Friday, August 30, 2024

Why aren’t we using the data we know we have to improve patient outcomes?

“Even internally, collaborating [on data] can be tough with privacy and protection requirements.” — Alexander Gusev, PhD

Efficient and scalable data flows are critical to every industry, and health care is no different. Data are one of the biggest challenges in improving patient outcomes in health care. The efficiency and scalability of any data flow is impacted by data security, privacy, governance and the overall maturity of data operations of those involved. Of course, personal health information is a protected data type, and the flow of these data is neither efficient nor scalable due to the bulky and manual processes required to satisfy security and privacy requirements. To simplify the conversion, we’ll divide data flows into two categories: direct data flows when providing direct health care services and indirect data flows to research groups identifying breakthroughs to be used by care providers in delivering better services.


Direct care: Sharing data between facilities


Direct care is when a care provider needs data from another care provider to treat a common patient.

Let’s say a patient has a heart monitor installed at a provider in California. While traveling in New York, this patient experiences chest pains and goes to the emergency room, as instructed. The facility in New York will most likely have to manually reach out to the California facility to coordinate access to the data. In some cases, it may be faster for the New York facility to rerun the same tests rather than wait for the process required for data sharing to occur.

Many facilities transfer sensitive data via fax, and requests are manual rather than self-service. Delays or failures in getting answers to critical questions can reduce the quality of patient outcomes.


Direct care: Delivering living health plans and care


CVS and other notable health care giants have been working toward a goal of a new type of living health care. The idea is that we can keep people healthier for longer if patients engage with health professionals before issues become problems. This type of service requires access to a wide range of personal and health data that we have but are strewn across various services, organizations and infrastructures: lab tests, genomic data, Internet of Things devices such as wearables, sleep trackers, scales and more. To accomplish such a goal, these health giants must figure out how to efficiently store, share and use these highly sensitive data while meeting compliance requirements.

Advanced models will be used to process all these data to come up with care instructions to improve the lifespan and health of patients. Living health plans could include preventive lifestyle changes such as a focus on high-quality sleep, which requires attention to gut health, diet, exercise and mental health. Living health would also benefit by incorporating recent breakthroughs in early detection of issues as we see with the study of pathogens, cancers and diseases at a genomic level as studied at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Atlanta Genome Project and others. The problem at every step is not that the data do not exist but that they are very difficult to gain access to. This access typically takes time and requires processes like deidentification that reduce data quality and, therefore, insight quality and accuracy.


Indirect care: Discovering medical breakthroughs to improve patient outcomes


Indirect care is when medical researchers, pharmaceuticals and more need patient data (often, real-world data) to improve everything from early detection to treatments and cures. Naturally, care providers benefit from and want to support these breakthroughs but are challenged by the time, resources and regulations involved in such data sharing. In addition, requirements around data sharing for indirect care are far more stringent than for direct.

Essentially, improving areas like disease detection, prevention and treatment requires that care providers share data from real-world patients (as opposed to screened clinical trial participants); this is called real-world data (RWD). RWD must be analyzed for researchers and pharmaceutical organizations to discover medical improvements and breakthroughs that can then be passed to the care providers.

In talking with various researchers, the common challenge isn’t the value of what will be done with the data but getting care providers to trust that we can and will protect the data.


Improving patient outcomes with PETs-enabled solutions


There is a segment of technologies called privacy enhancing technologies (PETs). Such technologies span advanced cryptographic methods as well as hardware solutions. The various PETs are not in competition with each other but serve different purposes. In many cases, combining multiple PETs is the solution. Raw technologies themselves require deep expertise and time to leverage. The health care ecosystem needs a solution that operationalizes these technologies in a software layer that institutions can easily deploy and use.

“Now, [with PETs-enabled solutions] we can start recruiting other collaborators to show that it can work in a plug-and-play way for these hospitals…that will lead us to participation from far more institutions,” says Alexander Gusev, PhD, lead researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

For direct care, PETs-enabled solutions allow providers to obtain information about patients in a secure and more self-service way. Another example would be to address the difficulty in using and sharing unstructured data: e.g., MRIs, X-rays, doctors’ notes fields. With PETs-enabled workflows, doctors at any facility will submit an MRI to an artificial intelligence model trained on tens of thousands of MRIs from many facilities to quickly receive a diagnosis based on the most recent medical discoveries. This could require a combination of PETs such as confidential computing infrastructure and federated learning to create a confidential federated learning flow to support the many disparate data sources while protecting both the model and data while these insights are generated.

