Current health IT systems aren’t equipped to adequately manage population health, prompting researchers to call on health leaders to close those gaps by expanding data collection efforts.
To do this, healthcare leaders must embrace new data sources that integrate behavioral and social factors with existing clinical data, according to a commentary published in The American Journal of Managed Care. MACRA has placed more pressure on providers to use health information technology systems to address population health needs through laws, but existing data collection and analytics systems are ill-equipped to manage that task because they focus solely on health outcomes data rather than a broad range of influential factors such as housing, nutritional habits, socioeconomic status and geographic location.
Although health information exchanges (HIEs) have established a framework for sharing health data, the number of public exchanges has declined in recent years, prompting more hospitals to invest in privately run HIEs.
Data collection and sharing efforts often focus on important health outcomes such as mortality, but rarely incorporate information that would close population health gaps. Recently, however, South Carolina and Arkansas have taken steps to incorporate behavioral health data into HIEs.
The researchers note that although the capabilities exist to collect and analyze this additional information, it’s up to health leaders to forge those partnerships, particularly with increased pressure from the federal government to address population health needs.
“As organizations become accountable for population health, their leaders will need to initiate collaborations and agreements with nontraditional partners to obtain, share, and use social indicators and service information in order to optimally leverage health IT resources in pursuit of enhanced healthcare and population health,” the researchers wrote.
Health experts have said population health gains require robust analytics and more mobile health integration, while policy experts have advocated for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to gather more data on social risk factors. Studies also show that strong community health networks are critical to making long-term improvements to population health.
Mifumo ya sasa ya IT ya afya haijajiandaa kusimamia afya ya idadi ya watu kwa kutosha, na kuhimiza watafiti kuwaomba viongozi wa afya kufunga mapungufu hayo kwa kupanua juhudi za ukusanyaji data. "Kwa hivyo, viongozi wa huduma za afya lazima wakumbatie vyanzo vipya vya data ambavyo vinajumuisha mambo ya tabia na kijamii na data zilizopo za kliniki, kulingana na maoni yaliyochapishwa katika ""Jarida la Marekani la Huduma Iliyosimamiwa.""" "Makra imeweka shinikizo zaidi kwa watoa huduma kutumia mifumo ya teknolojia ya habari ya afya ili kukabiliana na mahitaji ya afya ya idadi ya watu kupitia sheria, lakini mifumo ya sasa ya ukusanyaji wa data na uchambuzi haijasajiliwa vizuri kusimamia kazi hiyo kwa sababu inazingatia tu matokeo ya afya badala ya idadi kubwa ya mambo ya ushawishi kama vile makazi, tabia za lishe, hali ya kijamii na kiuchumi na eneo la kijiografia. """ Ingawa kubadilishana kwa habari za afya (HIEs) imeanzisha mfumo wa kushiriki data za afya, idadi ya kubadilishana kwa umma imepungua katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, ikisababisha hospitali zaidi kuwekeza katika HIEs za kibinafsi. Jitihada za kukusanya na kushiriki data mara nyingi huzingatia matokeo muhimu ya afya kama vile vifo, lakini mara chache hujumuisha habari ambayo ingefunga mapungufu ya afya ya idadi ya watu. Hata hivyo, hivi karibuni, jimbo la South Carolina na Arkansas limechukua hatua za kuingiza data za afya ya tabia katika HIE. Watafiti wanasema kuwa ingawa uwezo wa kukusanya na kuchambua habari hii ya ziada upo, ni juu ya viongozi wa afya kuunda ushirikiano huo, haswa na shinikizo la kuongezeka kutoka kwa serikali ya shirikisho kushughulikia mahitaji ya afya ya idadi ya watu. "Kama mashirika kuwa na uwajibikaji kwa afya ya idadi ya watu, viongozi wao itabidi kuanzisha ushirikiano na makubaliano na washirika wa kawaida kupata, kushiriki, na kutumia viashiria vya kijamii na huduma ya habari ili kupanua vyema rasilimali za IT za afya katika kutafuta huduma ya afya iliyoimarishwa na afya ya idadi ya watu. """ Wataalamu wa afya wanasema kuwa faida za afya ya idadi ya watu zinahitaji uchambuzi thabiti na ushirikiano zaidi wa afya ya rununu, wakati wataalamu wa sera wametetea Vituo vya Huduma za Medicare na Medicaid kukusanya data zaidi juu ya sababu za hatari ya kijamii. Uchunguzi pia unaonyesha kwamba mitandao imara ya afya ya jamii ni muhimu kwa kufanya maboresho ya muda mrefu kwa afya ya idadi ya watu.