Modernizing Patient Information: What Is Healthcare Data Integration?

The modern world is becoming more integrated with every passing day, and the healthcare world is no different, with HealthIT.gov reporting that around 70% of U.S. hospitals can now exchange patient data. However, not everyone knows what this could mean for patients, doctors, and the larger healthcare service. So, what is healthcare data integration (HDI), and how can it assist with medical data management in 2024 and beyond?

Read on to understand how this modern take on patient information creates seamless communication between healthcare facilities while still allowing locations to remain competitive. Discover how integrating your data with a more extensive network can revolutionize your efforts to offer the best care possible.

What is Healthcare Data Integration and What Can it Do?

_HDI is a fully integrated system of networked computers that allows for secure sharing of healthcare-related data._These fully integrated systems can offer considerable benefits to healthcare professionals who can make better diagnoses with more complete patient records. This further clarity of a patient's condition leads to more accurately-targeted treatments and improved patient outcomes.

Introducing seamless data-sharing opportunities means that all information will likely be much more up-to-date. The increased accuracy reduces the likelihood of errors due to missing outdated information and the possibility of human error if data is mismatched.

Such a boost in safety offers significant protection to both the organization and its patients in the form of:

• Faster response times due to quicker decision-making
• Stronger patient trust
• Optimized use of resources and reduced waste
• A boost to the healthcare provider's reputation
• Reduced clinical mistakes due to improved patient care
• Long-term cost savings for both patients and the organization

As data passes back and forth more frequently, it reduces the overhead for administrative staff, allowing them to focus on other tasks, including patient care. As such, it improves patient responses as staff miss fewer signs of illness or injury progression.

_Integrated data systems also offer users a much more secure and consistent dataset._They can meet standards such as HIPAA or GDPR without as much effort and avoid taking steps with a higher risk of data breaches, such as printing information onto paper.

Having a consolidated dataset also helps healthcare organizations analyze trends in their processes. They can use these to make informed strategic decisions that improve patient outcomes and boost staff performance. The organization can also better plan for ongoing seasonal patterns, such as how specific disease trends affect their workload and if they should change their staffing to compensate.

To learn more about what we do to provide you with such information and how to use it, contact Iron Bridge and talk to us about your specific situation. We would love to improve your use of your organization's data.

Standardization in Healthcare Data Integration

Once the data integration process has started, the whole system will use the same digital language to share data, which requires standardization. However, this then creates its own benefits when it comes to future changes to the system. For example, without standardization, such as the OMOP Common Data Model, you run an increased risk of:

• Data inconsistencies and errors
• Miscommunication between systems
• Increased likelihood of harm to patients
• Delays in patient care
• Redundant or duplicated data
• Problems complying with regulations
• Challenges in analyzing research data
• Raised costs in processing data

Clear standards also mean that data analysis is much faster, allowing for improved treatment precision due to utilizing information from multiple sources more efficiently.

At the same time, a set of common standards reduces the complexity the organization experiences when it later wants to upgrade the system. They can make changes based on a shared understanding of what each part of the whole will do, avoiding many potentially catastrophic bugs.

Similarly, standardization allows every part of the system to use data uniformly, interpreting and adding to it in a uniform manner. Any other connected system will be able to understand it, and the organization can update these systems without worrying about incompatibility.

Adhering to the same dataset as the rest of an interoperable system also means you can more easily meet legal standards and requirements. You can have more assurance that others follow similar data handling and privacy steps.

Benefits of Healthcare Data Integration

The levels of communication that fully integrated systems bring mean that patients and staff can have greater access than before. Individuals can communicate between different locations using various devices and expect that automated systems can do the same.

Should a patient's device be hooked into the data structure, its information can become part of the larger dataset related to that individual. For example, if a doctor needs ongoing information from a patient's 24-hour EKG, they could conceivably look up that information if it acts as an Internet-of-things device.

Increased Patient Agency

Similarly, an organization can more easily offer data to individuals with access to it if these systems work together seamlessly. For example, by providing patients access to their health records, they can take more of an active approach to their own health management. Modern approaches to driving healthy habits, such as data-driven user experiences and gamified health or fitness tracking, can potentially use this accessible data to promote further opportunities to improve health.

Other examples of patients taking an active role using the data on offer include:

• Monitoring ongoing conditions in real-time
• Scheduling appointments or follow-up consultations online
• Receiving personally tailored health recommendations
• Accessing telemedicine services with up-to-the-minute records
• Tracking prescription updates and availability
• Receiving updates and alerts for personalized screenings
• Providing their caregiver with their latest health data

Each of these offers the potential to significantly boost the individual's health. However, it will be up to the patient to realize and leverage these datasets as they become available.

Cost Reductions

The comprehensive availability of data means that patients can rely on healthcare providers to have access to all their latest information. As such, unless a doctor suspects something has changed, the patient will not need to receive the same test repeatedly.

Such a decrease in unnecessary testing significantly reduces the time patients need to spend in healthcare. It also causes much less waste, as doctors can use what the organization already knows.

