By Tom Bizzaro, RPh, Vice President of health policy at FDB
Twitter: @tombizzaro
Twitter: @FDB_US
As most organizations have now adopted electronic records, getting those systems to work together is the next big challenge on the horizon. Earlier this year, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) published a 10-Year Vision to Achieve an Interoperability for Health IT Infrastructure. The ONC publication is meant to move the industry toward the much coveted interoperability that will enable healthcare organizations to seamlessly share patient information. The report rightfully asserts that interoperability will lead to an infrastructure that “will support more efficient and effective systems, enable scientific advancement, and lead to a continuously improving health system that empowers individuals, customizes treatment and accelerates cure of disease.”
Such promise is exciting for a variety of reasons. First, the federal government has issued this call to action and the industry is embracing it. Second, the ONC’s report incorporates patients into the mix. Third, sharing data through interoperable systems will help to support value-based and accountable care, a model of care delivery we must move towards to improve quality while reducing costs in this country.
While I am encouraged, I wish I could wave a magic wand and make it all happen in a New York minute. But given my experience in healthcare, I know all too well that this is a very real industry where change only comes after considerable effort. I do, however, have some suggestions that could make us move toward interoperability nirvana quicker. As an industry, we need to:
Demand more specificity.
We need more specificity than what was originally offered in the ONC document. While the overall plan is great, it serves more as a rallying cry than as an operator’s manual.
More explicitly call for a standardized vocabulary.
The report calls out five “building blocks” — core technical standards and functions; certification for adoption and optimization of products and services; privacy and security protections; supportive business, clinical cultural and regulatory environments; and governance. However, the report does not explicitly call for a standardized vocabulary. More emphasis needs to be given to the importance of speaking the same language.
Recognize the importance of a national patient identifier.
Each person in this country needs a single identification number that will make it possible for providers to quickly assess the patient’s unified records. This is becoming more important as we start to share information via interoperable systems.
Continually weigh the value of sharing vs. the value of protecting information.
Certainly, protecting personal health information is important, but healthcare organizations and patients also need to look at the value that is inherent in sharing information. They must weigh that benefit against the risk of privacy breaches.
Make sure only the good survive.
There are many vendors offering subpar EHR systems in the market, but vendors offering quality systems will be the ones standing at the end of the proverbial day. We need to encourage this to happen sooner rather than later.
Keep the momentum going.
Moving toward interoperable systems takes considerable effort. Yet it is a worthy cause, as developing an interoperable health system will lead to the improved clinical care, better patient outcomes and reduced costs throughout the healthcare industry.
About the Author: Tom Bizzaro is vice president, health policy and industry relations for FDB where he has responsibility for proactively monitoring all healthcare policy issues and proposals emanating from both the federal and state governments as well as participating in health policy initiatives related to the use of electronic drug information.