INTELLIGENCE IN ACTION

HIMSS17: Using Actionable Intelligence to Improve Patient Safety

Patient safety is the foundation of effective healthcare, but information gaps ranging from inaccessible medical records to incomplete medication histories continue to plague the industry. These inconsistencies are inefficient, frustrate already burdened providers and negatively impact patients. According to The Atlantic, the U.S. spends $750 billion per year on unnecessary and inefficient healthcare services.

Improving the accuracy and efficiency of e-prescribing is key to improving patient care and safety. A recent report published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association by the RAND Corporation, noted that not only does e-prescribing reduces the number of illegible prescriptions but also helps address and possibly reduce medical errors through integrated tools that provide critical data and information on allergies, drug interactions and dosing.

In today’s value-based care environment, exchanging data between systems and providers isn’t enough. Clinicians need actionable intelligence, data that is both comprehensive and accurate, to support their care decisions. What’s more, when actionable intelligence is delivered to EHRs via a trusted network, providers are more likely to get the patient information they need, when they need it.

The Surescripts 2016 Connected Care and the Patient Experience survey found that, like providers, patients want comprehensive data to be readily available. According to the survey, 90 percent of patients believe their doctors would be less likely to prescribe incorrect medications if they had more complete information. In addition, 40 percent of patients are less likely to visit a doctor who does not have the ability to process prescriptions electronically.

I’m looking forward to moderating the panel discussion Surescripts is hosting at HIMSS17 entitled, “Improving Patient Safety with Actionable Intelligence.” It will take place on Tuesday, February 21 at 3:45 p.m. EST at Surescripts booth #6660. Health IT practitioners will discuss how data quality can be optimized to improve patient safety. Panelists include:

For more information on HIMSS17 and our presence at the event, visit himssconference.org and check out the Surescripts blog. Be sure to follow the conversation on Twitter via the @Surescripts handle and #HIMSS17 hashtag.

HIMSS17 Panel Discussion: Improving Patient Safety with Actionable Intelligence

You may also like

Electronic Prior Authorization Delivers the “Holy Grail” of Healthcare: Increased Patient Safety, Lower Costs and Higher Quality

When patients visit a doctor's office or pharmacy, they want convenience. Consumers expect care to be delivered with ease and efficiency, so they can follow their providers' recommendations with confidence. But when physicians don't know if their patients' medications will be covered by insurance or patients are forced to wait to fill prescriptions only to find out they can't afford them, the process breaks down for everyone. read more

Linda Stotsky: A Lack of Electronic Data Exchange Capabilities Makes Caregiving “Dizzying”

The transition from having healthy parents to becoming a caregiver for ailing parents is a challenging experience many adults face. Add to it the difficulty of managing and exchanging data between providers, along with barriers to filling prescriptions, and it quickly becomes a "dizzying" task. read more

How Medication History is Creating Value and Improving Care at Health Systems Nationwide

Time consuming. Inaccurate. Costly. Inefficient. These are words providers use to describe the manual medication reconciliation process, which typically involves lengthy conversations with patients about his or her medication history, and hoping that the memorized list is accurate and complete. Providers also fill in the gaps by calling multiple pharmacies. read more

Intelligence in Action, delivered to your inbox