Providers face these practice management data challenges far too often:
- Various databases for patient medications and lab work.
- Separate billing software for payment.
- Disconnected appointment scheduling platforms.
These independent systems are examples of the dreaded “data silos,” a reality for many healthcare providers.
With a siloed or isolated system, it is difficult for the physician to map the patient’s healthcare journey. Because of this issue, patients are expected to oversee their healthcare as best they can.
This blog reveals a clear picture of what data silos are, how they impact patient care delivery, and the importance of breaking down these silos. Additionally, we’ll explain some of the current best practices being used to dissolve data silos in healthcare and how this leads to better health outcomes, improved data management, and patient satisfaction.
Data Silos: What Are They?
“Fragmented care delivery is a barrier to improving health system performance worldwide,” according to The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific. What is the most common reason for fragmented care?
Data silos.
Data silos are created because of disparate healthcare systems that use inconsistent platforms and workflow processes. When different tech and systems are used within a single practice, the result is siloed data that is difficult to share and integrate. Next, we discuss three ways silos affect today’s practices.
How Silos in Healthcare Affect Patients and Practices
Patient misinformation and frustration. Healthcare organizations spend $1.3M annually on patient identity resolution. This inaccurate data is often caused by systems not being centralized. Without this interoperability, there is a higher risk of errors. If providers cannot get a holistic view of someone’s medical history, it is not only frustrating for the patient but can also result in dangerous health outcomes.
For example, patient misidentification can lead to medical errors due to X-rays, prescriptions, and more being connected to duplicate or wrong records. One study found that errors account for around 70% of adverse patient outcomes.
Major burnout. Providers experience high levels of job stress when they are expected to provide care based on incomplete information or to be responsible for piecing together medical history from different systems. They want to focus on patient care, not on repetitive paperwork.
Higher costs and reputation risks. Poor patient outcomes due to lack of data availability or patient misinformation may also bring added costs. For example, hospital readmissions can occur because of patient misdiagnosis. Silos in healthcare are also a waste of money and time. Here’s how:
- Different departments may duplicate efforts to collect and store the same data.
- Patient record and billing inaccuracies can be costly to fix.
- Data silos pose challenges to HIPAA compliance and can lead to fines and damage to the provider’s reputation.
Providers recognize the importance of a holistic approach to patient care. Using software solutions to dismantle silos in healthcare plays a large role in reaching this goal.
Why Disrupting Healthcare Silos Matter and How to Do It
How can practices break down silos within their practices? It starts with innovative data integration solutions. Before revealing these strategies, let’s review the benefits of blending data through advanced technology:
- Improved diagnoses and outcomes. Improving care coordination between different healthcare providers and specialties, such as hospitals and pharmacies, improves patient outcomes. Patients also experience better satisfaction, resulting in increased trust and loyalty.
- Streamlined workflows reduce burnout. Streamlining data workflows allows for automating routine tasks, such as scheduling appointments and billing. Providers and medical staff experience greater job satisfaction when concentrating on patient care rather than burdensome tasks.
- Sound data access and security: Privacy is a significant concern when sharing data. An integrated system is more secure than siloed systems since centralized data management enables better control over permissions and privacy regulations, such as HIPAA. With an integrated system, the risk of data breaches of separate systems is reduced by deploying security tools and alerts.
- Cost savings. Better patient data leads to early interventions and fewer costly emergency department trips and readmissions. Integrated systems reduce costs by streamlining administrative tasks, eliminating clerical errors, and reducing the time spent looking for information in multiple systems.
Increase Connected Care with the Right Software
To sync workflows, providers first need to evaluate current systems to pinpoint weaknesses and limitations that lead to silos in healthcare. Some signs that point to this issue include:
- Different departments report inconsistent data.
- IT teams are not able to find or access relevant data.
- End users discover that data sets need to be updated.
- Unexpected IT costs suddenly happen.
Once providers pinpoint data silos, they can move on to increasing connected care. One way is to ensure that electronic health records (EHR) are standardized. Adopting standards like Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), set by HL7, promotes healthcare data exchange between systems, such as EHRs and other applications.
Another way to disrupt silos is to choose the right software solutions. Below, we list three options to help practices prevent silos and synchronize workflows.
1.Utilize cloud-based solutions
Cloud integration offers many benefits that can help address data silos. Unlike traditional systems where data is scattered across different departments and locations, cloud solutions offer providers the option to store all their data in a single unified depository. Here are a few benefits:
- Access to medical databases, imaging, diagnoses, and billing is possible at any time.
- Workflows are streamlined, and new work models and collaboration options can be expanded.
- Uninterrupted data sharing, benefiting medical staff from improved efficiency.
- Scalability and flexibility allow providers to scale their data storage capabilities without considerable financial costs.
2. Invest in an integrated EHR system
Implementing integrated electronic health records (EHR) is vital for consolidating patient data across various healthcare providers, specialists, and other organizations. When choosing an appropriate EHR system, look for solutions that allow for smooth integration among different databases and platforms.
For example, the DrChronos system is a fully integrated EMR, patient engagement, and billing platform, whether on an iPhone, iPad, or the web. The system offers integrated practice management software that can be customized to meet the unique needs of any organization. For example, the system provides customizable appointment profiles with predetermined time blocks and medical billing codes.
The benefits of integrated EHR systems do not end with just billing appointment scheduling features; other advantages include:
Closing gaps. Integrated solutions also bridge gaps between patients and providers, allowing better communication. For example, DrChrono offers features powered by the platform Updox. One solution is the Broadcast Messaging tool that providers use to quickly reach patients and keep them up to date on the latest news and services from a practice. Providers can send messages to patients at once or segment groups based on demographics or diagnoses.
360-degree patient view. Integrated EHRs also help offer a holistic patient view, improving outcomes and safety. For example, in DrChrono EHR, eRx is automatically compared with the patient’s medication chart to detect any drug-drug or drug-allergy interactions that may prove dangerous or even fatal to the patient.
3. Adopt HIPAA-compliant software
To increase connected care, make sure your software is HIPPA-compliant. For example, the DrChrono EHR offers a telehealth platform that is both compliant and secure. Their Security Policy makes stringent efforts to ensure data security and fully comply with all HIPAA regulations.
Some security measures include SSL AES 256-bit encryption (the highest level currently available commercially), internal policies that keep patient data private and confidential, and digital certificates. DrChrono also offers a HIPAA-compliant portal, OnPatient, for appointment scheduling and many other practice management tasks.
With this tool, patients can:
- Schedule and update visits
- Sign consent forms before appointments
- Conduct video visits from their iOS device
- Onboard patients (in the office) with custom forms and online check-in
Providers can also conduct telehealth visits directly from their iPhone, iPad, or desktop while sending prescriptions, lab orders, and other tasks. All information is automatically associated with a new or existing patient’s electronic health record.
A Clear Path Forward
Aggregating siloed data sets through health information technology can feel like a monumental challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. Embracing strategies to optimize data access through software solutions such as cloud-based and integrated EHR platforms can lead to improved patient health outcomes, streamlined workflows, better security, enhanced insights, and cost savings.
Breaking down data silos is crucial for gaining a competitive edge. By adopting these strategies and best practices, providers can promote seamless data access and data interoperability, improving patient care and operational efficiency for years to come.
