Healthtech Security
Article | August 31, 2023
With consumers’ share of healthcare costs expanding, we need to do a better job making charges more transparent and more predictable
My husband recently stubbed his toe. Badly. Badly enough that I encouraged him to go see a doctor. He was reluctant. While I suspected he’d rather just garner sympathy by complaining to me while limping around the house (just kidding, honey), his stated reason was all too familiar: “I have no idea what we’ll have to pay. They’ll want to do anX-ray,it might need surgery, and I have no idea what it’ll cost.” All true. We have good health insurance; but like most Americans, when we go to the doctor or have a procedure, what we will actuallyhave topay out of pocket remains a mystery.This is something that we can and should change.
As consumers we are shouldering more and more of the cost of healthcare. And the biggest increases are for those of us with employer-sponsored plans. According to an analysis of federal data by the Commonwealth Fund,deductibles in employer plans more than doubled between 2008 and 2017, from $869 to $1,808. Especially troubling, an accompanyingCommonwealth Fund survey revealed that only 62% of adults were very or somewhat confident in their ability to afford healthcare.
This increasing burden is also evident when you look at the crushing levels of medical debt in the United States. According to a new studyby JAMA, medical debt is now the largest contributor to personal debt. And the data for this study was collectedbeforethe COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of this debt is driven by unpredictability—if the heart procedure you needed costs several thousand dollars more out of pocketthan you thought it would, you may not be prepared, emotionally or financially, to pay it. This is a bad outcome, obviously. The risk of nonpayment rises for the provider; and a recuperating patient is burdened with the stress of a large,unexpected bill.
More skin in the game
Soas consumers are paying more out of pocket, some may become reluctant to seek care (like my husband) or seek more information about what they willhaveto pay for the care they receive. Consumers are also armed with incredible levels of price transparency with other products—everything from hotel rooms to clothing to household items. With so much skin in the game, and the internet providing so much information, consumers’ expectations are changing when it comes to healthcare.
State and federal regulators are also beginning to take action, a trend that will likely accelerate. Most hospitals are now required to publicly disclose the prices they charge. This does not, however, solve the issue for consumers. While it provides a measure of visibility into pricing for insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid, it doesn’t show what share the patient will ultimately pay.
Making the complicated simple
The complexity of pricing in healthcare is well documented. Niall Brennan, CEO of the Health Care Cost Institute, a nonprofit that analyzes medical costs, suggests that healthcare costs are too high.As a recent Wall Street Journal article reported, a price of a C-section varied from $6,241 to$60,584 at one hospital. This all has to do with the vagaries of the agreements that hospitals sign with multiple insurance companies and government payers. In turn, each insurance company will have its own deductible and out-of-pocket schedules, which providers don’t have access to.
We are seeking to change this at Change Healthcare. We are piloting our Care Cost Estimator with a few innovative providers. With the Care Cost Estimator, weleverage our unique dataset, and the largest eligibility network in the industry, to make the unpredictable, predictable.Because we’ve managed 15 billion healthcare transactions—and our network covers 1 million physicians, 6,000 hospitals, and 2,400 payers—we have an unmatched ability to analyze what real-world patients are paying for practically any procedure, performed at almost any hospital or clinic.
With a cloud-based transaction engine, providers will now be able to tell their patients how much they will have to pay out of pocket for a given procedure.And this analysis takes place in real time.
Removing unpredictability in pricing
This gives providers the opportunity to offer added value for their patients, taking some unpredictability out of whatis often a stressful transaction. In addition, it accelerates patient payment cycles which, as the patient’s share of the cost burden increases, is becoming more and more important. We’re not talking $50 co-pays anymore; it’s thousands of dollars per transaction. If necessary, providers can also help the patient plan for the expense, offering financing options, thus reducing unpaid bills. For the patient, it allows more informed decision-making and peace of mind.
Testing the beta version of our Care Cost Estimator with our partners will allow us to receive real-world feedback and collaborate with customers on how to continuously improve the product as we scale it. We expect the ROI for providers, in addition to the payment-cycle improvements, will include greater patient satisfaction and loyalty. For the patient, it provides information necessary to help make proper decisions and plan emotionally and financially; in other words, giving the consumer the same information for vital healthcare transactions that’s available to them for practically any other purchase.
This kind of win-win solution is at the core of Change Healthcare’s mission to improve the healthcare experience for everyone—including my husband and his broken toe!
