Recent years have seen the introduction of health information technology (HIT) solutions to help data and knowledge flow seamlessly and securely between caregivers, patients and pharmacies. Personal health records, electronic medical records, Web-based tools that allow patients to communicate safely with physicians, and electronic prescribing are changing the way care is conceived and delivered. However, while the technology is available, its implementation has been scattered and inconsistent.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) and Cleveland Clinic in Florida envision a future where electronic medical records and other technologies are as available as MRIs, and our organizations have taken significant steps to promote the wider adoption of HIT applications. Ultimately, technology offers the possibility of more efficient and cost-effective care on every level, while engaging consumers in their medical decisions. The Benefits of HIT If todays information technology tools were consistently used throughout the health care system, patients could make more informed decisions based on quality, cost and risk. Physicians could make diagnoses more efficiently, offer treatments more quickly, and could focus on life-saving and cost-saving preventive care. HIT represents an electronic pathway to care that is unarguably patient focused. The value and promise of technology is well understood among health care experts, and the federal government has affirmed this fact with the inclusion of $19 billion in the recent economic stimulus bill to fund HIT implementation on a wider scale. Perhaps the most transformative aspect of this technology-based approach to managing care is its impact on consumers. By giving members access to their health records on-line, along with easy to use Web-based tools that allow them to understand test results and recommended courses of treatment, we can help consumers become advocates for their own care. Insurers are providing a wealth of information on-line for patients so they can collaborate with their physicians to select the care that is right for them. BCBSF was the first payer in Florida to introduce e-medicine, allowing patients and physicians to engage in e-visits and communicate securely about health care issues. By arming consumers with knowledge, technology motivates them to pursue the benefits of healthy living, preventive care and good health care choices. In 2006, Cleveland Clinic in Florida launched eCleveland Clinic MyChart®, a secure, online health management tool that allows patients to view portions of their medical records as released by their physicians, request or cancel appointments, request prescription renewals, and receive important health-related reminders. Cleveland Clinic’s electronic medical record creates a complete patient record that is accessible across all Cleveland Clinic inpatient and outpatient facilities, while the online tool eCleveland Clinic Dr. Connect® allows community physicians to access patient information and track their care during treatment at Cleveland Clinic in Florida. A discussion of record keeping and information technology platforms may seem removed from frontline patient issues that involve life and death medical decisions, but in fact, the relationship is very real. The Institute of Medicine has reported that medication errors, many of which stem from incomplete or inaccurate medical records, lead to approximately 3 million adverse drug reactions each year, harming an estimated 1.5 million patients annually. Studies also demonstrate that patients often do not receive recommended courses of care and treatment, suggesting that if medical histories were more closely monitored and readily available, needed care and subsequent cost-savings would follow. Realizing the Future While steadily increasing the use of electronic records and e-prescribing is extremely valuable, BCBSF and Cleveland Clinic believe that true success cannot be achieved unless there is a wholesale and complete commitment to HIT. For caregivers, this means that Web-based health records must be as common as the file cabinet has been for the last century. For patients, it means that tracking health information, and understanding the costs involved, should be as easy as booking airline tickets or shopping for a new car online. The health care industry must work together to make HIT solutions appealing and understandable for patients, indispensable for providers, and interchangeable among insurers. Ultimately, technology can help light the road to real health care reform, by engaging consumers, improving efficiency and cutting health care costs.
