Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
At the same time Mrs. Jones, the hypertensive patient who came in right after
Mr. Smith, decides she is feeling fine and does not need her medications which,
after all, are quite expensive on her limited budget. Two months before her sched-
uled return visit she suffers a stroke and ends up in the hospital and, after discharge,
requires months of expensive, painful care and rehabilitation.
Healthcare deals poorly with these patients in large part because traditional prac-
tice models only deal with them during visits. This provider-centric, office-based
view of care is partly historic and largely the result of our reimbursement system.
Physicians have normally only been paid when they
physically
see patients.
Moreover, unlike Wal-Mart and the auto manufacturers, care providers typically
don't have a “real time” view of how their patients are doing.
A “data logistics” approach would capture data at the source - the home - and
transmit it to where it is needed so Mr. Smith is not brought back for an un-needed
visit and Mrs. Jones is brought back when her hypertension is clearly starting to get
out of control, possibly preventing her stroke.
Changing Processes
“The hospital is altogether the most complex human organization ever devised.”
-
Peter Drucker
[
9
]
The IOM goes on to say that “If we want safer, higher-quality care, we will need
to have redesigned systems of care” which “must be designed to serve the needs of
patients, and to ensure that they are fully informed, retain control and participate in
care delivery whenever possible, and receive care that is respectful of their values
and preferences.” Finally, it recognized the critical importance of improved man-
agement of chronic disease which it said “needs to be a collaborative, multidisci-
plinary process.” [
8
]
The IOM identified six challenges healthcare organizations would face in devel-
oping these new care systems. The first was “to redesign care processes to serve
more effectively the needs of the chronically ill for coordinated, seamless care
across settings and clinicians and over time.” [
8
]
We've seen that information technology has been utilized by many other indus-
tries to transform business processes. Consider another example from an organiza-
tion that is not typically associated with high technology - the US Postal Service
(USPS®). We all dread going to the post office to send packages, particularly during
busy holiday periods. The predictable waiting line is a major factor that drives many
individual consumers to use a UPS® or FEDEX® store, even if they are more
expensive. So, in response, the USPS has introduced “Click-N-Ship®”. Go to their
website, answer a few questions and print the bar coded shipping label. Once it is
attached to the package you can go to the head of the line and drop your package off
at the counter and leave without any interaction with the clerk.
This is a transformed business process only possible through an innovative
application of technology. Make things convenient and people are more likely to
use them. Hopefully, you can see that it has many similarities to the data logistics
