record product, a test version of which Apple released in late January, could be a pivotal part of the expected progression.

“We view the future as consumers owning their own health data,” Apple COO Jeff Williams told CNBC.

The new Health Records section, accessible from the iPhone’s Health app, lets users stream in encrypted data (e.g., allergies, conditions, immunizations, lab results, medications, procedures and vital signs) from leading EHR systems. The idea empowers consumers to share passcode-protected data on-demand with their primary care doctor or hospital personnel.

As of March, nearly 40 U.S. hospitals had signed on to participate in Apple’s Health Records project.

Industry Reaction

David Harlow, who heads a healthcare law and consulting practice, pointed out the long-term promise inherent in Apple’s initiative: allowing more people than ever before to access their own health data more easily. If the pilot succeeds, he added, healthcare systems of all sizes across the country would be able to connect their respective EHRs to the Apple conduit.

Indeed, among a dozen Health Records beta sites interviewed by research firm KLAS Enterprises, all recognized the product’s potential to facilitate patient-provider interaction and help consumers improve care self-management. Patient record portability should be possible soon, according to 59 percent of beta testers, with associated benefits (giving patients access to their data, using the data to engage patients, and integrating data into patient care) expected within six months.

At the same time, however, Harlow cautioned that Apple faces several short-term challenges:

  1. Health Records is currently limited to personal health record data, not the full scope of EHR data.
  2. iPhone users account for only 15 percent of the overall smartphone market (although physician iPhone usage hovers around 75 percent).
  3. The pilot’s relatively small size limits demonstration of data integration from multiple provider organizations.
  4. Data flows only in one direction — from provider to patient.

Harlow concluded that it’s not yet possible to predict whether Health Records will become ubiquitous, although consumer advocates like Apple’s approach to handling end-user data. (It stays on the phone and Apple won’t be mining it for other purposes.)

Nonetheless, a practical consideration — some patients have to pay their provider more than $500 for a single medical records request, while others encounter an annual subscription fee, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report — could disrupt emerging data-sharing models. In this environment, Apple has gotten a head start on allowing patients to own and control their health data, even across disparate systems.

Integration in the Healthcare Ecosystem

NetDirector views these developments in a positive light as they relate to integration advances across healthcare. If Health Records and similar projects take flight, cloud-based platforms such as NetDirector’s HealthData Exchange will assist with streamlined adoption and implementation. The net result will be the ability for healthcare stakeholders to quickly and accurately put in place patient-centric services.

For more information on HealthData Exchange, please contact us or request a free demo.

Health Data is a Prime Target: How to Minimize Risk

Health Data is a Prime Target: How to Minimize Risk

More than 60 percent of healthcare organizations suffered a data breach in the past 12 months, according to information security researcher Ponemon Institute. In total, over 5 million healthcare records were exposed or stolen among entities studied by Ponemon.

Recent incidents show no abatement in cybercriminals’ attraction to healthcare data. For example, Florida Hospital reported earlier this month that patient information on 12,724 individuals might have been exposed through a malware infection on three of the organization’s websites. Three months earlier, St. Peter’s Surgery & Endoscopy Center in New York disclosed that hackers had potentially gained access to server-based medical records of nearly 135,000 patients.

Healthcare in the Crosshairs

Approximately 7 million patients will have their data compromised by hacks in 2019, estimates consulting firm Accenture, racking up billions of dollars in costs to hospitals and health systems.

What makes the healthcare particularly vulnerable?

A Computerworld report explains that healthcare data, which includes personal identifiers and medical histories, can be sold virtually unchallenged over time on the black market. In contrast, financial data often becomes useless once a breach has been discovered and passcodes changed. Cybercriminals, aware of the premium value of healthcare records, focus their attacks in pursuit of the greatest possible returns.

Other factors contributing to healthcare’s data security liability include:

  • increasing access to medical records as entities share information across integrated sites of care;
  • legal requirements to store medical records for extended periods of time;
  • efforts to connect electronic health record systems, often relying on unsecured patches that can open the door to unauthorized entry; and
  • inadequate education of employees about modes of cyberattacks.

On a broader scale, but not to be discounted, foreign governments’ so called “state actors” may attempt to accumulate healthcare data that could help in social engineering of future attacks. Such a tactic might deploy emails to individuals who have a specific medical condition — with malware linked to prompts for more information.

Risk Mitigation

Big data sets in healthcare, despite ever-increasing volume, can be managed through ongoing risk assessments and implementation of preventative security controls, such as continuous monitoring programs. However, those measures come at a cost that must be weighed against the uncertainty of threat protection.

