3 ways your IT system
can help your practice be more proactive
New patient management systems have the power to change the way we deliver care, yet care teams are rarely using them to their full potential. Discover three ways you can use your IT platform to deliver more proactive care to get ahead of problems before they arise.
Share this story
Share this story
Your patient management system is probably a lot like your smartphone: It has plenty of sophisticated, innovative capabilities, but there’s a good chance you’re only using a small portion of them.
Your system may have many features and functionalities, but to get the most out of it, it’s important to identify the ones most beneficial to your practice. Below, we examine 3 ways your system can help your practice improve quality and reduce cost by being more proactive in providing patient care.
Contributor
What’s in your data
Your patient management system is continuously collecting data from numerous locations. EMRs, therapy devices and patient wearables all deliver real-time data that can provide insights to guide care and treatment decisions.
Data from therapy devices:
Data from wearables:
1. Risk indicators for earlier interventions
One of the biggest benefits to a patient management platform is its ability to identify patients trending toward problems. Risk indicators can often be set up as real-time notifications that alert you when a patient experiences an irregularity. Whether the issue is nonadherence or an elevated heart rate, these risk indicators allow you and your team to intervene with the appropriate response before the condition worsens.
Patient profile*:
71-year-old male with advanced stage COPD and chronic hypercapnia
Treatment:
Prescribed noninvasive ventilation
Problem:
The patient is experiencing sudden low tidal volume
Reactive approach
The patient is admitted to the hospital with severe breathlessness He is given noninvasive ventilation (NIV) during a costly two-day hospital stay He is sent home and instructed to continue use of home NIV Three weeks later he is back in the ED
IT-enabled proactive approach
2. Patient engagement
Keeping patients engaged in their therapy is no easy task. But you can use your patient management platform to aid in your efforts. Interactive apps and wearables give patients a way to get involved in their care while transmitting critical data back to their care team. But when these aren’t enough, you can use your IT system to get their caregivers involved as well. The same way RTs can be alerted when a patient is trending toward non-adherence, their caregivers or family members can be informed too. The intervention of a loved one can get a patient back on track without requiring the involvement of the care team.
Patient profile*:
59-year-old woman with COPD
Treatment:
Supplemental oxygen
Problem:
The patient stopped using her oxygen because it prevents her from gardening
Reactive approach
The patient is admitted to the hospital with severe breathlessness She is given oxygen and prescribed pulmonary rehab The underlying problem with her oxygen system is never addressed and she readmits 26 days later
IT-enabled proactive approach
3. Remote monitoring
Telehealth and remote monitoring have helped care teams improve patient outcomes and significantly reduced the cost of care.1 Many home visits used to be centered around checking equipment or replacing devices, not necessarily directly impacting patient care. But now, new technology has enabled tasks that used to require in-person visits to be done via phone, email or video. Not only is this more convenient for patients, it also saves healthcare organizations time and money.
Patient profile*:
64-year-old woman with advanced stage COPD
Treatment:
Uses supplemental oxygen and non-invasive ventilation
Problem:
The ventilator pressure is too high, making it hard for the patient to breathe on the device
Reactive approach
Patient stops using the device and is now non-adherent RT calls the patient and learns why she stopped therapy RT drives an hour to the patient’s home to manually adjust the ventilator settings
IT-enabled proactive approach
Getting the most out of your data
While there is an endless amount of data within your IT platform, it’s critical to avoid information overload. With a bit of ingenuity, you can make your patient management system work harder for you.
The days of reacting to problems as they arise are behind us. With today’s technology, you can get ahead of potential pitfalls to proactively manage patients and deliver the best possible care.
Further reading
References: 1. American Hospital Association. Telehealth: Helping Hospitals Deliver Cost-Effective Care. American Hospital Association Web site. http://www.aha.org/content/16/16telehealthissuebrief.pdf. Published April 22, 2016. Accessed June 23, 2016.