Providers can use this new confidential federated learning for indirect care to train new models across data sets from multiple medical centers. This approach optimizes models for disease identification (e.g., cancer identification) while ensuring that data never leave their premises, thus remaining protected. This combination of PETs protects the model weights sent to the global server for aggregation, providing a robust, secure solution.

Every industry in the world is data-driven. The speed and scale of data operations must not sacrifice security or privacy. Traditional methods of using data leave companies vulnerable to breaches, like those experienced by UnitedHealth, 23andMe and many more. These breaches give pause to people being asked for consent for additional use and distribution of their data. PETs are specifically designed to protect data while in use, which not only closes major vulnerabilities and allows people to confidently provide consent but accelerates the work we already do while unlocking the value of data not previously accessible.

15% Off Medical Practice Supplies


VIEW ALL



Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Yellow)


Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Bright Orange)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Yellow)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Blue)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - White)


VIEW ALL




Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Low-tech solutions to a high-frequency problem

I recently was a customer at Chick-fil-A and ordered a vanilla milkshake. I was given a cup holder and told that the drink would be delivered to my table. I looked at the cup, thinking there may be a computer chip in the bottom indicating the table to provide the drink, like what was provided at Fridays and Chilies with their electronic paging systems. (BTW, this electronic paging system has been successfully used in hospital emergency rooms, pharmacies, and hospital admission offices.) After scrutiny of the cup, I couldn't find anything indicating how the cup could locate the customer who ordered the drink. Within a few minutes, the drink was correctly delivered, and the cup was removed and returned to the counter. Do you have any idea how this was accomplished?

The Chick-fil-A solution was a brilliantly effective low-tech method: the cups were color-coded and matched the receipts, ensuring the correct drink was delivered to the right customer. This simple yet powerful concept can be easily applied to healthcare, boosting our confidence in the potential of low-tech solutions to improve our practices.

Nearly every day in practice, I have had several pharmaceutical representatives visit my office. I know there are a significant number of physicians who decide to be a "no-see" doctor. On the other hand, I find value in the representative's visit, which consists of more than the samples they leave behind. My approach is to make an informal "contract" with the representatives that I agree to see them on time. However, I request an email or written note indicating what they would like to discuss on their visit and how long they anticipate the visit will be. I review their note and let them know that I accept their request and provide them with a time that I am willing to see them. Now, how do I make sure they stick to the time allotted? I have a low-tech solution: an hourglass, which I start dripping sand when they sit down in my office. To date, there have been no negative comments about using the hourglass. I think this use of the hourglass subliminally lets the representative know they are "on the clock." Rarely has a representative exceeded the time allocated to their visit with this low-tech technique, which serves as a simple solution in keeping the representative focused on their message.

Bottom line: While high-tech solutions have their place, let's recognize the power of simple, low-tech solutions to enhance our communication, learning, and relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. I urge you to try this inexpensive hourglass. It's a small tool that can make a big difference in keeping the pharmaceutical representative on time and focused with their message. Let's foster a community of collaboration and innovation in improving our practices.

15% Off Medical Practice Supplies


VIEW ALL



Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Yellow)


Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Bright Orange)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Yellow)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Blue)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - White)


VIEW ALL




Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Matching the right patient engagement strategy to your specialty

As healthcare technology continues to evolve, patient expectations are shifting, with patients increasingly placing value on engagement. Now more than ever, patients want to be fully involved in their care process, with physicians who are just as fully engaged and committed to their care. In fact, 67% of respondents to a survey by ModMed found it important that their doctors are personable and engaged.

To meet these evolving demands, more private practices have developed new strategies to enhance patient engagement, from providing self-scheduling options to convenient payment options. However, patient engagement should go beyond just administrative work and scheduling appointments. Given the direct impact these strategies have on clinical health outcomes, it’s important to understand there is no one-size fits all approach. To enhance patient satisfaction and improve overall outcomes, private practices have to leverage the right forms of patient engagement based on the unique needs and nuances of their specific specialty.


