Defining the Importance of the Connected Healthcare Community
- The Institute for Healthcare Improvement estimates that nearly 15 million instances of medical harm occur in the US each year—a rate of over 40,000 per day.
- To combat mistakes, HIMSS Analytics feels that an ideal operating environment is one where—through paperless EMR—clinical information can be readily shared with all entities within a regional health network (i.e., other hospitals, ambulatory clinics, sub-acute environments, employers, payers and patients)*
- According to the American Hospital Association, investment in health care produces real value for patients and families. Patients benefit from longer, better lives as well as fewer disabilities and less time spent in the hospital. Every dollar spent on health care over the past 20 years has produced health gains valued at up to $3.
The simple fact is that building a community of healthcare providers will pay substantial dividends in both level of care and financial optimization. Use this site to build your knowledge base about how a Connected Healthcare Community can benefit your own organization.
"Any legislation to stave off a reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians in 2008 should require physicians to implement health information technology to be eligible for higher payments,"— Mike Leavitt, Health and Human Services Secretary