Posted on 03/17/2020 4:21:42 PM PDT by spintreebob
The ONC interoperability rule is a step in the right direction towards a nationwide health data exchange and enhanced interoperability.
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has put the importance of health data exchange and interoperability under a microscope.
Niam Yaraghi, a fellow in governance studies at the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings Institution, penned an op-ed to explain why he thinks the US lacks health information technologies to stop or contain the COVID-19 epidemic.
“The pandemic has shattered our common beliefs about the type and scope of health information exchange (HIE),” wrote Yaraghi. “It has shown us that the definition of health data should no longer be limited to medical data of patients and instead should encompass a much wider variety of data types from individuals’ online and offline activity. Moreover, the pandemic has proven that healthcare is not local.”
He noted that there are a select number of countries that have the ability to contain the coronavirus because of their ability to exchange non-medical data, and that the US should work to echo these capabilities.
For example, two doctors wrote an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, citing that travel history information should be integrated into EHRs. This would help put infectious symptoms into context for clinicians.
Implementing travel history could prompt warning signs and even protective measures to limit the spread of the disease.
Public health experts over in China used similar tactics to incorporate non-clinical data into patient care and public health work.
Yaraghi used an example of how public officials in Taiwan used citizens’ mobile phones to track those under quarantine. Using that data, clinicians can see where the patients were when they contracted the disease.
Health technology also has the power to improve patient access to care.
A major issue that hospitals face during a disease outbreak is overcrowding in hospitals. Yaraghi highlighted telehealth as a way to decrease the number of patients in hospitals.
Using telehealth, providers can incorporate video as part of care delivery. Not only will this lessen the number of patients who are physically in the hospital, but patients who would rather be in the confines of their own home could set up a visit over video to get a better healthcare experience.
“This problem could be mitigated if telehealth technologies could be widely adopted by patients and providers,” Yaraghi said. “These technologies would allow automation of monitoring of indicators such as body temperature or oxygen levels. Coupled with the other types of data such as medical and travel history of patients, they could further prioritize those who need immediate medical care.”
he continued. “Moreover, healthcare providers could connect with many more concerned patients through telehealth technologies and alleviate unnecessary trips to emergency rooms. This would significantly reduce redundant traffic at hospitals that impedes the provision of medical services.”
Finally, he noted the importance of a nationwide HIE system and explained how the ONC interoperability rule and the CMS rule are major steps towards creating a nationwide HIE network.
Yaraghi went on to say that for a pandemic of this size to be contained, HIEs need to be executed on a national or international scale, rather than a small geographical scale.
“A wide variety of factors affect one’s overall well-being, a very small fraction of which could be quantified via medical records,” Yaraghi said. “We tend to ignore this fact, and try to explain and predict a patient’s condition only based on medical data. Previously, we did not have the technology and knowledge to collect huge amounts of non-medical data and analyze it for healthcare purposes.”
“Now, privacy concerns and outdated regulations have exacerbated the situation and has led to a fragmented data ecosystem,” he continued. “Interoperability, even among healthcare providers, remains a major challenge where exchange and analysis of non-medical data for healthcare purposes almost never happens.”
Clinicians need to be able to have instant access to patient data in order to properly make health-based decisions. Unfortunately, the US is not capable of this quite yet.
“They attempt to create a data ecosystem that enables more innovation involvement from private market,” concluded Yaraghi. “I believe these rules are huge steps towards a nationwide health information exchange system. Policy makers should in the meantime consider replacing regulations that hinder the exchange of health data outside of the healthcare market with the ones that protect the privacy of patients in a more compatible way with today’s technologies and demands.”
non-medical: A euphemism for guns, tobacco, alcohol, sugar, no exercise, almost anything that is the bad thing of the month.
No.
Abso-freakin-lutely NO.
Why if the good and noble government just had automatic access to all your health information think about how much better things could be!
The CDC can’t even handle the simple information it has now. I’m not giving the government anymore power.
Working diligently toward the Global Number System taken either on your head or hand...
They’ll give us a chip so we won’t need those unsightly tattoos.
My thoughts exactly. What could go wrong...
Ditto
How lonely are you and Rand Paul ?
Shows lack of eating vegetables
How much of a slave sheep are you?
Veterans, including me, do not wish their medical history known by some libtard, left wing doctor, who is anti-veteran, anti-gun, who would red flag their butts!!
Don’t want the Health Database to know your SDOH..Social Determinants of Health?
Move to a purple district in a purple state. Unite with the few leftists who agree with us on this. Elect Libertarian leaning congress critters to purple swing areas. Right now there are not enough Rand Paul’s in Congress to protect us.
Obviously you are a joking me-len-e-az.
There are too many times that the Department of Veterans Administration has been hacked by foreign agents.
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