I think the largest constituent missing from the Health Information Exchage (HIE) is the consumer, the tax payer. I am talking about the average person who doesn’t live and breath EHRs, security, technology, and the Healthcare industry. The focus has been on getting providers with a carrot and stick to implement EHRs and Meaningful Use driven by the Federal and State Governments to create the exchanges. All good, but if you are the average person reading this blog and talking on the cul-de-sac…. I just lost you. No one has provided the value proposition to the consumer, the tax payer; other then, it is old, archaic, high risk for medical errors, and being forced by the government.
Now that HIEs are kicking off roll-outs at the State level, we should start now with our friends and neighbors, on explaining what is and how an HIE will change our world for the better. If we are going to move providers to EHRs and Meaningful Use, it is going to take the average person who starts to evaluate the providers on a new criteria which is EHR adoption and the HIE of a person’ medical information for any reason. The reasons need to be presented as classic business scenarios to our friends and neighbors.
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For example,
Dad and/or Mom and the kids move and the primary insurance carrier has changed since the move is generated because of a new job and company. Thus, a new provider is required and all the patients history has to be requested from the old to new provider with Mom and/or Dad wishing this could be complete before the first appointment or emergency room treatment.. Remember we are talking kids. What else is Mom and/or Dad worrying about? Immunization Records for the kid’s new school, allergies to medicines, current prescriptions, continuity of current care, prescription refill orders,
Now, let us focus on the their world with providers with EHRs and a HIE. Mom and/or Dad search for a provider that has adopted EHR and capable of HIE…. forget the other ones. Mom and/or Dad call to make an appointment for their children on January 10th. She and/or he provide the provider appointment scheduler with their previous providers information, DOBs, previous address, insurance, etc. The appointment scheduler enters the information and finds the older provider and a service request is set to execute the night of January 9th for medical and immunization records from the older provider. Mom and/or Dad take the children in for their wellness appointment. Mom and/or Dad receive from the receptionist a printed version of the children’s medical history, current and last prescriptions (including a request for a refill of maintenance medication), list of allergies, and the children’s Immunization Records (note: to take to the new schools later in the day) and is verified by Mom and/or Dad. The children meet their new doctor who knows everything about them (that previous broken arm, recent hospital stay, anxiety medicine, etc.), everyone leaves feeling the provider really knew them and no waste of time by parents, patient, office staff, and provider. Also, Mom and/or Dad leaves with the Immunization Records and the refill prescriptions has already been sent to the pharmacy now ready to be picked up. By the way the cost of the service request transaction was .75 cents and completed by the 8:00 a.m. appointment. Hey, I would pay the .75 cents rather than weeks of lost records, filling forms out about history, and waiting for immunization records (try explaining that to the schools).
I will be looking for the provider with EHR and HIE capabilities… it will make my life easier and more personal with my provider. That will be the talk on the cul-de-sac this weekend. Now, who is driving Provider to adoption, feeling they have control over their health and providers, and seeing their tax dollars at work for them… us, the consumer, the tax payer.
If you are looking for the design and implementation of the right business scenarios for your EHR and HIE, please contact me. Perficient has the Healthcare business and technical expertise for payers, providers, local HIE, regional HIE, and State HIE.
