Let’s face it: Between patient files that need to be faxed to legal documents that need to be signed, the amount of data healthcare professionals deal with daily can be overwhelming. With new technological advancements like digital imaging and electronic medical records, the amount of data produced in the healthcare industry is growing exponentially, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Additionally, the relatively new usage of patient portal applications has led to data becoming convoluted, which makes things confusing for both the patient and the provider. Effective data integration in healthcare is crucial to manage this information overload and ensure clarity for all stakeholders.
Especially for providers, data transfers can be time-consuming and costly. Currently, most systems transfer these documents through encounters, often emailing or faxing them between systems. While this method has worked in the past, the amount of data it produced is growing so much that it has become outdated and inefficient. Healthcare providers are spending more and more time performing tedious administrative tasks; time that they could spend caring for their patients.
The Application Issue
Patient portal applications aimed to simplify data communications between patients and providers. However, their overuse has made achieving this goal difficult.
Keep in mind that an app is only worth the data it can access. Many applications cannot access the massive amounts of data needed to keep a healthcare facility running smoothly. In addition, there are a multitude of patient portal apps-a patient may have a different app for every provider they see, and if they have recurring issues and need to see many specialists, this can become an issue. Vendors didn’t design these applications to communicate with one another. Therefore, if healthcare professionals need to transfer patient data between multiple providers, they must do it the old-fashioned way. That’s right, the fax machine.
Since these systems are unable to efficiently transfer data, something has to change. There needs to be a single standard for data integration in order to achieve seamless interoperability.
Why is data integration so important in healthcare?
In the healthcare field, nothing is more paramount than helping the patient. By streamlining the needed data into a system that is easily accessible for both the provider and the patient, care can be delivered more effectively, through a multitude of ways:
1. Collaboration
Some patients need more involved care, often requiring care coordination across multiple providers. By integrating data and implementing data exchange standards, it will be easier for providers to rapidly exchange patient information. The faster the documents arrive, the sooner a provider can analyze them and collaborate with their peers in order to give the patient the care they desperately need. Without the need to waste time sorting through and sending documents, a patient can be treated in a more timely manner, which can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
2. Comparison
One of the most important practices in the healthcare field is comparing and analyzing data in order to give the patient a correct diagnosis. When data is successfully integrated, it is easier for a provider to see the data stratified across the life of the patient, making it possible to compare and contrast a patient’s medical history, previous cases, and studies from similar patients. With more information that is readily available, providers are able to fully grasp their patient’s situation and give them the care that is required.
3. Organization
As hospitals become more overcrowded, it becomes a cardinal point to understand the inner workings of a healthcare facility. By implementing a strategic plan for data integration, it can be possible to display and instantly understand what is happening in a given situation-the number of empty beds, appointments, and even predict what might occur in the next 24 to 48 hours. This information can also be more easily communicated with other organizations where needed.
Overview
Don’t waste any more time waiting to integrate. Vorro is here to help health care providers supply the state-of-the-art care that they are capable of, using modern solutions. Data integration will help you get clear, consistent and accurate results, especially when data execution is still a manual process.
At Vorro, we provide a framework for those looking to automate data exchange and utilization. Our data modeling and processing techniques help streamline activities in your organization. We believe our platform facilitates the opportunity for an organization to build a strategic integration roadmap. Take advantage of the opportunity today and start building for the future. Contact our data integration specialist at Vorro and request a consultation or demo on our website. #IntegrateNow
Billy Waldrop is the Chief Operations Officer for Vorro, Inc. Billy has dedicated his career to managing and developing complex systems for the manufacturing and healthcare industries. He spent 10 years at the Mayo Clinic, where he supervised and directed teams responsible for the development and support of critical Patient Financial Services systems. He holds an MBA and a B.S. in Professional Management, along with many certifications from the Mayo Clinic.
Other Useful Resources
Healthcare data interoperability
Enterprise integration platform as a service
