Gaps in medical data sharing between hospitals and nursing homes pose severe risks to patient care, especially as patients with higher acuity levels are increasingly being discharged to post-acute care facilities. This issue has persisted for years, yet federal authorities have yet to address it.
Frontline Challenges in Data Sharing
Lisa Chubb, Chief Clinical Officer at Brickyard Healthcare in Indiana, highlights the ongoing struggle to achieve seamless interoperability in the healthcare sector. While technology is being introduced to bridge these gaps, the industry still needs to achieve the required integration.
According to a study published in the JAMA Network, around 50% of hospital information is missing for patients transitioning to post-acute care, and 76% of critical data points are often absent. This lack of data continuity can lead to severe consequences, emphasizing the need for a streamlined data-sharing process at the federal level.
Medication and Communication Issues in Post-Acute Care
Chubb also pointed out significant gaps in communication around follow-up appointments and medication management during patient transitions. Differences in medication regimens between home, acute care, and post-acute settings create additional challenges, often leading to complications in patient care.
Rising Patient Acuity Levels Increase the Need for Data Accuracy
As patients are discharged with higher acuity levels, the need for accurate and comprehensive data becomes even more critical. Beverly Miner, Executive Vice President of Healthcare Strategy and Policy at Consensus Cloud Solutions, stressed the importance of ensuring that patient data travels with them across care settings to maintain continuity of care.
Unstructured and Missing Medical Data: A Persistent Problem
Unstructured and incomplete patient data continue to be significant issues. Miner noted that even when hospitals and nursing homes share the same EHR software, data integration is often lacking. The healthcare industry lags behind others, such as finance, in achieving true interoperability.
Impact of Medical Data Gaps on Nursing Home Staff and Patient Care
The challenges associated with unstructured data create inefficiencies and stress for nursing home staff, particularly medical records nurses and assessment coordinators. These data gaps contribute to staff burnout, as they are forced to act as investigators rather than caregivers.
John McFarlane, Chief Clinical Officer at Ignite Medical Resorts, emphasized that incomplete or incorrect data from previous care settings is one of the biggest challenges they face. The additional burden on nursing staff can lead to burnout and even drive some nurses out of the profession.
Call for Federal Action
While technology can help address some of these issues, large-scale changes at the federal level are needed to mandate data-sharing standards and improve interoperability across the healthcare continuum. The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in 2016, provides a framework for such changes, but more needs to be done to enforce and expand these standards.
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