I'm really referring to patient health information, CCDs in particular. By definition, the CCD is a standardized Continuity of Care Document that contains key patient health information. It's intended to be shared with the patient and amongst health care providers. (Strictly speaking the CCR - Continuity of Care Record - is a slightly different version meant to be shared among providers.) Stage 1 meaningful use stipulated that EHRs be capable of sending and receiving the CCD, at least in a humanly readable format.
As we look into the Stage 2 certification criteria, it's clear we'll be moving beyond this "humanly readable" baseline. And rightly so. Humanly readable is what we call "viewable but not usable". In other words, sending patient health information as a PDF is not really sharing. Unfortunately, this is the still the de facto standard among the hospitals and ambulatory care health systems.
Why is this important? Think of it this way. If one of your referral providers sent you a patient summary of care, would you prefer to receive it as a PDF attachment in your email or electronically such that it automatically updated your EHR? Pretty obvious, right? The first way is the old way, a method on the way out from U.S. healthcare. This applies equally to pseudo-electronic transmissions such as fax and even web portals that let you download a PDF. The second way is the new way, a means already in use by some EHRs, and the standard to which all certified EHR technology will need to measure up in Stage 2.
Same question, different answer: why is this important? We know that the #1 fear among doctors about going to EHRs is that they'll produce a slowdown in the exam lane. More than any other single benefit, receiving the patient's problem list and history from other providers will speed you up. We estimate a 10-minute benefit per exam when the CCD is both sent and received electronically. We're also predicting better quality data than is typically obtained through a patient interview. If you're using e-prescribing, you've already experienced something similar, medication histories made available electronically in your exam record without having to enter that data yourself ... data that, in all likelihood, you never had access to before.
Our eye care audience should be interested to know that, at EMRlogic, we are now conducting tests with activEHR users to prove and measure the benefits of what I've described above. In terms of sharing PHI, we're already at Stage 2. Stay tuned. We'll be telling you more about the Pennsylvania HIE Eye Care Demonstration Project in the coming days, weeks and months.
Alistair Jackson, M.Ed.
As we look into the Stage 2 certification criteria, it's clear we'll be moving beyond this "humanly readable" baseline. And rightly so. Humanly readable is what we call "viewable but not usable". In other words, sending patient health information as a PDF is not really sharing. Unfortunately, this is the still the de facto standard among the hospitals and ambulatory care health systems.
Why is this important? Think of it this way. If one of your referral providers sent you a patient summary of care, would you prefer to receive it as a PDF attachment in your email or electronically such that it automatically updated your EHR? Pretty obvious, right? The first way is the old way, a method on the way out from U.S. healthcare. This applies equally to pseudo-electronic transmissions such as fax and even web portals that let you download a PDF. The second way is the new way, a means already in use by some EHRs, and the standard to which all certified EHR technology will need to measure up in Stage 2.
Same question, different answer: why is this important? We know that the #1 fear among doctors about going to EHRs is that they'll produce a slowdown in the exam lane. More than any other single benefit, receiving the patient's problem list and history from other providers will speed you up. We estimate a 10-minute benefit per exam when the CCD is both sent and received electronically. We're also predicting better quality data than is typically obtained through a patient interview. If you're using e-prescribing, you've already experienced something similar, medication histories made available electronically in your exam record without having to enter that data yourself ... data that, in all likelihood, you never had access to before.
Our eye care audience should be interested to know that, at EMRlogic, we are now conducting tests with activEHR users to prove and measure the benefits of what I've described above. In terms of sharing PHI, we're already at Stage 2. Stay tuned. We'll be telling you more about the Pennsylvania HIE Eye Care Demonstration Project in the coming days, weeks and months.
Alistair Jackson, M.Ed.
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