By David Chou
There is no better time than right now to be a CIO in healthcare because we are at the core of change. For instance, the landscape has shifted dramatically with the adoption of electronic medical records acrossthe nation. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, in 2013, nearly six in ten hospitals (59 percent) adopted at least a Basic EHR system. This represents an increase of 34 percent from 2012 to 2013, and a five-fold increase since 2008. I'm willing to bet that percentage is even higher in 2015.
Additionally, the industry is moving toward a virtual care model. This evolution is being driven by a new generation of patients/consumers where expectations have changed. Consumers are starting to demand the same level of access to healthcare as they can get in other verticals such as retail and banking, where they can receive on-demand information and make transactions, and personalized information is at their fingertips. While we have already started down that road in healthcare, a stronger push is needed to bolster those efforts.
In particular, we have seen an emergence of telemedicine across the spectrum from all providers. Most providers, I believe, have started to offer some sort of telemedicine treatments. The benefits of doing so include:
- Extension of care to rural/underserved areas
- Decreased readmissions due to more preventive efforts
- Increased patient engagement and satisfaction
At the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the telehealth program led by Dr. Kristi Henderson and started in 2003 currently boasts 166 sites and has delivered more than 800,000 telehealth encounters to date. The Magnolia State has one of the highest diabetic populations in the country, and to that end, we've started a pilot to provide a group of select diabetic patients with custom tablets that allow them to share their health data more easily and with clinicians and in real time. The tablet also can be used for videoconferencing with clinicians to modify plans, as necessary.
UMMC has worked regularly with the state legislature on such efforts, which has been critical to ensuring reimbursement; Mississippi is one of eighteen states currently that provides reimbursement from both state Medicaid and third-party insurance carriers for telemedicine.
UMMC also has partnered with telecom providers to ensure that rural areas of the state have basic connectivity to provide the various telehealth services offered.
While the technlogy for virtual healthcare is fairly mature, education from all walks of the healthcare ecosystem--providers,payers and clinicians--remains critical to making it a success. Mobile will be the future for healthcare access, especially for Millennial generation, and it's critical that our patients a) know we're evolving; and b) understand what that means for them.
The demand for virtual care is growing, as are the capabilities of providers. CIOs must ensure that the transition to increased use, however, is a smooth one.
Editor's Note: This post has been condensed for content and clarity.
David Chou serves as CIO at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, where he is responsible for all technology efforts at the 722-bed system. He also is a member of FierceHealthIT's Editorial Advisory Board.