U.S. health care has lagged behind other industries in using Information Technology (IT) to provide consumers with services that are innovative, consistent, and affordable and that improve clinical outcomes. Recently, however, U.S. health care has begun to see IT as a significant enabler of care quality, operational efficiency, and business agility, instead of just a tool to control costs. This change in mindset is being spurred, in part, by two landmark pieces of legislation passed by Congress in the last 15 months.

Last year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) allocated billions of dollars for health care IT advancement by providing incentives to hospitals and providers who deploy Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and use them in a "meaningful manner." In addition, a number of provisions found within the sweeping health care insurance reform legislation approved by Congress in March will further accelerate the adoption of IT by health care organizations for the foreseeable future.

Major portions of this legislation encourage, or in some cases mandate, that U.S. health care organizations -- both providers and payers -- electronically capture large amounts of clinical and financial data as part of their day-to-day operations. The legislation then requires that health care organizations use this data to deploy robust Clinical Decision Support (CDS) capabilities whose goals include improving quality, accessibility, and affordability for all Americans.

In brief, clinical decision support aims to provide medical providers and their patients with what the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) calls "the Five Rights:" 1) the right information; 2) to the right person; 3) in the right format; 4) through the right channel; 5) at the right point in the clinical workflow.

When properly architected, deployed, and accepted (a major task in itself) CDS can:
* detect potential safety and quality problems and help prevent them;
* detect inappropriate utilization of services, medications, and supplies;
* foster the greater use of evidence-based medicine principles and guidelines;
* organize, optimize and help operationalize the details of a plan of care; and
* ensure that the best clinical knowledge and recommendations are utilized to improve health management decisions by clinicians and patients.

In addition, CDS can assist an organization in meeting national reporting goals, certifications, pay-for-performance initiatives, as well as interoperability and health exchanges, among other things.

Over the years, numerous studies have shown that CDS prevents errors, reduces adverse health events, and improves quality through the use of physician alerts, reminders, care appropriate reference materials and tailored forms and order sets. Meeting the quality goals set forth in the recent healthcare legislation -- especially the criteria for obtaining the financial incentives offered for meaningful use of EHRs -- has catapulted Clinical Decision Support to the top of most health care CEOs' agendas. This heightened focus will certainly increase the amount of money and resources allocated to CDS design and deployment in the coming years.

Organizations willing to spend the money and time to deploy or enhance their CDS capability in 2010 will be in a position to reap the benefits offered by this landmark legislation well into the future.

-- Burzinski is the director of the Health Care IT practice and the IT Business Consulting practice at Skyline Technologies. If you are looking for more information on meaningful use, CDS, or other recent health care legislation related to IT, Tom can be reached at 920-593-3651 or tburzinski@skylinetechnologies.com.

Labels: Tom_Burzinski