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Health Technology
Article | September 12, 2023
It is no doubt that the disappointment of a failed launch or campaign is one that is costly, especially in the healthcare industry. However, becoming acquainted with the possible flaws in your marketing strategy is the first way to remedy the situation and achieve your business goals.
With the new rise of post-pandemic integration of businesses into online systems, consumers have become more selective than ever when it comes to the brands they are willing to buy from and support. Healthcare businesses are re-orienting into greater awareness about their online presence and visibility.
No Marketing Strategy
The first mistake one could make is having no marketing strategy to begin with. Some healthcare businesses think that they can DIY their online content marketing strategy. I’m here to tell you that could not be farther from the truth. Putting strategy on the back burner is the equivalent of flushing money down the drain.
Having a custom marketing strategy that takes your readers through a journey on your website ending in your desired conversion is essential for success online. The same content strategy is one that needs to be implemented effectively across all your social media platforms, and used to hit your target audience at multiple touch points.
No Target Consumer
Generalising information and attempting to create content for everyone is the second most common mistake. A lack of targeted action is bound to decrease the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. One of the most essential parts of establishing a content strategy that increases your revenue, is specifying your target group. For a brand that sells health enhancing supplements, this could be 50-70 year old African American men and women who want to live longer and healthier.
The next step after identifying your target consumer, is to create an avatar profile that includes all details about your customer’s age, gender, marital status, income, residence, their daily struggles and needs and many more. Personalising the service and products you provide, and tailoring them in this way is going to get you more engagement and clicks, which will convert into red hot leads.
Inconsistent Branding
The third most common marketing mistake you may be making is lack of consistency with branding. This one is important because your reputation as a health business is vital to your success in the industry. Logos are meant to have stories behind them that constitute the mission that brought about the creation of your brand.
But it’s not just logos, every piece of content on your website needs to be created with your strategic business objectives and aims in mind. You need to question if your brand promise aligns fully with your values and the level of service you are providing to your consumer. How is your brand contributing to their lives in unique ways? Is your brand easily recognisable to your target consumers?
Ignoring Credibility
It comes as a surprise that most health brands often neglect this strong aspect of marketing their business. If your services are not fully supported with a backbone of credible subject matter experts who are well known in their communities, your brand will not be recognised as an authority in your field, adding to the growing mistrust that consumers already feel.
One way you can improve this is to reach out to the influencers your target consumer already follows and knows, and involve them as part of your outreach. This will increase brand awareness and lead to more sales and more trust.
Another factor to never underestimate, is the power of positive reviews. Consumers trust each other more than they trust you, so enabling them to have conversations involving your service or products, including the ability to give a rating, is the optimum for increasing engagement, building trust and brand loyalty.
Lack of Healthcare Specific Approach
This is where you can assess your website to see if the content there is appealing to your patients or customers. Is it accessible and simple to understand for the average person, or is it full of medical jargon and complicated, dense information?
Many businesses forget that the core purpose of the healthcare industry as a whole, is still ‘care’. So are you caring and catering to your consumers by providing not just any information, but the information that they are specifically looking for? Are you answering their questions and tending to their concerns in a way that they understand and comprehend? Are you enabling them and empowering them to make informed decisions about their health?
These are all aspects that help build a long-lasting relationship with your customer in which they consistently turn to your services and products, because you have made your marketing strategy centered around them. You have made it easy for them to get the help they need.
By regularly providing content that is useful and full of value, search engines will begin to automatically direct more traffic to your website.
Lack of Relevant Metrics
Regularly assessing and improving on the efficiency of your marketing initiatives, is what will propel your business into new heights.
In the words of H. James Harrington, “measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement”. You need to identify the metrics that directly correlate with your business objectives, and start actively examining them against your marketing campaign aims.
This will enable you to identify what messaging works on your consumers, leading to better outcomes for your campaigns.
The Bottom Line
Tweaking just one detail in your marketing strategy could be the key to multiplied revenue for your business. This is why it is important to work with experts in order to make sure you are aligned with your highest potential, enabling you to invest your time into the other aspects of your business that need it.If you would like to continue the conversation about how health content marketing could help your brand, feel free to reach out to me.
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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare
Article | August 21, 2023
Introduction
Within the last two years, the healthcare industry saw an influx in patient care as COVID-19 swept through communities across the globe. The widespread shortage of patient care tools, personal protective equipment (PPE), and medical technology amid the pandemic led to an exponential rise in health expenditures and demand for essential supplies.
