Imagine being asked to paint a rainbow but your palette only contains red and yellow pigments. The best you could execute is a partial image, with more colors missing than depicted. Every day, healthcare providers are tasked with conjuring an accurate image of a new patient’s health with just a fraction of the information they need. That exercise typically involves staff having to sift through volumes of paper documents then manually entering data into their system of record. Interoperability, defined in layman’s terms as the ability to request, send and receive patient data among unconnected health technology systems, isn’t just the solution for this scenario, it is the foundation to nearly every vital goal that drives the health sector forward. Without interoperability, care coordination, safer care transitions, and most importantly - patient centricity - will never be achieved.
In Forcura’s most recent industry report, What Happened and What’s Next in Post-Acute Care, we provide context on some of the gains made in this critical space. One real reason for hope is the PACIO Project, a workgroup laser-focused on interoperable data connections that are slowly replacing antiquated, manual processes in the post-acute sector. Another comes from efforts at the CommonWell Health Alliance, a member-based platform which to date has enabled secure access to over 845 million health records. Asked about the value of interoperable systems, Paul Wilder, the executive director of CommonWell shared, “We need to make it easier for each patient to see their whole story. There’s no doubt that an investment in interoperability pays for itself.”
Forcura’s mission is to empower better patient care, and as a leading health technology company, take seriously our role to advance the ability for patient data to flow securely and frictionlessly to all appropriate parties and systems, particularly in the post-acute sector. As we evolve our software solutions to become more interoperable in the long term, and enable our clients with automated workflows and analytics in the short term, we never forget empowering better patient care is the bottom line.
You can learn more about the state of interoperability today by downloading our report. We also invite you to subscribe to Forcura’s blog and join our social community as we launch the Forcura CONNECT Series. Throughout 2021, these panel-based discussions will feature experts who will share their insights, lessons learned and strategic guidance on interoperability, care coordination, care transitions, and patient centricity. You won’t want to miss a single webcast!
Together, we are certain that the essential goals of healthcare can, and will, be achieved.
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As Forcura's Director of Communications and Brand Strategy, Kate brings a robust background and knowledge of the healthcare and post-acute industry to Forcura. She also represents Forcura as a social media ambassador at events around the country, is an on-camera reporter and interviewer, and host of our Innovate Jax podcast. |