top healthcare-and-technology-issues (1)
TRANSCRIPT
The Top 5 Issues in
Healthcare Information
Technology for 2015
Physicians are finding innovative ways to use technology to improve patient care and outcomes…
…as well as reduce the time, effort, and cost of healthcare.
1. Random HIPAA Compliance Audits
2. Patient Engagement
3. Long Term and Post Acute Care (LTPAC)
4. Medical Home Models
5. ICD-10 Compliance
Here are the top 5 trends that will affect healthcare information technology in 2015:
1. HIPAA Compliance
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is restarting the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) HIPAA random audit program.
The HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule
Mandatory fines for instances of willful negligence are set at a minimum of $10,000 and can climb as high as $50,000, to a total of $1.5 million per year.
What it means for practices:
1. Re-evaluate how carefully you protect your patient PHI
2. Place a higher priority on HIPAA-compliant text messaging and HIPAA-compliant email solutions
What this means for practices:
Learn more about HIPAA-compliant text messaging.
2. Patient Engagement
A key tenet of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is reform to payment systems to healthcare providers.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) performance-based incentive model
The incentive model is built around the belief that engaged and involved patients achieve better health outcomes – so better outcomes trigger increased reimbursement for healthcare services.
Start looking at software solutions that go beyond clinical communication to:
What this means for practices:
1. Improve patient engagement and experience
2. Give you access to the information you need, in the format you need, at the time and place you need
3. Long-Term and Post Acute
Care (LTPAC)
1. While patients in their 80s and 90s might not be tech savvy or tech trusting, their providers are
2. Younger seniors – the Baby Boom generation – are early tech adopters and eager to accept IT solutions that promise to improve their quality of life
Two reasons caring for our aging population will move to the forefront of healthcare IT:
Providers are embracing healthcare IT solutions that improve patient quality of life and outcomes.
New technology will bridge the gap
HIPAA-compliant healthcare communication tools such as mHealth apps and mobile technologies for health are not only accepted, but expected.
4. Medical Home Models
Patient management software
A wider adaption of patient management software that enables patients with chronic conditions to live and function successfully at home
A greater emphasis on ensuring the patient’s quality of life in their home
What it means for physicians
Two-way physician communication systems and mobile technologies that will engage patients proactively and allow people to communicate in the fashion (and via the devices) they are used to using.
5. IDC-10 Compliance
Covered entities must continue using ICD-9CM through September 30, 2015, and be prepared to switch to ICD-10 on October 2, 2015.
The switch to ICD-10 is upon us.
What it means for physicians
1. New medical technologies and procedures will be identified individually
2. Better and higher quality information = a better measurement of healthcare quality, safety, and security (which can improve efficiencies and lower costs)
