We're starting to see more validation for EHR implementation from multiple organizations and different segments of the healthcare delivery system. This is good news.
The American Health Information Management Association's (AHIMA) Long-Term and Post-Acute Care (LTPAC) Health Information Technology (HIT) Summit was held the first week of July in Baltimore. The topic was how health IT can impact LTPAC settings.
One trend that was highlighted is the movement from long-term care facilities to home- and community-based care, which is being fueled by the lower cost of care at home and the desire for patients to be at home rather than in a facility.
In order to facilitate coordination of care, partnerships that include caregivers across the spectrum need to be made. A major theme of the summit was that EHRs and interoperability of health IT would be required to provide continuity of care. When you have multiple healthcare providers and venues of care, you need patient data to be real time and accessible to all relevant providers to deliver the best and most efficient care possible.
It was pointed out that LTPAC providers were not included in the federal stimulus program, and perhaps that should be changed by HHS and ONC sooner rather than later. This trend toward community- and home-based impacts Medicare recipients and as the Medicare population expands, so, too, will the need for this model of care. So here's my vote that HHS should include LTPAC in the incentive program.
If you're an LTPAC provider, give us your thoughts on the value of EHRs and interoperable health IT systems, and on your ability to participate in the federal stimulus program.
