While issues surrounding EHR incentives and certification have dominated the lion's share of the industry's attention related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), there has been little discussion about other technologies that, when used in coordination with electronic records, can further improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care.
By looking beyond EHRs to formulate a comprehensive IT strategy, healthcare providers can overcome long-standing hurdles to the successful exchange of health information and address the everyday challenges of this increasingly complex environment.
For example, one of the biggest issues that providers face when going digital is determining what to do with all of the paper forms that contain vital patient information, from demographic details to insurance data to medical histories. The patient check-in process alone generates numerous forms per patient, including consent and privacy documents. Until now, most EHR users have managed this deluge of paper by scanning or re-entering the data into the medical record, but this practice increases the potential for error and minimizes the cost and efficiency gains that EHRs provide.
Automating the patient registration process using kiosks and online applications presents an opportunity for healthcare providers to capture patient information electronically from the very beginning of an encounter, eliminating the need for duplicate data entry and creating a seamless flow of patient information from check-in through treatment and beyond. Only by automating the EHR from its entry point can it truly be electronic from end to end.
Today, more than 200 healthcare organizations across the country use self-service to eliminate paper forms. One health system estimates it will save 30 million sheets of paper in 2009 alone through its adoption and use of self-service. Automating the patient registration process can also make a significant impact on efficiency. In fact, the HITECH Act itself states that self-service is one of the technologies under consideration by the HIT Policy Committee because of its ability to "facilitate the use and exchange of patient information and reduce wait times," which are shown to be up to 75 percent shorter when self-service technology is in use.
A recent survey conducted by Buzzback Research reveals that patients are ready for the change: 72 percent of U.S. consumers said they are more likely to select a healthcare provider that offers the ability to interact via online, mobile and kiosk self-service channels. Empowering patients to enter and verify their own health information electronically results in fewer errors, improved data quality and ultimately, better care. For example, reviewing and signing consent documents via a kiosk leads to a more comprehensive, consistent informed consent process that better educates patients about procedures and enhances overall safety. As the healthcare industry embraces the broader, patient-centric use of IT, self-service offers a viable way to optimize the investment in EHRs and expedite their benefits. The growth of self-service in other industries, such as retail, banking and travel, further reinforces the productivity and cost gains that self-service delivers and creates a model for how the technology can improve efficiency, lower costs and improve the patient experience.
-- Tim Heffernan is chairman of the health IT committee for the Information Technology Industry Council and vice president of global government relations & communications for NCR.