Enhancing patient education in surgical specialties


For surgical specialties, placing an emphasis on effective patient education is key to achieving optimal health outcomes. In ophthalmology for example, preoperative anxiety can often lead to post-surgery dissatisfaction, making it even more critical to foster a strong relationship where patients feel like they are part of their own care process right from the beginning.

Before surgery, physicians should lay the proper groundwork and ensure their patients fully understand the nuances of the procedure, their treatment plans, and expected outcomes. One key way physicians can facilitate this full process is by providing patients with the right educational tools to fully understand the stages of their care journey.

Polling suggests that while around 94 percent of patients crave educational material, about a third don’t have access to the resources they are looking for. Providing patients with physical handouts and online digital resources that detail information on their different options for surgeries, what the type of surgery entails, and what they can expect during the post-op period is a simple, yet effective, way to ensure they feel confident about their procedure. While all of this information is critical to communicate during actual appointments, asynchronous materials also enable patients to seamlessly share information and educate the caretakers and family members who will be involved in their recovery process.

As patient expectations evolve, we’re also seeing more desire for educational materials to be visual and interactive. Leveraging the right software platform that allows patients to visualize surgical treatments and results can also go a long way in elevating patient trust. Research suggests that the use of digital aids in consultants before cataract surgery, for example, can help enhance patient knowledge, reduce anxiety and improve the overall decision-making process.

These asynchronous tools are valuable for ongoing patient reassurance, but of course, the art of direct communication cannot be overlooked — especially during the recovery process. Actively engaging with patients via telehealth appointments or direct secure messaging during the post-op period helps ensure patients are not experiencing any complications, allows them to ask any questions, and further builds provider-patient trust.


Empowering patients through automation


For specialties where long-term patient adherence is a major factor in driving positive health outcomes, it’s imperative patients not only have access to the right resources to fully understand their care, but also avenues that streamline the communication process and empower them to make more informed decisions. Patients are the most critical member of their own healthcare team, and the data shows when patients are involved in their care decisions, they experience a higher level of satisfaction.

This is where the significance of utilizing the right technology for your practice comes into the picture. Patients want direct two-way communication with their care providers, and lest they start sharing their personal phone numbers with patients, patient engagement platforms can fill that void. In specialties like allergy and immunology, for example, where patients regularly take medication and follow treatment plans to manage their ongoing conditions, the right practice management software with built-in digital engagement tools is key in navigating patients through their care journey.

Online 24/7 patient portals, for example, ensure patients have access to the right resources at all times, including handouts and materials related to their medications, allergy testing and other information pertaining to their in-person visits. These portals also provide patients with the opportunity to actively ask pertinent questions or raise any concerns, enabling them to become a consistent participant in their own care.

These solutions also pose significant benefits on the provider side. Leveraging a software solution with built-in, automated e-prescribing tools that can remember provider preferences and generate new prescriptions not only promotes medication adherence, but also allows providers to actively monitor patient conditions efficiently. Through the power of automation, providers can save several hours per week that would otherwise be spent on manually formulating allergy prescriptions, allowing them more time to spend on necessary face-to-face patient communication.

Emerging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) also have the potential to enhance and streamline patient engagement even further — for patients, providers, and even front-office staff. While we’re already seeing the implementation of AI throughout the healthcare space to improve operational efficiency and reduce administrative burden, conversational AI tools such as ChatGPT may be able to streamline patient education even further by helping to field patient questions.


Personalizing your practice approach


It’s easy for practice owners to get wrapped up in the idea that just implementing the latest cutting-edge technology is the most straightforward solution to enhancing patient satisfaction. But effective patient engagement begins with the understanding that using one approach won’t move the needle for either the patient or the provider. Leveraging the right technology that streamlines patient communication and education, while also enabling providers to tailor approaches to meet every patient’s unique needs, is the first step in crafting a truly effective patient engagement strategy.

15% Off Medical Practice Supplies


VIEW ALL



Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Yellow)


Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Bright Orange)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Yellow)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Blue)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - White)


VIEW ALL