Eye Care is Transforming Too (Part 2 of 3)

(Continued from Part 1) The Medical Home delivery model is structured around a formalized group of caregivers who collaborate and share patient health information and treatment goals on a particular patient. Numerous studies have shown that patient outcomes  improve for chronic conditions when this model is followed. One of the reasons for the improved outcomes is because the team shares expertise, experience and responsibilities in addition to patient health information. Understanding this, we can now start analyzing  the roles and contributions that make such a team successful. The obvious question for eye care is, “What will an ECP be expected to contribute to this team approach?”

One reasonable expectation is that the ECP would inform the team of an ocular side effect of any medication prescribed to the patient by any team member. 

Think of the challenge that presents to an individual provider using a paper record. It means the provider has to know, research or find the ocular side effect of potentially every medication on the market! A daunting task at best. If we look at it from a collaborative, systems approach, we see a completely different thing. In fact, we find that at least one eye care EHR already offers a functional solution and is leading a collaborative process to expand and strengthen this capability.

From a systems approach, here is what is already in place, as well as what is necessary to expand this ability for our profession:

1)      We as providers are already expected to be utilizing e-prescribing, which gives us access to more accurate lists of the medications our patients are on. Medical Home teams are required to use e-prescribing.

2)      When e-prescribing is completed, the hosting EHR downloads a list of all the medications the patient is on.

3)      The EHR needs to scan those medications and identify the ones with reported ocular side effects. At least one eye care EHR is already doing this. A warning containing the specific ocular side effect appears automatically, alerting the provider.

4)      The EHR creates an automatic report back to the Medical Home team inform each member that the side effects were evaluated and whether they were or were not present for this patient. (Continued in Part 3)

Jim Grue, O.D.