Interoperability is improving in healthcare, but many providers are still struggling to connect with skilled nursing facilities, according to a survey released in late October.
For several years, skilled nursing facilities have focused on smoothing transitions, cutting down on unnecessary hospitalizations and reducing readmissions. Yet just 60% of organizations say that their electronic health records can incorporate data from long-term care facilities, finds an analysis of data collected in the College of Health Information Management Executives’ Most Wired survey.
In comparison, more than 80% of organizations can incorporate data from external hospital systems and retail pharmacies.
CHIME surveyed more than 600 IT executives for the report, which was previously conducted by the American Hospital Association.
“Exchange of discrete data with home health and skilled nursing facilities is lagging,” CHIME said in the report. This delay is leading to gaps in patient information, which can be particularly troubling for those with complex conditions and chronic care needs.
SNFs are also behind in offering telehealth, compared to their counterparts, CHIME noted. Less than 10% allow their residents to connect for a consultation, stroke care or psychiatric exam onsite, compared to more than 40% on the hospital side.
About 89% of hospital professionals polled said they were using some form of virtual visits in their practices. The report cited reimbursement and regulatory barriers preventing full adoption of these technologies.
In a sign of progress on this front, however, federal officials announced plans in October to allow Medicare Advantage insurers to pay for telehealth services that weren’t previously covered. These are the types of data integration and access improvement steps that must continue if SNFs are to succeed in population health.
“By investing in robust infrastructures that can support and facilitate communication in the complex healthcare environment,” authors explained. “Organizations can make better data-driven decisions and achieve greater outcomes.”
From the December 2018 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
