COMPANY: Jackson Health
CHALLENGE: Jackson’s population health team wanted to connect and intervene with the many uninsured people using costly emergency department services to receive primary care, but efforts to track them manually fell short.
OUTCOME: Jackson Health IT group created and released an emergency department utilization application that aggregates and analyzes data from the EMR and other systems to identify a cohort of emergency department “frequent flyers.”
A Unified Approach to Data
The investments you’ve made over the years in information technology have delivered incremental returns. Each one, such as an electronic medical record (EMR) or claims system, is an island of value. In today’s healthcare environment, where pay for volume is shifting to pay for value, achieving greater ROI requires real-time access to all of the information for an individual or a population, across multiple systems, as a single, unified care record. When the information from all of your investments is connected and unified there are few limits to what you can achieve. Below you can read three examples:
Example 1: Identifying Emergency Department Abuse in Real Time
Jackson Health, a 2,200 bed health system based in Miami, Florida, uses InterSystems technology to unify data from any of its applications, in real time, depending on the need. This “data as a service” capability is used to quickly address the organization’s business challenges as they arise.
Jackson Health knew that many uninsured people were using costly emergency department services to receive primary care. Jackson’s population health team wanted to connect and intervene with these patients at the registration desk, but efforts to track them manually fell short.
Four Weeks from Concept to Release
Working with the population health team, the Jackson Health IT group created and released an emergency department utilization application in just four weeks. The application aggregates and analyzes data from the EMR and other systems to identify a cohort of emergency department “frequent flyers.” Now, whenever a member of that cohort registers at the emergency department, the application alerts case managers for immediate intervention.
On Course to Save $6 Million
In the first six months of the application’s use, these interventions helped the health system lower its net cost subsidy by $2 million. It is on course for $6 million in savings through the next year.
Example 2: Lowering Costs by Reducing No-Show Rates
Jackson Health’s sprawling main campus – encompassing University of Miami teaching hospitals, behavioral health, specialty care, rehabilitation, administration, and research facilities, plus multiple parking areas – can be difficult for patients to navigate. In fact, the sheer scope of the area was a significant cause of missed or late appointments. Simple paper appointment reminders or automated phone calls did not do enough to address the problem. The Jackson Health IT team saw another opportunity here to combine data already in various systems into a solution with immediate ROI.
Six Weeks from Concept to Go-Live
The team used InterSystems technology to capture scheduling data from the EMR, validate phone numbers, email addresses, and language preferences, and to determine the best parking garage for the patient’s appointment. The solution sends approximately 2,000 appointment reminders a day via text message and email, including photos of appointment location and designated parking garage. In the first three months of operation, Jackson Health saw a 16-24% reduction in no-shows. The operational cost for the system is $3.10 per day – much cheaper than paper reminders, and completely automated.
Example 3: Increasing Revenue Through More Accurate Coding
For health system revenue that relies on reimbursement from payers, complete awareness of the patient’s conditions and accurate coding is essential. InterSystems customers are using InterSystems HealthShare “Clinigraphics,” a feature created in conjunction with InterSystems partner Clinical Architecture, to bring all related information about conditions into one, easy-to-view and understand display. With sophisticated clinical inferencing technology, the solution also helps identify previously undiagnosed or undocumented health conditions.
At the touch of a button, healthcare providers can easily and efficiently view the most pertinent information for patients within a population health management cohort, including medication lists, comorbidities, and diagnostic tests related to the specific condition.
Having all the health information to paint a complete picture of the patient, including the diagnosis and co-morbidities, allows providers to capture the correct Hierarchical Condition Categories for the right reimbursement, and to help predict healthcare resource utilization.
Learn More
With the move to value-based reimbursements, capturing every revenue opportunity on the path to better care and outcomes is critical for success. To learn how InterSystems supports you on this journey visit InterSystems.com/providers, or call us now at 1-617-370-4580.