Due to the decrease in unnecessary testing and procedures through the comprehensive availability of data, you save on costs associated with diagnostic processes.

Reducing the admin work in this way can offer not only a cost reduction but a boost in patient care speed, too. Along with the reduction in readmissions you then have due to preventing data-based errors, you increase patient satisfaction with your whole process.

Empowering Predictive Analytics

Over the past decade, the average size of big data volumes has grown by 668%. By having a much larger dataset through which to view patients, you can leverage it to make better predictions related to both patients and the business.

You can, for example, start to gather information on how varying factors create higher-risk factors for patients within your facility. The more data you have on your patients, combined with information on the same from other facilities, you can start to build up a predictive model. You may discover factors that you did not know were impacting patient health.

Large-scale staff and patient data analytics also allow you to start predicting how many different factors will impact resource requirements in your organization. For example:

• Anticipating seasonal flu epidemics
• Forecasting peak times outside of holidays and public events
• Optimizing your inventory while minimizing overstock
• Identifying at-risk patient populations for greater outreach
• Predicting which patients are likely to readmit for focused care
• Estimating equipment usage to improve purchase decisions

Together, these also allow improved budgeting, adding to the financial forecasting available from analyzing such large quantities of data.

The whole process can boost your organization's profits due to the clarity with which you can analyze larger-scale patient and staff behavior.

However, one of the most significant outcomes of such analytics for a single organization is the ability to watch and analyze patient care workflows at scale. You can see where small changes in patient or staff behavior impact outcomes and make the whole process slower or faster.

Reduced Legal Risks

An increase in cross-organization healthcare interoperability offers an opportunity to improve your capability of complying with specific regulations or laws. You can then avoid associated fines, boosting trust in your location and preventing escalation of further issues.

At the same time, you can also ensure you always have accurate patient information at your fingertips. Where otherwise you may fall foul of a lack of accurate data, with the latest data, your doctors can minimize misdiagnoses, legal disputes, or litigation by always utilizing up-to-date facts and figures.

Such a system would also lead to reductions in possible medication errors. It would often be clearer which medicines a patient already had a prescription for from other locations, preventing overprescription or avoidable interactions. Similarly, it can also prevent medication abuse by providing information on if an individual had been sourcing them from other organizations.

This information also helps by offering:

• Improved patient consent due to the information on offer
• Fewer miscommunication issues between staff
• Complete sets of documentation for use by legal defense
• Proactive identification of risks through data analysis
• Comprehensive data security protecting patient data
• Timely responses to patient complaints due to faster investigations
• Improved patient monitoring capabilities

Having this information on display from a wider array of sources can also help prevent discrimination by showing a larger pattern of behavior. However, should an organization discover issues, it can take action with the full array of information available to respond to.

Better Charge Capture

An increase in the capability of a healthcare organization to capture charges means that they can put together more accurate invoices. I****mproved data from all areas of the organization means that patients can receive bills that more closely reflect the treatment they receive.

Avoiding missed charges also avoids waste and can ensure that your documentation stays up-to-date with the work done.

Applications of HDI in Health IT

When all authorized providers can access unified patient records, it streamlines the process of collecting data your organization needs to report to health authorities. As such, it can help support your community's vaccine and public health management and awareness efforts.

Similarly, access to a more rounded set of data can enable increased surveillance of public health. Following recent healthcare crises, tracking disease outbreaks and health trends is more important than ever, and this kind of information enables better organization on both a large and small scale.

Connecting EHR Systems Cross-Organization

As mentioned above, centralized information, such as through HDI, can boost patients' ability to receive care. However, this is not limited to diagnostic, elective, or therapeutic care.

For example, quick access to patient data is imperative in emergencies. As such, having a direct link to the full background of a patient can help with issues when locations need to act fast to ensure they understand all the potential dangers to a patient. These improvements include:

• Preventing allergic reactions
• Avoiding drug interactions
• Fast access to blood type information
• Empowering faster lab result communication
• Identification of preexisting conditions that may cause problems
• Access to accurate emergency contact information
• Mental health condition awareness
• Reduced delay in all treatments

When working with other organizations, you can also use this information to benefit larger communities. For example:

Governments: Disaster coordination and health monitoring

Schools: Immunizations and health programs

Workplaces: Occupational health management

Insurance companies: Information on preexisting conditions and verification of electronic health records

The full range of data on each group can benefit the community in different ways, often enabling you to discover a new source of revenue.

Transform Your Healthcare Data Practices

Discover what we have to offer at Iron Bridge by experiencing the full capabilities of our customized data integration tools. We develop tailored data systems to fit the unique needs of an organization such as yours, allowing you to stay up-to-date in the realm of modern healthcare systems. With Iron Bridge, the answer to "What is healthcare data integration?" is successful patient outcomes and a resulting boost in revenue.

Revolutionize what you offer with HDI by trusting Iron Bridge's commitment to regulatory compliance and data security. Contact us today to discover what more we can do for you.