Healthcare IT can improve the quality of care received by the chronically ill and lower costs, according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The report, issued by AHRQ's National Resource Center for Health Information and based on information gathered from AHRQ-funded projects, found that use of healthcare IT in caring for the chronically ill improves patient outcomes. Findings from the report show that use of healthcare IT in chronic disease management yields "significant cost savings" for patients, providers and payers, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
According to AHRQ officials, chronic illnesses are among the most prevalent, costly and preventable of all health problems in the United States. More than 90 million Americans suffer from one or more chronic illnesses, which cause seven of every 10 deaths. Nearly all growth in Medicare expenditures can be traced to beneficiaries suffering from multiple chronic illnesses.
Since 2004, AHRQ has invested more than $260 million in contracts and grants to more than 150 communities, hospitals, providers and healthcare systems in 48 states to promote access to and encourage the adoption of healthcare IT. The grants were awarded in primarily low-income and rural areas in Arkansas, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Washington.
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One finding from the report, from a project spanning three states, found that remote monitoring of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) could reduce unnecessary hospitalization and trips to the emergency department. The project remotely monitored patients' weight and blood pressure, and when the system detected dramatic changes in a patient's health, it alerted the patient and providers. Patients reported that the system improved their confidence in managing their disease and reduced errors associated with medication use.
Another project paid physicians for answering patients' secure messages. Project investigators concluded that secure messaging can reduce the need for office visits, saving patients transportation costs and payers office visit charges for medical services.
The report found, however, that implementing healthcare IT is not easy. Some projects experienced technical challenges with installation and integration of healthcare IT.
There are few commercial systems available off-the-shelf that could provide comprehensive support for chronic disease management, the report said. Projects that did use commercial systems found the software needed a significant amount of customization.
Several AHRQ-funded projects reported the importance of testing the technology in advance because systems do not always perform as specified by the developer.
Despite these barriers, the report concluded: "Outcomes from these projects have the potential to change the U.S. healthcare system and offer valuable insight for others who look to use health IT applications within their own organizations."