Vim & Vigor - Winter 2008 - (Page 54)

community connections the end of the paper trail electronic medical records improve care and cut costs I In 2005, the medical journal Health Affairs published results from a major study on the economics of health information technology (HIT). Speciﬁc focus was placed on the potential beneﬁts of widespread adoption of electronic medical records (EMR). Study authors concluded that “effective EMR implementation and networking could eventually save more than $81 billion annually—by improving healthcare efﬁciency and safety— and that HIT-enabled prevention and management of chronic disease could eventually double those savings while increasing health and other social beneﬁts.” ❋ how emrs help Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville and iPN, its physician network, are working closely to begin realizing such beneﬁts. And the impact on community health could be considerable. “Our goal is to deliver the best of care at the lowest possible price,” says Avista CEO John Sackett. “That calls for a level of measurement, analysis, decision-making and service that simply can’t be achieved with paper records.” Chronic disease treatment provides a perfect case-in-point. “We know there are ﬁve chronic diseases that make up 50 percent of all healthcare costs,” Sackett says. “These are diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, asthma and depression. We also know that, if we can study the patients with these diseases as a population we can improve the way we deliver care, achieve better outcomes and therefore lower costs. “Take diabetes, for example. By managing their blood glucose levels closely, people with diabetes can avoid serious complications. The quality of their lives goes up while the cost of their care goes down. With our physician network using EMRs, we can identify the population we serve who has diabetes and build best practices and protocols into the care plan. “The same is true with asthma. If we can keep that attack from occurring, fewer resources will be required. And it’s true with managing heart disease, hypertension and depression. If we can keep the problem from escalating, everyone beneﬁts.” The new system also keeps pace with progress. “Every year, more than 10,000 new therapies are made available to physicians,” Sackett says. “This empowers physicians to apply the best thinking and latest discoveries to their patients’ treatment in almost-real time.” ❋ keeping you safe Does combining patient information for population-based treatment increase the security risk for personal data? “Not at all,” Sackett says. “The clinical facts can be accessed without the personal identity being revealed. And there are safeguards built into the system. If a paper record is accessed, there’s no trail. If an EMR is accessed, we know virtually immediately.” 54 vim & vigor · winte r 2 008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2008

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2008 Contents Friendly Faces For Your Health 'Tis the Season to be Safe Eat Your Veggies Joint Effort Fresh Beginnings Decades of Opportunity Keeping Score Your Big Give Roll Up Your Sleeve Tidings of Comfort and Health Blueprint for Safety The Smoke-Free Mom-to-Be Childbirth Trends Moms Choosing Midwives Community Sections Dollars & Sense Ask the Experts

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2008

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