Information Technology the Best Prescription for Safety and Quality in Healthcare

1
Information Technology the Best Prescription
for Safety and Quality in Healthcare

• Molly Joel Coye, MD, MPH
• Founder and CEO, Health Technology Center
• for the
• Department of Health Human Services
• March 21, 2003

2
Information technology must play a central role
in the redesign of the health care system.

• Institute of Medicine charge to the Committee on
  Quality of Health Care in America
• develop a strategy that will result in a
  substantial improvement in the quality of
  health care over the next 10 years
• IOM Report Crossing the Quality Chasm
• This committee believes information
  technology must play a central role in the
  redesign of the health care system if a
  substantial improvement in quality is to be
  achieved over the coming decade.
• Automation of clinical, financial, and
  administrative transactions is essential to
  improving quality, preventing errors, enhancing
  consumer confidence in the health system, and
  improving efficiency.

3
Communication among providers and between
clinicians and patients is critical.

• Secretary Thompsons request to the Institute of
  Medicine
• identify possible demonstration projects that
  might be implementedwith the hope of
  yielding models for broader health system reform
  within a few years
• IOM Report Rapid Advances
• At every step of the way, communication among
  providers and between clinicians and patients is
  critical, and information and knowledge must be
  made available to users when they need it.
• The wise use of information and communications
  technologyhas the potential to improve the
  quality and safety of health care while at the
  same time enhancing access and reducing waste,
  unnecessary delays, and administrative costs.

4
Why leadership is needed

• The current state of health care and information
  technology
• A history of underinvestment
• The lack of data standards the tower of Babel
• Progress through eHealth Initiative, Connecting
  for Health
• The limited business case for quality and
  therefore, much of IT
• Safety and quality consequences
• The promise of innovative technologies awaiting
  deployment
• Bar coding VHA, NAHIT, FDA
• Community and regional data-sharing
• Successful models need for rapid duplication
  nationally
• Chronic disease monitoring Health Hero
• Remote ICU management Visicu, Sentara, UC-Davis
  and Sutter
• EMR, CPOE
• The massive task of transforming an industry
• VHA paperless health systems

5
IOM Rapid Advances Report Demonstrations of
quality, safety and efficiency

• Statewide/Regional Data Exchange Platforms
• Electronic enrollment clearinghouse model exists
  now (New England NEHEN) five years experience
• No significant capital investment required
• Immediate efficiencies for consumers, providers
  and plans
• A platform for rapid extension of protected
  information sharing
• Laboratory data no longer lost
• Pharmacy prescriptions and refills accurate,
  records retained and accessible
• Clinicians get patient information when and where
  they need it
• Regional demonstrations of IT infrastructure to
  support
• Communications (patient to provider, and among
  providers)
• Telemedicine, e-mail, home monitoring
• Patient access to all records and information
• Knowledge management give clinicians immediate
  access to up-to-date scientific information that
  is relevant to their specialty and practice
• Decision support assist clinicians with
  decision-support tools reminders, prompts,
  medication order entry systems and disease
  management systems

6
A unique opportunity for the Department of Health
and Human Services

• Leading by example extending Department and
  broader federal influence, drawing private sector
  collaboration
• Fostering demonstrations to share the lessons of
  widespread implementation
• Providing incentives to drive adoption
  especially tied to quality, safety, and access
  for consumers to their own medical information
• Supporting private and public investments in
  information technology to support quality and
  safety

7
Thank you for this opportunity
HealthTech is an independent, nonprofit
research organization created by 20 leading
health delivery systems and health plans to
forecast future technologies in healthcare and
advance the adoption of beneficial
technologies. Molly Joel Coye, MD, MPHFounder
and CEOHealth Technology Center
(HealthTech) [phone]mcoye_at_healthtech.org