ENTERPRISE IMAGING: PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE WITH CLOUD-BASED, BEST- IN-CLASS TECHNOLOGY BY PLEXUS TELERADIOLOGY

Transcription

1 ENTERPRISE IMAGING: PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE WITH CLOUD-BASED, BEST- IN-CLASS TECHNOLOGY BY PLEXUS TELERADIOLOGY

2 INTRODUCTION Interoperability has been at the center of many of healthcare s biggest advances over the past several decades. Radiology has remained at the forefront of the profession s pursuit of a unified patient view, beginning with the adoption of Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) in the early 1990s. By establishing a standard for the exchange, compression and presentation of images as well as results reporting, medical professionals signaled a need for greater and easier methods of communication using new forms of technology. Fast forward several years, and we are now seeing the emergence of modularized, cloud-based platforms using innovative technology to better manage radiology workflow, increase clinical efficiencies and improve provider communication. And in a healthcare system transitioning from a fee-for-service model toward value-based care, improved efficiency and patient outcomes have become not just priorities but necessities for a radiology group s survival. Interoperability among providers and systems is now imperative to achieve optimal patient care results. According to a 2014 report by IBM i, Seamless integration of highly diverse technologies can facilitate faster and safer throughput of patients, create more capacity through efficiencies and help contain costs for healthcare organizations. It s not just about the EMR anymore. It s about integrating and liberating data from all sources to deliver information in a format that is both consumable and convenient for the user. Looking ahead, as patient coverage expands and the quality of care improves, the full transition toward interoperability in healthcare hinges in part on the success of enterprise imaging, a movement to eliminate inefficient silos in radiology and, ultimately, develop a unified patient view that gives the clinician access to everything he/she needs to provide high-quality care in a timely fashion. Radiology leaders can better position themselves and their practices for success by adopting a cloud-based technology that removes traditional geographic and time-based constraints on their ability to provide quality care. In addition, as technological innovation continues to rapidly advance and push boundaries, radiology groups can adopt a technology- and vendor-neutral platform that can easily integrate with other systems without requiring costly updates. By preparing for a future of enterprise imaging and increased interoperability within the healthcare system, radiology groups will see many benefits, including improved patient care, enhanced operational efficiency, reduced costs and increased compliance.

3 IMPROVE PATIENT CARE The more information a radiologist has at his or her disposal, the more informed and therefore accurate their clinical diagnosis will be. Without a unified patient view, radiologists are less able to effectively diagnose patients and communicate with providers across the continuum of care. And yet, a lack of complete patient information continues to impair radiology groups ability to read and interpret tests. A survey of more than 6,000 physicians by QuantiaMD ii, a web-based community platform for physicians, found that 40 percent of participants cited inadequate patient history as a primary contributor to diagnostic errors. Without a patient s complete medical history and previous care records, radiologists are at greater risk for misdiagnosing patients. 40% of physicians surveyed cited inadequate patient history as a primary contributor TO DIAGNOSTIC ERRORS Another primary cause of poor patient care is a lack of communication among providers. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) iii found that direct communication between hospital physicians and primary care physicians occurred in as little as 3 percent of the patient visits studied. A mere 12 percent of discharge summaries were available at patients first post-discharge visit, which affected the quality of care in 25 percent of follow-up visits and led to primary care provider dissatisfaction. Interoperability presents the unique opportunity to eliminate the silos separating primary care physicians, radiologists and other specialists throughout the healthcare system. A more complete patient view reduces the time spent following up with providers while improving the quality of care overall. ENHANCE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY By bridging, or eliminating, the barriers that currently divide medical providers, interoperability among systems can enhance operational efficiency by reducing visit times, administrative costs and redundant procedures. Commissioned by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation, a 2014 survey iv of U.S. physicians found that 73 percent reported the frequency of unnecessary tests as a serious problem, with 72 percent reporting the average medical provider prescribes an unnecessary test at least once each week. An additional study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) v in 2010, indeed found duplicate testing among 32 percent of patients studied over one year at a hospital in Boston. The study s authors then concluded: [I]ncomplete electronic record transfer among incompatible electronic medical record systems can also lead to potentially costly duplicate testing behaviors [I]nteroperable systems with integrated decision support could assist in minimizing duplication of testing at time of patient transfers. But duplicate testing is not the only operational issue caused by a lack of communication and interoperability across the care continuum. As more and more patients receive insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, physicians have become overloaded and pressed for time. A recent study by a team at the Yale School of Medicine vi found that radiologists at two local hospitals spent an average of 63 minutes each day collecting further clinical information in order to properly read images. This places a significant time and organizational burden on an already strained system in which physicians are often overwhelmed by patient volume as well as increased clinical and administrative duties. The use of progressive technology to generate interoperability between different silos of data information can not only lead

