Where Health Care Meets IT

While legislators in the "other" Washington have spent much of the past six months deliberating the future of health care reform, electronic medical record systems at a growing number of health care providers are already beginning to offer higher quality, safer care leading to more accurate health data, better clinical decisions and fewer medical errors. 

But what do these changes mean for employers? To take advantage of these new developments, employers should consider the following: 

Health care efficiencies that result from health information technology (such as electronic medical records) will ultimately result in healthier and more productive employees. Studies have shown that healthy employees not only achieve more while at work, but also take far less sick leave.

More cost-effective health care will, in turn, reduce pressure on ever-increasing health insurance premiums. Given improved access to health data, employers may lobby their insurance brokers for lower premiums if they can demonstrate that a high percentage of their employees utilize providers engaged in "meaningful use" of a certified electronic medical record system. The definition of "meaningful use" is evolving to indicate such factors as computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and broader data interoperability between providers. Employers should seek out health care providers moving in this direction. 

As online wellness programs grow in popularity and effectiveness, preventive health care tracking (e.g., diet, exercise, health risk assessment, smoking cessation, stress management) and automatic reminders (e.g., wellness goals, appointments) are becoming more widespread. Online wellness programs that promote group fitness and measure improvements in the aggregate health of your employee population over time are increasingly available through both companies and insurance providers. A broader focus on preventive medicine paves the way for lower medical expenses and lower health insurance premiums (or at least smaller premium increases). 

In today's typical workplace, a small percentage of employees accounts for a vast majority of medical expenses and lost productivity. Health information technology can be used to help identify those at-risk employees and recommend them for individualized preventive health care and disease management intervention. Such interventions can reduce your aggregate health risks, leading to a healthier and more productive workforce with potentially lower health insurance premiums overall. While such interventions raise complex privacy issues that need to be properly addressed, employers should keep in mind that it is better to address these concerns sooner than later or not at all.

Electronic medical records are more portable and more secure than ever, enabling health care providers to readily access medical information for mobile employees who expect the flexibility of remote access to their medical records.

One important aspect of health insurance reform is the incentive to disclose pre-existing conditions without fear of higher premiums or denial of coverage.  Employees who disclose their pre-existing conditions will have more complete medical records, which, when tracked in an electronic records system, would result in fewer medical errors, better diagnoses and treatment plans and, ultimately, healthier employees.

As our nation's health care system moves toward the broader use of electronic medical records and other information technologies, there will be the unavoidable debate on the associated financial responsibilities of the initial implementation costs. We as a society will have to address questions about the appropriate financial tradeoffs between government, private sector, providers and patients. But employers should remain aware of the potential power these tools offer to provide more affordable, higher quality care. 

Randy Apsel is the Healthcare Practice Lead for Kirkland-based Revel Consulting, a leading business management consulting firm founded on the belief that client success is achieved through Pure Consulting: reduced barriers between great minds and great opportunities.

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