269678 Use of Health IT to Support Accountable Care

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 2:30 PM - 2:50 PM

Jason Goldwater, MA, MPA , eHealth Initiative, Washington, DC
The implementation of a strong health information technology (health IT) system is essential to the functions of all accountable care organizational models (ACOMs). Specifically, in the final regulations, CMS recognized that ACOMs with more IT infrastructure integrated into clinical practice will likely find it easier to be successful under the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Likewise, as healthcare providers gain more experience with EHR technology, CMS will reconsider using certified EHR technology as an additional reporting mechanism used by ACOMs under the Medicare Shared Savings Program. The success of ACOMs will therefore be dependent, in part, on the ability of the ACOM to access and deliver necessary information to those that need it for treatment, analysis, education of patients and monitoring of performance. Over 100 stakeholders were brought together in the creation of a report on accountable care and health IT. These stakeholders represented various perspectives, such as patients, providers, vendors, employers and payers, and formed consensus positions on the components of health IT needed to support the care delivery and quality objectives of an ACOM. Additionally, a survey of open-ended and multiple choice questions for both private and CMS-funded ACOMs was created and opened over a two-month period. The survey focused on the organization's purpose for becoming an ACOM, current or potential involvement in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, the CMS Innovation Center Pioneer Pilot, health IT infrastructure, and implementation goals. The initial findings indicate the health IT infrastructure must support the secure, private, interoperable, comprehensive transfer, collection, and storage of data throughout the ACOM; must support care coordination; must have applications that are patient-centered; must be accessible by all members of the care team; must support clinical decision support; and must store, aggregate and track patient data.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Administration, management, leadership
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to identify the key components of health IT needed to suport an accountable care model

Keywords: Accountability, Information System Integration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was the primary author for the Accountable Care and Health IT Report for the eHeaLth Initiative
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.