CMS findings identify barriers to effective healthcare

Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

COMMENTARY | Many of these issues are multifaceted and complex to address, and they would require collaboration between public and private sectors.

Last fall, when the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent out a request for public opinion with a request for information titled Make Your Voice Heard, it sought to receive input on the challenges and struggles related to accessing healthcare. 

The comment period was open for a period of 60 days, and in that time over 4,000 responses were collected in four different areas: accessing healthcare and related challenges; understanding provider experiences; advancing health equity; and the impact of waivers and flexibilities provided in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. 

After collecting and analyzing the comments, trends began to emerge pertaining to advancing health equity and reducing provider burden. Some of the many challenges identified include limited availability of digital health services, workforce fatigue, inefficient record-keeping systems, lack of data collection standards, and the need to address bias in health technology development. 

Many of these issues are multifaceted and complex to address, and they would require collaboration between public and private sectors to set forth strategies, change existing processes, utilize modern technologies and form new habits. Today, there are abundant opportunities for modern healthcare data management — or HCDM — systems to play a role in addressing these issues to help move the needle.

Reduce workforce burden

As identified in the CMS RFI, healthcare workers and providers are often weighed down by administrative tasks which can remove focus from patient care. HCDM systems can reduce the effort required to chase down information with secure, accessible, accurate and insightful data.

When organizations are unable to easily exchange information, this creates barriers to data sharing which causes providers to spend unnecessary time and resources on administrative tasks. If modern IT infrastructure was used to accelerate such processes, staff would have additional time to dedicate to patient care and service. This is one example of why interoperability, or the lack thereof, plays a key role in the healthcare industry. 

First, for interoperability to work, privacy concerns and access controls must be addressed to ensure patient information is kept secure and confidential. Once data files are sharable, it is possible for critical information to flow seamlessly between organizations. Quick, accurate and secure data sharing is imperative for healthcare providers and enables providers to spend more time on patients. 

The industry is also likely to experience improvements to administrative burden with an increase in the adoption of artificial intelligence and automation in the coming years. There are many ways automation will reduce cost and increase efficiency. For example, it can expedite data entry, allowing for paperless documentation and the automatic processing of electronic health records. Not only would those upgrades reduce strain on the healthcare workforce, but also address another key CMS finding — inefficient record keeping systems. 

Managing data

Data is a crucial asset to the healthcare industry for delivering quality care and improving health outcomes, but inefficient record keeping systems and a lack of data collection standards can significantly hinder the quality of care delivered. 

With proper HCDM services in place, the public and private health sectors can continue to use data to close care gaps in the healthcare industry. When data is managed optimally, it can be analyzed to identify and serve the most vulnerable populations. However, data collection practices must be comprehensive and unbiased to generate useful insights. Otherwise, the outcomes will not be entirely accurate or representative of the selected population. 

There are certain areas driving disparities. By utilizing data insights, it’s possible to implement more targeted solutions with focused attention on specific locations experiencing adverse health trends. 

The implementation of data analytics tools enables the identification of healthcare organizations with highly vulnerable populations. Additionally, this ensures they are functioning at optimal administrative rates and can apply key performance indicators to observe trends and behaviors. Healthcare data analysis can also enable providers to better understand the factors that contribute to health disparities and inequity. 

An equal future

Many of the comments received from the RFI were related to health equity, with an expressed need to improve health disparities and a call for the inclusion of social determinants of health practices, as well as addressing bias in health technology development.

For providers to support healthy communities in disadvantaged areas or for minority populations, they must confront social disparities by developing data standards and accountability procedures. Doing so will help ensure all initiatives or policy updates are data-driven, well-informed and effective. 

HCDM platforms and analytical tools, in conjunction with increased adoption of artificial intelligence and automation, can improve efficiency and reduce administrative burdens on healthcare providers. This will result in improved patient care, as well as a reduction in health disparities to support healthy communities in disadvantaged or rural populations. 

By embracing innovative technologies and data-driven practices, the healthcare industry can deliver higher quality care, improve health outcomes, and advance health equity for all.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.