Providers and their technology partners have so far responded by rapidly adapting to remote care delivery and safe data sharing, changing the course of care for patients. There is still a lot to accomplish, but in many ways they have already achieved more in this space than they thought was possible. The future is already in the present.
One way this has manifested is in remote care. Once a distant goal and “nice to have” possibility, this quickly became a vital priority for patients and providers alike. During the height of COVID, as patients were unable to go in person for regular appointments, providers had to find ways to overcome the challenges involved in delivering remote alternatives. Many providers now routinely offer virtual visits and telehealth options to patients, an ability these providers may not have anticipated at the start of this year.
Interoperability has also progressed as leaders are better able to identify and manage patients across the whole care continuum, matching them with the appropriate resources. Throughout the pandemic healthcare systems tracked whether patients are healthy or sick, or at risk for COVID. They have developed their use of care management solutions to manage their own statuses, such as ICU bed or ventilator availability, and then, best serve patients as needed. Some organizations are successfully managing 500% more patients using these solutions now than they were than prior to the pandemic. Coupling these with telehealth tools that actively notify patients increases their engagement and builds a strong continuity of care that will continue into the future.
Finally, healthcare providers have broadened their sources of information for clinical decision support. In the past, this has been limited to a single EHR, depending only on that information. In managing a global healthcare crisis like COVID, providers have been driven to open up their platforms to more information, across as many sources as possible, taking in a larger scope of relevant information as it’s needed.
For instance, key data on recovered COVID patients, including lung condition, fatigue, and cardiovascular issues, can be sourced from multiple clinical workflows. This data goes to drive other clinical workflows regardless of the initial care provider. Clinical decision support will continue being driven by patient histories and actions from a regional or even national network. This is the basis of the interoperable health ecosystem care providers and partner have been working for pre-COVID, and post-COVID it will only grow stronger.
It is now clear the healthcare resources exist to drive remote patient outreach and clinical decision support in an emergency. To continue building on this, organizations must keep working together, and even in non-crisis times, to be proactive rather than reactive. Being reactive, or relearning an infrastructure that provides resources needed immediately, wastes time. But providers who are proactive, including country-wide and regional health systems, are the quickest actors with the most agile ability to plan forward. They can make use of existing data connectivity, creating operations and procedures based on what they already have, and know which information will make the most impact in managing a crisis or addressing an ongoing health issue for the population.
The progress that providers and their partners have made during COVID shows the possibility for an interoperable future, which may be coming sooner than anticipated. In adapting to patients’ needs during this crisis, the foundation has been laid for stronger, safer care overall.
