Georgia Hospital Association and Audacious Inquiry will partner to improve interoperability and communication for providers across the state.
Audacious Inquiry is teaming up with a shared services subsidiary of the Georgia Hospital Association to launch a new EHR notification system designed to boost interoperability, data exchange, transitions of care, and care coordination for providers.
The service — called GA Notify — offers clinicians access to real-time data insights about patient encounters, including emergency room visits and hospital stays. The service is intended to enable rapid follow-up care to reduce the likelihood of hospital readmissions.
“GHA represents the collective voice of all Georgia hospitals. We seek partnerships that will help our more than 170 hospitals provide the best possible care to our communities,” said Bill Wylie, GHA Senior Vice President of Business Operations.
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Georgia Hospital Health Services will leverage the service to improve patient tracking and communication between providers across care facilities and networks. This partnership with Ai is the latest of GHHS’ partnerships with healthcare-oriented companies that provide products and services at a discounted fee and with additional benefits to GHHS members.
“Our partnership with Ai will improve health information exchange statewide and will align us with our colleagues in neighboring states, including Florida, Tennessee, and Louisiana, who also leverage Ai’s technology.”
GHHS works with healthcare companies to create or co-develop programs and services that meet its specific needs.
Ai is a health IT and policy company that focuses on providing solutions for connected care and has worked closely with CMS, ONC, state hospital associations, Medicaid agencies, and health information exchanges nationwide. The company delivers cloud-based software-as-a-service platforms for secure health data exchange between physicians, hospitals, health plans, accountable care organizations, and public health agencies in 11 states.
“GHA is demonstrating their commitment to better care by supporting interoperability in Georgia,” said Ai President Scott Afzal.
GHA was established in 1929 and serves more than 170 hospitals in Georgia. The organization promotes public health and welfare through efforts to boost care quality in hospitals throughout the state.
“They’re in good company as Ai now supports the exchange of health information through deep networks in 11 states,” said Afzal. “The Ai team is thrilled to serve the GHA membership and the citizens of Georgia.”
GHA is a member of the American Hospital Association and has represented its members before the General Assembly and Congress, advocating for the health of its communities.
EHR notifications can offer providers useful updates and reminders to streamline transitions of care through admission, discharge, and transfer notifications, screening reminders, and other alerts.
However, providers that receive a high volume of EHR alerts have reported information overload and fatigue. Some hospitals and health systems have made efforts to cut down on low-value EHR alerts that lead to unnecessary testing and procedures to improve patient safety, save providers time, and reduce hospital spending.
In 2012, the American Board of Internal Medicine launched the Choosing Wisely Campaign in an effort to reduce medical test ordering by promoting providers to identify and cut back on five tests or procedures that are frequently ineffectual.
The nationwide initiative has helped providers at several California hospitals reduce test ordering. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center saved six million in spending in the first year after implementing the electronic alert system.
While the initiative has spurred some improvements, the changes have been gradual. Some physicians and healthcare organization leaders have voiced frustration over the slow rate of progress.
“The changes that need to be made don’t appear unrealistic, yet they seem to take an awful lot of time,” said executive of the Integrated Healthcare Association Dr. Jeff Rideout. “We’ve been patient for too long.”
Date: July 07, 2019
Source: EHR Intelligence