4 to better patient outcomes and greater physician satisfaction, but it also can reduce costs and redundant procedures while improving an organization s operational efficiency. REDUCE COSTS In an era of declining reimbursements and increasing costs, radiology groups today are faced with the challenge of providing high-quality care while maintaining their imaging platform through software and hardware updates that are often costly and time-consuming. Capital investment costs for traditional imaging workflow solutions can exceed $1 million, with additional annual fees averaging 18 percent of the original price. This often places a heavy economic burden on radiology groups who are already financially strained. However, new cloud-based solutions are emerging based on a pay-per-use model, featuring a unified, interoperable platform at percent less cost than conventional solutions. These new solutions can help radiology groups achieve significant cost-savings and enjoy instant application upgrades without additional future investments. The pay-per-use, cloud-based, vendor-neutral model ultimately protects radiology groups from costly upgrades and technological obsolescence. Because the archived data is standards-based, the radiology groups have greater flexibility and can transition platforms at any time without the overwhelming costs typically associated with data migrations today. REMAIN COMPLIANT In recent years, the federal government has increased regulation of the U.S. healthcare system with regard to payment models, patient outcomes and meaningful use. A fully modularized, interoperable platform can help radiology groups maintain an efficient imaging workflow compliant with the latest federal standards. For example, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) of 2014 required professionals in the Medicare program to begin using clinical decision support (CDS) software based on appropriate use criteria (AUC) when ordering advanced imaging studies by Jan. 1, 2017 (the deadline has since been extended to summer 2017). The CDS module essentially allows the federal government to ensure the right procedure is being done at the right time by the right physician. While this initiative aims to reduce overutilization and costs while improving patient outcomes, it will be critical for physicians to comply with this legislation to avoid significant fines. Should the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) find inappropriate use when collecting and tracking the CDS data, the offending physician will not be reimbursed. Groups utilizing a cloud-based, best-in-class platform will be able to add this module much faster and more easily than those relying on single-vendor conventional systems. In addition, should the government continue this trend and release new modules to install in the future, a vendor-neutral imaging platform, provided by a trusted integration partner, would provide radiology groups the adaptability to add new modules and remain compliant. Enterprise imaging is the future of a truly interoperable healthcare system that connects providers, patients and payers across the continuum of care to ensure optimal results. Many of the changes within healthcare, from the new CMS legislation to the development of population health databases, are moving toward an outcomes-based reimbursement model that will require greater connectivity among key players within the profession. Under the proposed Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)/Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reimbursement model, quality of care is the most weighted component to be tracked and is used for determining payments or penalties by CMS, accounting for 50 percent of a practice s score in year one. This methodology will replace the current Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) model.

5 Additionally, Clinical Practice Improvement will account for 15 percent of the MIPS score. As stated by CMS, the primary goals for this new initiative are better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs. The Plexus integrated platform provides several features to help a practice perform in these key areas, chief among them being the Referring Physician Portal and Critical Results Management. Both features allow the radiologist to easily provide critical patient data and consultation to the primary care or attending physician in real-time as well as any other member of the patient s care team. CONCLUSION The U.S. healthcare system has reached a fork in the road. Cloud-based technology focused on enterprise imaging now has the ability to pivot healthcare toward greater unity, transparency and improved outcomes across the continuum of care. A report by IBM vii notes the potential power of harnessing data and technology to improve outcomes in healthcare: Technology plays a critical role in enabling healthcare transformation. Technology can improve operations, support collaboration and provide the groundwork for data-driven decision making. The ability to capture, integrate and analyze data across different stakeholders, care settings and geographies is essential, as is modernizing infrastructure to increase agility A key enabler of transformation, technology eliminates current borders of the business by overcoming barriers such as distance, knowledge or practice. Today s healthcare industry can now take advantage of information technology as so many other industries have to innovate business models and eliminate disparities in access to care. MOVING FORWARD, RADIOLOGY GROUPS FACE THREE OPTIONS: 1 Be unable to comply with new federal regulations and risk significant fines, 2 Build their own workflow system and incur extensive labor and technology costs, or 3 Adopt a cloud-based technology from a single, trusted vendor to support the future of Enterprise Imaging. As competition increases throughout the healthcare marketplace, it will become imperative for radiology groups to position themselves for success with a forward-leaning stance on enterprise imaging technology. This will not only help to reduce costs and enhance operational efficiency, but it will ensure groups remain compliant with future federal regulations and continue to deliver high-quality care with optimal patient outcomes.

6 PLEXUS TELERADIOLOGY Plexus Teleradiology offers radiologists an enterprise-centric, modularized workflow solution that leverages existing IT infrastructure while increasing the value of interpretation. Plexus connects multiple, disparate systems into one best-in-class system to provide radiologists with a superior reading and workflow management platform. Plexus is specifically architected for the future of Enterprise Clinical Imaging, a technology road map that eliminates inefficient silos in clinical imaging and helps develop a unified patient view. At Plexus, we believe in a truly interoperable healthcare system that connects providers, patients and payers longitudinally to ensure optimal results. i Beyond the EMR: Optimizing healthcare IT investments for better business and care outcomes. IBM, October, < healthcare/beyond_the_emr/> ii Wachter, M.D., Robert and QuantiaMD. Physician Perspectives on Preventing Diagnostic Errors. QuantiaMD, September, < com/q-qcp/quantiamd_preventingdiagnosticerrors_whitepaper_1.pdf> iii Kripalani, M.D., Sunil, et al. Deficits in Communication and Information Transfer Between Hospital-Based and Primary Care Physicians. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), February, < iv Unnecessary Tests and Procedures in the U.S. Healthcare System. ABIM Foundation, May < v Stewart, Bridget, et al. A preliminary look at duplicate testing associated with lack of electronic health record interoperability for transferred patients. Children s Hospital Boston, May, < vi Patel, M.D., Vivek, et al. A Quantitative Evaluation of Productivity Loss in Radiology due to a Lack of Provided Clinical Information. Yale School of Medicine. < vii Beyond the EMR: Optimizing healthcare IT investments for better business and care outcomes. IBM, October, < healthcare/beyond_the_emr/>