Healthcare Information Technology A DMG Federal ebook Keith Boyer
Clinical Analytics A key goal for any healthcare organization is to improve population health while at the same time reducing costs overall. In an effort to perform this difficult balancing act, many organizations in the health care and life science fields are turning to advanced data analysis and performance measuring methods and solutions originally developed for enterprise. These business intelligence technologies are being deployed across a widely varied spectrum as organizations strive to maximize positive outcomes and patient satisfaction, while simultaneously decreasing the expenditures to achieve their targets. This four-week serial will discuss the current and emerging technology in healthcare and the multiple benefits of their application. Clinical Analytics; a fast-developing information technology (IT) branch focused on health intelligence. Also known as Clinical Decision Support (CDS), clinical analytics builds on Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) to utilize real-time medical information in tandem with inference programs. These inference programs use the data held as EMRs to deduce the correct response when making clinical decisions, rather than relying on reference material or spur-of-the-moment judgment calls. Effective clinical decision support can vastly enhance performance along a number of important metrics. By supporting health decisions and actions through analyzing a patient s medical information, CDS can streamline an often laborious process. This reduces the time required to make an effective clinical decision, which in turn, implies a particular doctor or other member of staff can accomplish more during a normal working day. This streamlined workflow effect also benefits patients by reducing waiting times. Moreover, by making it easier to factor in additional information, CDS can reduce errors. For example, if a patient has only recently been diagnosed with a condition that militates against a particular treatment or has just begun a new drug regimen that might make further medication problematic; this vital data may not be available immediately for the consideration of a doctor or specialist currently involved in making a clinical decision. This kind of scenario is unfortunately common and results in multiple errors, some of which are lifethreatening. For a patient, learning they ve received advice that conflicts with what another clinician has told them can be frustrating. For treatment providers, time and resources can be wasted; and in some cases, the patient s health may even be put at risk. Before these risks become threats, implementing a CDS system can help to ensure that all relevant information is factored into a decision. By reducing errors, CDS solutions promote better outcomes and increase patient satisfaction and retention. 2
Electronic Medical Record Systems EMR and Healthcare technologies have become increasingly relevant as healthcare providers embrace EMR systems, also known as electronic healthcare (EHR). For the first time, comprehensive data on very large numbers of individuals is becoming available in digital form; this in turn has opened up new possibilities in the fields of disease prevention, patient awareness, and targeting health interventions toward those populations who can most benefit from them. Patients and their families are enabled to actively participate in the care-giving process. As practices embrace EMR, moving from paper to data, organizations most capable of transforming information into actionable strategies will see the greatest return on investment. Those practices will benefit from new technology most. Not only can commercial and State and Local organizations achieve cost, labor, and intelligence efficiencies from EMR systems; Federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) can benefit as well. The Federal space is migrating to a greener, cloud-based model that promotes streamlined workflows, near instantaneous data transfers, and places life-saving technology within reach of anyone with a mobile device. Key Performance Indicators Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are crucial elements within daily operations that can be used in the process of providing an overall picture of how well an organization is succeeding in its goals. A very simple example from the world of business might be the number of units sold; or whether the manufacturing arm of the business is staying under an agreed maximum of defective items. In healthcare, common KPIs include a practice s Client Turnover Rate (CTR); the number of patients using scans and other preventative treatments; and metrics relating to healthcare outcomes, such as the number of avoidable amputations among diabetic clients. KPIs could also include metrics relating to wait times, the number of patients seen in a particular time period, and the number of patients who leave without being seen. There s no limit to what can be measured with KPIs, as long as is can be quantified. Determining the appropriate KPIs for your organization can be difficult. The correct metrics for a hospital s emergency room would not be appropriate for a small general practitioner s office. Without some way to determine and track KPIs, however, your practice may essentially be flying blind. If you don t have such a system in place, it can be nearly impossible to assess performance accurately, identify areas for improvement, and formulate strategies for development. Fortunately, a growing range of products are becoming available that can help your practice to identify and track the KPIs that are most relevant to you. Software solutions offering dashboards put these vital indicators at your fingertips. These critical tools allow frontline staff to immediately gauge progress in a particular metric. The world of healthcare is fast-paced and demanding; personnel are presented with multiple challenges at 3
any given time and often have to make rapid decisions as to what they should prioritize. Even when these decisions do not involve selecting a clinical intervention, they can still have a significant impact on a patient s care, as well as on their perception of their care. There are many difficult questions in healthcare: Is it more important that waiting patients are seen quickly, or should greater emphasis be placed on thorough examinations? Are relatives questions about a family member s care a greater priority than checking whether patients have received the menu choices they specified? Should a session with a diabetic patient focus more strongly on compliance with medication, on diet, or on exercise? There are often no simple answers to such questions, unless they are asked in the context of a strong understanding of current KPIs. If, for example, current indicators are that most diabetic patients have a good understanding of the importance of diet in managing their conditions, then clinical personnel involved in advising those patients can focus more strongly on ensuring that patients are taking their medications as prescribed. KPI dashboard solutions ease the workload for practitioners while mitigating unnecessary risks to patient health. Imagine a nurse making his ward rounds with only a general idea of what the KPIs for his area of operation are, or how he s meant to fulfill them. When a crisis arises, what is he to do? Now, imagine the same nurse armed with a mobile device on which he can immediately access all the information he needs regarding the performance indicators that are relevant to him. The impact on care quality and patient satisfaction can be, and often are, dramatic. Medical Dashboards and Data Visualization Raw numerical data is generally unhelpful. It is confusing, hard to understand, and generally forgettable. In order to deliver the best possible outcomes, good data visualization is a priority. Graphs can convey data in an immediate and memorable way that engages the viewer s attention and empowers them to grasp what s being communicated immediately in a way that columns and rows of numbers really cannot. Whether you re deploying crucial information to front-line staff to enhance performance or presenting your case for purchasing new technology to investors, clear visualization is crucial. It s necessary to be able to access analytic tools quickly and easily to make the best use of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) technology for practitioners. Medical dashboards make this possible, presenting a graphical user interface that facilitates easy, rapid data analysis. Data Visualization can also be very helpful in patient education. By providing a clear indication of the benefits of a particular course of action, such as smoking cessation graphed against the risk of heart disease, patients and their families can be supported in making good lifestyle choices. 4
Different graphic styles may be applied for different kinds of information. A line graph is great for showing how a particular metric has changed over time, while bar graphs can be ideal for demonstrating how two different quantities relate to each other. When considering proportions, such as the percentage of clients who took up a particular service or demographic divisions within a practice, pie charts can help present the data in a way that immediately makes sense. High quality data visualization and analytics solutions will include a range of graphing options. The new breed of intelligence technology can save time, reduce costs and decrease errors in all areas of patient care. By enabling organizations to make the fullest possible use of electronic medical records, Information Technology (IT) applications promote efficiency, increase productivity, improve outcomes, and support client retention. Adopting CDS solutions is the way forward for any organization wishing to reap the maximum benefit from the digitization of patient records. Resources http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/survey-clinical-analytics-next-big-thing-health-it http://www.informationweek.co.uk/healthcare/clinical-systems/clinical-analytics-boosts-ehreffectiven/232602439 http://www.healthcareitnews.com/directory/clinical-decision-support-cd 5