In response to the medical demand-supply imbalance, the governments of numerous countries increased their medical care expenditures to counter the challenges of patient care equipment shortages. For instance, according to the National Healthcare Expenditure Data, federal government spending on healthcare and medical care grew by 36% in 2020 and is estimated to reach US$ 6.2 trillion by 2028 in the U.S.
Despite the rise in medical budget allocations, medical facilities are still facing difficulties obtaining enough supplies with the growing prevalence of numerous chronic, infectious, and hereditary diseases. As a result, organizations are focusing on deploying innovative solutions, such as healthcare supply chain management software, to keep track of inventory, procurement, logistics, and others and strengthen their supply chain.
Healthcare Supply Chain Management Solutions: Key Types
Healthcare systems, hospitals, and other patient care sites require a broad array of supplies to perform diagnosis and treatment, from masks and gloves to catheters and implants. Inadequate supplies coupled with inflation is making supply chain management a crucial but complex component in providing optimal patient care across the healthcare industry. This has shed more light on the role of supply chain management in saving lives.
Effective supply chains help various regulatory agencies, including medical goods manufacturers and insurance companies, deliver essential supplies, resources, technologies, and other patient care goods to healthcare establishments. Supply chain management solutions are thus garnering massive traction among healthcare organizations for simplifying and automating manual supply chain and logistics operations.
Let’s have a look at the types of supply chain management software that assist healthcare organizations to optimize their supply chain processes
Inventory Management Software
Efficient medical inventory management is critical for the running of healthcare organizations. The software provides real-time inventory tracking, assisting organizations in closely monitoring inventory changes, avoiding shortages of both low-value and high-use patient care items, decreasing the wait time for access to medical supplies, and reducing the chances of late delivery.
Order Management Software
It is crucial for healthcare establishments to have an estimate of the demand and supply of goods to prevent shortages. Order management software enables these organizations to coordinate supply chain demand planning and forecasting. It also assists in streamlining warehouse operations, resulting in faster and more accurate order placement.
Sourcing and Procurement Software
By tapping into the power of sourcing and procurement solutions, healthcare organizations can develop robust sourcing processes and automate, streamline, and optimize their entire procurement processes. The software also assists establishments in improving their supply inventory levels, identifying the best supplier, and reducing their overall purchasing cost.
Shipping and Tracking Software
Shipping and tracking software assist in the planning and execution of the physical movement of goods. These solutions are primarily used by medical equipment manufacturers and suppliers during the delivery or relocation of patient care goods. The integration of these solutions enables organizations to track and manage numerous batches of goods in transit.
The Bottom Line
Growing competition, healthcare regulations, shipping costs, and increased logistics requirements from medical institutions have complicated the supply chain management processes. As a result, life-science companies are investing in cutting-edge supply chain management solutions to reduce numerous errors, improve logistics, and eliminate unnecessary costs spent to fix them.
Thus, several companies are now emphasizing the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence and data analytics, into healthcare supply chain management software to reap benefits such as process automation, streamlined inventory, reduced waste, improved decision-making, and lower labor, supply, and operational costs.
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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare
Article | August 21, 2023
Discover the potential of EHR implementation in revolutionizing clinical processes. Uncover strategies for addressing EHR ethical issues, ensuring integration that prioritizes patient-centered care.
Amidst the fusion of healthcare and technology, integrating electronic health records (EHRs) has emerged as a transformative element in modern medical practice. As a digital repository for a patient's medical journey, EHRs present unprecedented prospects for elevated care quality, improved data accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, these advancements bring forth an array of EHR ethical issues that demand meticulous attention. In this context, establishing and adhering to the best practices for the ethical training of EHRs assumes paramount importance and a moral obligation. By skillfully navigating the intricate convergence of technology, patient confidentiality, and conscientious healthcare, these ethical EHR best practices illuminate the path toward a future where innovation and ethical principles harmoniously coexist.
1. Upholding Privacy and Confidentiality
Revealing a patient's information to external parties should strictly happen with the patient's explicit consent or within the parameters defined by legal regulations. Data stemming from clinical interactions is confidential and requires rigorous protection. The effective operation of EHRs requires authorized access by healthcare institutions, insurers, and related entities. Access by users is contingent upon predefined role-based privileges. The administrator identifies users, specifies the extent of information accessibility, and allocates exclusive usernames and passwords. Users must be conscientious about responsibly utilizing the information they access within their designated roles. Therefore, assigning user privileges plays a pivotal role in securing medical records. However, while regulating data access remains crucial, it doesn’t completely ensure confidentiality. Strengthening security through comprehensive privacy and security protocols remains essential for reinforcing patient data's inviolabilit.
