In the era of healthcare reform, care coordination is gaining attention as a tangible way to improve the delivery of care resources. Simply put, care coordination, which is the prime responsibility of case managers who work across the health services spectrum, ensures that patients get the appropriate care at the right time by the correct provider.
Now, care coordination is getting a boost from IT tools, particularly electronic health records (EHR), which have the potential to improve the quality and efficiency of care coordination. To be most effective, however, access to EHR must be available to all members of a patient's healthcare team.
Ideally, a single health record improves care coordination by allowing all healthcare team members to view a single record, which eliminates duplicate documentation. It helps prevent duplication of services as all team members can view the patient's single treatment plan. An EHR also increases care coordination efficiency as the record is available to all healthcare team members real time. Furthermore, using an EHR that can be accessed by all parties eliminates security concerns around electronic transfer of data.
The reality, however, is that even as healthcare providers implement their EHRs restrictions pose bottlenecks in the system. For example, some organizations will not give case managers/care coordinators who work as outside consultants access to their EHR. The concern is that by giving a case manager the ability to retrieve medical records electronically for a specific patient, he/she would then be able to view other patient information. Although many providers lack the technical expertise or budget to implement EHR safeguards, steps can be taken to improve EHR access while protecting security and confidentiality.
Allowing all members of the healthcare team—case managers, providers, and insurers—to work from a single health record eliminates the fragmentation caused by multiple records. Errors and miscommunication can be greatly reduced. The end result will be improved quality and timely care for the patient.
Felizitas Devine, RN, MS, MBA, CCM is a Commissioner for the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC), the oldest and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies case managers (www.ccmcertification.org). She is also a consultant with Healthcare Technology Management Services (HTMS), an Emdeon company. Contact her at fdevine@htms.com
