Perspective:
Physicians

RHIOs. What have they done for you lately?

It's hard to argue with the benefits of joining a RHIO/HIE. Service offerings of the 42 operational initiatives range from clinical messaging, results delivery, and clinical documentation to consultation/referral services and enrollment or eligibility checking. Some even offer disease management and clinician quality improvement reporting.

It's also hard to ignore their growing popularity. From 2007 to 2008, the number of operational RHIOs/HIEs increased 31%. The first and second largest providers of ongoing financial support for them are hospitals and physician practices. The word is out: RHIOs and HIEs are in.

Boon or bane?

But what about the patient? What happens when any organization in the network can instantaneously access any patient's information and any physician's care activity? And what about workflow? Who has time to learn new information systems? For clinicians, the real question is whether the benefits of RHIO/HIE membership outweigh the risks. But with experts predicting widespread RHIO/HIE use in as little as two years, there's not much room for discussion.

Making the most of a good situation

Done right RHIOs/HIEs can and will improve the quality of patient care. Clinicians will have more complete records and more holistic views of patients. Economies of scale will reduce costs and administrative overhead. And the elusive EHR may actually become a reality. Done right, RHIOs/HIEs will synthesize disparate data across — and, by default, within — healthcare organizations. Done right, federated data models will protect the integrity and ensure organizational ownership of sensitive patient and clinician data. There will be no need for new systems. Each organization will continue to use the systems it has to access the kind of clinical data and services it needs.

We can help. Talk to us.

Perspective:
CIOs

The RHIOs are coming! the RHIOs are coming!

It's true that hospitals are the determinant factor in RHIO/HIE adoption. After all, hospitals have the lion's share of the clinical data. What's not true is that RHIO/HIE development is stalled.

From 2007 to 2008, the number of operational RHIOs/HIEs increased 31%. Hospitals provided upfront funding for 48% of them and ongoing financial support for 62%. Experts predict widespread RHIO/HIE use in as little as two years. When it comes to RHIOs/HIEs, rumors of their downfall are highly exaggerated.

Collaboration costs

Today's RHIOs/HIEs offer services ranging from clinical messaging, results delivery and clinical documentation, alerts to providers and, consultation/referral services to disease management services and physician quality improvement reporting. Your organization probably has individual systems that do some of all these things. But when the time comes for those systems to integrate the data and roll it up to the RHIO, will they be able to?

In a recent survey, providers from across the U.S. made it clear that joining a RHIO/HIE meant changing things significantly, from patient administration and medical records to information security and customer service. Indeed, more than half of those surveyed had to update at least some of their IT systems to be compatible. More than 10 different IT systems within their organizations — typically the EHR, laboratory, transcription, medical records, document management and interface engines — required updating, integration, or some other activity in order to work within the RHIO/HIE. Collaboration is good, but it isn't cheap.

Today's reality, tomorrow's potential

As RHIOs become reality, CIOs face some challenging questions. How do we handle interoperability (or the lack of it)? Is this going to call for new systems that we can't afford? And what about data security?

CIOs must help their organizations build technological backbones. They need IT solutions with functionality to support current needs and initial RHIO/HIE efforts, as well as scalability for future growth. They need solutions that ensure data security while expanding data access. They need solutions that leverage existing systems while allowing for technology's inevitable evolution.

We can help. Talk to us.

Perspective:
COOs

RHIO with an "H" is no vacation

Like it or not, HIEs and RHIOs are on a roll. From 2007 to 2008, the number of operational RHIOs/HIEs increased 31%. The hospitals financing this growth are providing upfront funding for 48% of operational RHIO/HIE initiatives and ongoing financial support for 62% of them. Clinically, economically — they look promising. Operationally? They look like a big problem.

And this is a good thing?

In a recent survey, organizations across the U.S. said it loud and clear — joining a RHIO/HIE means changing things significantly, from patient administration and medical records to information security and customer service. Indeed, more than half of those surveyed had to update at least some of their IT systems to be compatible. More than 10 different IT systems within their organizations — typically the EHR, laboratory, transcription, medical records, document management and interface engines — required updating, integration, or some other activity in order to work within the RHIO/HIE.

Maximizing revenue, reducing costs, keeping operations running smoothly and clinicians happy — that's tough enough in the organization you know, with the systems you already have!

It's 2012. Do you know where your systems will be?

Experts predict widespread RHIO/HIE use in as little as two years. As RHIOs become reality, COOs must ask some very tough, very practical questions. How do we handle interoperability (or the lack of it)? If we need new systems, where exactly will we find the resources to buy and implement them? What are physicians going to think about all this?

For the COO, challenges happen on a daily basis. Keeping things on track requires foresight and fore-action. When it comes to RHIOs and HIEs, it means looking to IT solutions that have the functionality to support today's needs, but the scalability to deal with the changing healthcare model. It means solutions that leverage existing systems while allowing for technology's inevitable evolution. It means solutions that make it easier  — not harder — for clinicians to provide quality care.

We can help. Talk to us.