2. Safeguarding Against Data Breaches
Ensuring patient privacy and safeguarding sensitive medical data is paramount in EHR ethical training. The imperatives of inadequate data security, encompassing compromised medical information, unauthorized access due to weak password safeguards, and the lack of encryption, accentuate the immediate need for a holistic approach. Employing strategies such as secure cloud storage, robust password protocols, two-factor authentication, and encryption is pivotal in enhancing data security, preventing the mishandling of patient records, and abiding by ethical standards. The potential legal and financial consequences of breaches underscore the criticality of these practices in maintaining patient trust and confidentiality within the digital healthcare domain.
3. EHR System Implementation
The integration of EHRs within healthcare organizations poses significant challenges, including resource waste, provider dissatisfaction, diminished patient trust, and potential safety risks. Successful EHR development, implementation, and upkeep demand substantial investment and collaboration among stakeholders, including clinicians, IT experts, educators, and consultants. Clinicians' active engagement is often underestimated, leading to the failure of EHR projects; therefore, clinician-led guidance is crucial in tasks such as EHR selection, workflow design, and quality improvement. Thoroughly mapping workflows before selecting an EHR is crucial, while maintaining user-friendly interfaces remains essential for success. Neglecting these aspects can reduce efficiency, compromise care, and increase safety threats. By prioritizing comprehensive planning, engaging clinicians, and optimizing user interfaces, healthcare institutions can ensure ethical and efficient EHR integration, ultimately enhancing patient care and safety.
4. Maintaining Data Accuracy
Upholding data accuracy stands as a fundamental principle in the ethical EHR domain. The integrity of information guarantees its unaltered and precise nature, contributing significantly to the enhancement of patient safety, reduction of healthcare errors, mitigation of health disparities, and betterment of public health. Nevertheless, concerns have been voiced regarding the reliability of data input into electronic records. The improper utilization of functionalities such as 'cut and paste' can lead to misleading portrayals of a patient's condition and treatment, breaching ethical standards. This practice poses elevated risks to patients and increases the liability of clinicians and institutions. Challenges also arise from drop-down menus that limit a clinician's choices, potentially giving rise to substantial errors, especially under time constraints. The collaborative efforts of clinicians and vendors can address software concerns, promoting user-friendly, reliable EHRs while tackling EHR ethical issues. Furthermore, data loss during transfers raises pertinent concerns about the accuracy of the database, a critical aspect as patient care decisions hinge on this data.
5. Guaranteeing Data Authenticity
The assurance of documentation integrity pertains to the accurate and precise nature of the comprehensive health record. This includes principles of information governance, identifying patients, validating authorship, handling amendments and corrections in records, and auditing documentation validity while submitting reimbursement claims. EHR tools offer flexible documentation options through the utilization of templates and smart phrases, assisting in precise record-keeping. However, if these tools are misused, doubts about data integrity can arise, making information unreliable and possibly raising concerns about fraudulent activity. Established policies and procedures, including audit functions, must be in place to ensure proper billing. With adequate safeguards, records may accurately represent the patient's condition at admission and over time. Providers must understand the importance of reviewing and refining default data to ensure that only patient-specific information for that visit is recorded. In contrast, irrelevant data from default templates is removed.
6. Validating Dictation to Prevent Errors
Voice recognition systems lacking a validation step pose considerable challenges in maintaining data accuracy and preventing documentation errors within organizations, particularly when it comes to ethical issues with electronic health records. EHR companies need to implement a protocol requiring providers to promptly assess, modify, and validate dictated information. Given these documents' frequent use and sharing, precise and high-quality documentation in EHR systems is of utmost significance. The adoption of EHRs has led to substantial shifts in provider workflows and documentation processes. However, providers still need to clearly outline or fully understand comprehensive best practices for maintaining high-quality documentation in EHRs. Advancements are necessary to enhance documentation tools and methods, with a renewed emphasis on the essential aspects of data accuracy and quality. This should precede the widespread implementation of interoperable health information exchange initiatives.
