Thank you to our guest contributor, Anthony Laflen, Senior Director of Solution Architecture, PointClickCare®.

The word “interoperability” has been buzzing around the healthcare industry for a while now. But what does it really mean? What it all comes down to is the sharing of information across disparate settings. A patient’s demographics, medications, allergies, lab results and clinical notes can all be communicated to hospitals, primary care physicians, pharmacies, and post-acute care providers. Wherever a patient is being treated, their historic data can easily follow.  

This idea of sharing patient data amongst providers is not a new concept, but something that has been necessary all along. Yet many providers remain unaware of the tools readily available and the numerous benefits they offer their organization – and the community at large. 

To help us break down the details, we sat down with Anthony Laflen, Industry Market Leader for the Acute and Payer Division of PointClickCare® - the industry’s leading electronic health records (EHR) solution. Laflen and his team have been instrumental in getting this massive initiative off the ground, and they continue to make significant headway in reshaping industry perspectives and expectations. In November 2022 they launched PointClickCare Connect, a national-level health data network with more than 4,200 hospitals, 600,000 care providers and 1.4 million active resident and patient records. Existing PointClickCare users can easily activate this feature with just a few clicks – and it comes at zero cost. 

According to Laflen, “Our user base has many distractions competing for their attention, including workforce and reimbursement challenges. Many do not realize we have embedded this free valuable resource. PointClickCare users who would like to learn more should contact their customer success manager.”  

This powerful tool is a great example of how the healthcare ecosystem is changing for the better, and organizations who take advantage of it will gain the biggest rewards.

1. Reduced Patient Risk
   Providers that manage to keep the patient at the center of the narrative achieve the greatest outcomes. Delivering optimal patient care consistently is nearly impossible though, without understanding who the patient is and what they have been through. This can only be achieved by obtaining complete and up-to-date clinical records, which is especially important during transitions of care. Insight into the full condition of the patient allows for more immediate action, which is imperative in life-threatening emergency situations. Incomplete records can result in misdiagnoses and re-admissions, which can further impact the patient’s condition and waste valuable resources.
2. Boost Financial Health 
   It is in the best interest of every provider to achieve the best possible outcome for their patient in the least amount of time. Not only does this benefit the patient’s health, but it keeps costs for the patient and the facility to a minimum. With greater collaboration, parties can work together to get the patient to the lowest level of care required, reducing unnecessary lengths of stay and expenses. Additionally, as federal mandates continue to evolve that prioritize quality of care, requirements for connectivity will only increase. With more information at everyone’s fingertips, the hope is that re-admission rates-and any penalties that result-will decline overall.
3. Increased Efficiency & Accuracy
   With access to PointClickCare Connect, users can instantly retrieve inbound patient data for any resident prior to the actual admission. Laflen shared that this capability has significantly reduced the amount of time needed by staff to input patient data, from approximately two hours per patient in the past to less than 30 minutes now. The ingestion and sharing of data across care settings has also resulted in an increased accuracy of information, which has resulted in fewer medication errors and improved efficiency in getting medications to the bedside.
4. More Insightful Risk Adjustments
   When providers are afforded full access to their patient’s medical records, they can be more accurate in their risk assessments. Patients that carry more risk generally cost more to treat, and if providers are unaware of their background, they may be putting themselves at financial risk just by caring for the patient. However, when specifics can be obtained and documented, risk adjustment factors can be utilized to alter and increase reimbursement dollars as warranted.
5. Improved Patient Experience
   How many times have you received medical attention and were asked the same questions repeatedly? What is your insurance information? What is your medication history? Do you have any allergies? Whether these questions are asked of the patient themselves or a family member, this can be incredibly frustrating. Not to mention that if a patient is incapable of providing this information, it may affect their treatment or at the very least the speed of care. When all parties have access to the same information and are operating from the same playbook, there is no confusion. Increasing communication across the board benefits everyone involved, and the patient and their family will have a greater sense of peace in knowing they are in the hands of competent and informed individuals.
   
   Related Article: Optimizing Your PointClickCare® Software: Are You Taking Advantage of These Underutilized Features?
   
6. Establish Widespread Trust
   For this entire connectivity concept to work, providers need to be willing to share information. While this might seem intimidating at first, take a step back and remember why we work in healthcare. We want to help patients. If sharing information about a patient could help them, don’t we have a responsibility to do just that? Put aside any judgments or fears of exposing imperfections in your data. Mistakes will be made…and yet, if we can be honest with one another, sharing patient data is an impactful way to correct course in real-time. Data sharing will empower collaboration and gain the trust of our patients, their families, and our provider partners. 

Enhance Outcomes with Richter and PointClickCare

The future of healthcare is here, and it’s up to you to help put an end to compromised health and unnecessary risk. Join in on the mission by reaching out to Richter’s clinical consulting team to coordinate a demo of PointClickCare Connect, or to discuss an implementation plan.

As the industry’s leading LTPAC performance advisor, we listen, analyze, strategize and implement customized PointClickCare solutions to Enhance Outcomes in every facet of your organization. To learn more about our solutions, contact us here or call us at 866.806.0799.