“Each organization needs to evaluate risk and its security needs in the context of its organizational and business requirements to determine where it makes the most sense to invest their people, time and financial resources,” advises Christine Sublett, a member of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthcare Industry Cybersecurity Task Force.

NetDirector’s HealthData Exchange platform deserves consideration as healthcare organizations work through their cybersecurity evaluations. The system combines HIPAA-based security and HL7 standard interfacing compliance — with attestations available upon request. Additionally, NetDirector uses a physically secure Peak10 facility for hosting customer data. This approach ensures data integrity without the need for additional IT investment and the associated risk of self-managing connection points among exchange partners.

For more information on HealthData Exchange, please contact us or request a free demo.

Predictive Recurrence: The Fight Continues Against Opioids

NetDirector-Substance-spilled-pills

U.S. opioid overdose deaths spiked five-fold between 1999 and 2016, culminating in 42,249 fatalities two years ago, according to official statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The government figures also estimated 11.5 million Americans misusing prescription opioids and 2.1 million people confirmed with opioid use disorder.

Federal response has prioritized better addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services, along with improved public health surveillance and new approaches to pain management.

Meanwhile, academic and private sector entities are making headway applying technology to combat the nationwide epidemic.

How Technology Can Help

Researchers at the University of Colorado investigated how frontline physicians could identify patients susceptible to chronic opioid use. A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (February 2018) applied a statistical model to retrospective electronic health record (EHR) data and correctly predicted chronic opioid therapy (COT) — a measure of future chronic opioid use — in 79 percent of hospitalized patients.

Integration of the COT model within EHRs could enable clinicians to “provide early patient education about pain management strategies and [potentially] wean opioids prior to discharge while incorporating alternative therapies for pain into discharge planning,” says the research team’s report.

Among the variables incorporated into the model: medical and health diagnoses; substance and tobacco use disorder; chronic or acute pain; surgical intervention during hospitalization; past year receipt of opioid or non-opioid analgesics or benzodiazepines; opioid receipt at hospital discharge and morphine equivalents prescribed per hospital day.

Lead author Susan Calcaterra, MD, told Health Data Management, “The nice thing is that all of the data required to assess risk are available already documented in the EHR, and providers do not need to ask for additional information from patients.”

The research team, which anchored the study at a Denver safety-net hospital, plans to expand its work to validate the model in a wider patient population.

Separately, a paper released (May 2018) by health information network Surescripts focuses on technologies that could inform decisions at the point of care with more actionable intelligence. The paper points out that standard transactional information flow — captured in medical and medication histories, electronic prescriptions, provider communications and medication adherence alerts — could help close the loop on drug diversion and improper dispensing.

Simply increasing use of current technologies could have a significant impact on curtailing the opioid epidemic, the paper emphasizes. Author Paul Uhrig writes, “[The] good news is that health data and information technology exist today that can lead to better care decisions and curb fraud and abuse.”

Automated Tracking

Likewise, NetDirector is actively engaged in leveraging integration technology in support of addiction recovery caregivers. Cloud-based integration with state-sponsored controlled substance databases allows seamless monitoring and comparison of data to ensure that recovering patients are not seeking drugs beyond their treatment program.

Integration is live for North Carolina, with application to other state programs available on demand. Delivered on a platform-as-a-service basis, the Controlled Substance Tracking Model is priced per data extraction/use. For more details on pricing and delivery, contact NetDirector or request a free demo.

Technologies That Impressed at HIMSS18

Last month in larger-than-life Las Vegas, nearly 50,000 healthcare IT professionals and vendors convened for HIMSS18, the industry’s yearly focal point. Attendees sought common ground in improving care and business operations through the use of technology.

Reports from the conference yielded a wealth of new information from more than 1,000 exhibitors and scores of expert presenters. And — indicative of a setting where anything could happen — Jared Kushner and Magic Johnson stopped by to share their respective insights on better access to patient data and health, leadership and community-building.

But at the heart of the event, discussion of challenges and pursuit of new ideas revealed common themes among those serving at healthcare organizations and their counterparts on the developer side. The infographic below summarizes key aspects of health IT’s ongoing quest to support better patient outcomes in a fiscally sustainable ecosystem.

 

 

NetDirector’s cloud-based HealthData Exchange addresses these points of emphasis through low-cost, high-speed, secure data and document sharing capabilities among hospitals, physician practices, nursing facilities, pharmacies, labs, imaging centers, vendors, government agencies and insurance providers. The format- and transport-agnostic technology eliminates the need to maintain multiple interfaces while ensuring data consistency and integrity.

For more information on the HealthData Exchange platform, please contact us or request a free demo.