7. Ensuring Accurate Documentation
Maintaining the integrity of documentation is compromised when incorrect information finds its way onto the wrong patient's health record. Patient identification errors can influence clinical decisions, endanger patient safety, violate privacy and security, and lead to redundant testing and escalated expenses for patients as well as providers. The propagation of patient identification mistakes can rapidly expand within EHR, personal health records, and Health Information Exchange (HIE) networks as information disseminates. Failing to implement advanced front-end solutions that incorporate robust matching algorithms or innovative techniques like biometrics or fingerprinting can expose organizations to risk. EHRs can incorporate targeted alerts to anticipate safety problems, like blood type inconsistencies or allergies, during treatment, addressing EHR issues. Organizations must institute a patient identity integrity program, integrating performance improvement metrics to monitor error rates and duplicate records in their electronic master patient index. Policies and procedures must ensure the accuracy of critical demographic data, facilitating the linkage of records within and across systems. Addressing the initial point of data capture as a primary front-end verification is also vital within policies.
8. Preserving the Authenticity of Audit Trails
Effective audits are crucial to ensuring that the health record documentation aligns with the reported level of service, fulfills reimbursement requirements set by payers, and guarantees that only authorized personnel access patient medical records and make entries. The audit trail must encompass the user's name, the triggering application, workstation details, the specific document, a description of the audited event (such as amendments, corrections, or deletions), and the timestamp. This audit trail outlines modifications (including deletions) within the health record and provides auditors with a foundation for compliance audits. Inadequate audit trail functionality within EHRs raises concerns about the integrity of health record documentation, potentially exposing organizations to legal liabilities and inadvertently fostering or shielding criminal activities. It may become challenging to ascertain if corrections or amendments were executed, who authorized the changes, or the nature of the modifications. In addition to the inherent unintentional errors that documentation might encounter, audit trail functionality can aid in detecting instances where records are altered to obstruct the disclosure of detrimental information. Organizations can utilize EHR trends to leverage audit trail features for identifying and analyzing patterns in health record usage. Typically, users can generate reports over specific time frames categorized by provider or provider type, with results directed to a compliance committee or the organization's governing body.
9. Fostering Compliance Awareness
Enhancing ethical EHR training involves a strategic focus on ensuring providers are well-versed in compliance and legal risks, starting from the EHR training phase. To address EHR problems, organizations should implement educational initiatives aimed at mitigating compliance issues. Staff education must emphasize the integrity of health record documentation, with a continuous program monitored and provided quarterly or annually. Addressing the 'who, what, why, and how' ensures a solid grasp of organizational practices that uphold individual best practices, encompassing identifying potential fraud, universal and administrative security measures, data validity, authorship, continual education's significance, and strategies for daily fraud prevention.
10. Conducting Feedback Sessions
Contrary to common assumptions, ongoing training is essential post-EHR implementation. After installing the EHR and initiating patient interactions, challenges inevitably emerge—be it staff unfamiliarity with functions or the need to revamp workflow processes. Promptly identifying these concerns to prevent errors and swiftly resolving them involves collecting feedback from EHR users among the staff, particularly in relation to EHR ethical issues. During the weeks after the system's launch, contemplate arranging routine meetings to gather insights. Ensuring diverse representation, including clinical staff, physicians, administrators, billing, and front desk personnel, is crucial. Seek input on their adaptation to changes and areas requiring improvement. Determine if specific training concepts need reinforcement. Surveys can be used in place of frequent meetings. Subsequently, prioritizing problem areas aids focused resolution by promptly addressing critical matters. The introduction of incremental changes helps staff adapt to the EHR seamlessly, safeguarding patient care continuity during the transition.
The Path Ahead
Following these ethical EHR training best practices ensures the accuracy and reliability of patient data, leading to improved clinical decision-making and patient safety. By maintaining documentation integrity, professionals can confidently provide quality care and reduce the risk of errors. Ethical EHR training further strengthens compliance with legal regulations, safeguarding both the organization as well as the healthcare provider from potential legal liabilities. Moreover, adhering to best practices promotes efficient workflows, enhancing productivity, and streamlining operations. Patient trust and confidence are strengthened as professionals demonstrate their commitment to data security, confidentiality, and ethical conduct. Ultimately, by upholding ethical EHR training standards, professionals contribute to a robust healthcare system by fostering positive patient outcomes, maintaining trust, and supporting the principles of ethical healthcare delivery.
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