Health IT systems often overlook care management

When it comes to designing health IT systems, more than a few organizations may be missing the big picture in terms of integrating care management workflows into their technology.

A new survey of how IT is changing case management largely corroborates findings from a 2008 survey that providers, payers, case managers and others that support care coordination are making only modest progress toward automating care management.

The study, conducted by TCS Healthcare Technologies on behalf of the Case Management Society of America and the awkwardly named American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians (ABQAURP), found that just 23 percent of IT systems are fully interoperable with external applications and that a similar share of organizations had gone paperless in care management.

While 54 percent of respondents automate record sharing by scanning medical records and other documents into information management systems, just 35 percent of those surveyed are able to share electronic clinical data with other healthcare providers.

"Despite the slower than expected integration, the survey data indicates progress is occurring," CMSMA President Teri Treiger says, according to Healthcare IT News. But, Treiger notes, "Trends related to interoperability, functionality and satisfaction levels indicate more work needs to done to leverage best practices for medical care."

Survey participants did express optimism about adopting new communications strategies over the next two years, though. Organizations surveyed say they will triple their usage of smartphones, text messaging and wireless remote patient monitoring between now and 2012, while they expect adoption of patient portals, online personal health records and social networking to double in the next two years.

"One bright spot is that HIT systems in care management and other healthcare settings will continue to evolve," explains ABQAURP board member Dr. Joel V. Brill. "Well-designed HIT systems that integrate care management with the business and clinical IT platforms and increase efficiency in communications will have a significant impact on population health management. These features are critically important for accountable care management programs and the patients they serve," Healthcare IT News quotes Brill as saying.

To learn more:
- read this Healthcare IT News story
- request a copy of the survey results from the TCS website

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