Information in the healthcare industry needs to flow more freely, especially when it comes to new payment models, says Devin Jopp, president and CEO of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange.
Like many in the industry today, Jopp says interoperability is one of healthcare's major issues. However, he tells Becker's Health IT and CIO Review, the industry seems "to be out there ... on home plate trying to hit a home run." That's not the way to do it, he says; instead needs must be prioritized to find out what data and for whom should become interoperable first.
Just this week a draft 2016 Interoperability Standards Advisory was released by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT reflecting updates based on input obtained from the public as well as the Health IT Standards Committee.
The draft advisory is open for public comment, and will be altered during the comment period. A final advisory will be published at the end of the year, according to ONC.
Another major issue in the industry centers on electronic health records' ability to connect with administrative data systems, according to Jopp. As organizations using new payment models try to do things like close gaps in care, there needs to be a way to get data from clinical systems to the payer.
"Payment models are demanding quality data to move faster. We need the information to be able to flow more easily so we can make important decisions on these in the new payment model[s]," he says.
Rob Stone, a partner in Atlanta-based law firm Alston & Bird, also pointed to data implications of coming bundled payment programs. He recently told Healthcare Informatics that "there are gaps in care coordination and integration and handling of data, it's going to make it more difficult to successfully navigate these bundled-payment programs."
To learn more:
- here's the Becker's interview