By Sarianne Gruber
Twitter: @subtleimpact
Patient self-service kiosks in hospitals and physician offices have helped speed up the patient intake process, collect co-pays as well as improve data quality such errors and duplication of information. The versatility of the technology permits foreign language options, the signing of patient consent forms, the gathering of demographic, clinical and insurance information, even the administration of satisfaction questionnaires. The success of these mobile solutions, has prompted the Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation, in collaboration with the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), HIMSS and MGMA, to streamline the patient matching experience by improving interoperability and health information exchange through the new Virtual Clipboard.. The Virtual Clipboard would also eliminate the need for patients to fill out new forms by hand every time they visit their physician or the hospital, simplifying the patient intake process for patients and providers. Along with other advanced IT initiatives, improvements are place for the way basic patient data is created, stored, transmitted, and used in healthcare. The goal of the initiative is to automate the engagement model between patients, providers and payers with the incentive to improve business value to all.
This summer the solution definition and design document was released for Health Benefits and Health Record Mobile Solution (Virtual Clipboard Initiative) Pilot Study The document outlines the specifications for the pilot study includes functionality, scope as well as requirements and procedures. The initiative is being launched to define a set of industry standards for exchanging and securing healthcare information within mobile applications used by patients and / or their advocates. The expected outcome of this mobile and portal application is to improve healthcare efficiency, improve quality of care and empower consumers with healthcare decision making. The scope of Virtual Clipboard Pilot is in two phases to include both administrative and clinical information portions of the clipboard:
- Pilot Phase 1: Demographics & Benefits Coverage
- Pilot Phase 2: Medications and Allergies
“We expect the Virtual Clipboard Initiative to significantly improve the burdensome patient intake process – a critical and overlooked component of the healthcare delivery system,” said Devin Jopp, Ed.D, president and CEO of WEDI. “In an unprecedented collaborative effort, key stakeholders from across the healthcare continuum have come together to define initial standards for mobile healthcare applications. Leveraging the technology that many patients already use, the pilot seeks to demonstrate dramatic improvements to the healthcare registration process.”
The first phase of the Virtual Clipboard Initiative pilot will be to facilitate the automated collection of patient health insurance and demographic information. The ultimate goal of this project is to set standards, integration points and security that will add value to the entire healthcare delivery system. Through this process, it anticipated to see better quality of care, improved patient safety and reduced administrative costs. “We are very excited to see the Virtual Clipboard project move into the pilot phase,” stated Robert Tennant, director of health information technology policy for the Medical Group Management Association. “Once implemented, this automated approach to patient intake and data transmission will significantly improve administrative efficiency- while at same time increasing patient satisfaction. By bringing together a powerful alliance of patient advocates, providers, health plans and vendors, the Sullivan Institute, along with WEDI, are forging a clear pathway forward to better patient care.”
In 1993, the original WEDI report brought together public and private industry to develop a roadmap for healthcare information exchange. The impetus for the project began with the release of the 2013 WEDI Report. Recommendations were sited on leveraging smart technologies to dramatically enhance the patient experience while improving patient safety. The Sullivan Institute and its partners having been working since to create a solution blueprint for a “smart” mobile solution that will ease the patient check-in process by automating demographic, insurance and critical clinical information (e.g. allergies, medications and lab results) elements. Learn more on the Virtual Clipboard at on the WEDI website.