eHealth Initiative Studies the I.T. of ACOs

A new report from stakeholder advocacy group eHealth Initiative explores the health information technology infrastructure needed to support accountable care organizations.

The report identifies 13 important I.T. attributes. Some are obvious, such as enabling care coordination and collaboration, and maintaining data in a secure, HIPAA-compliant environment. Other necessary attributes may be less clear, such as supporting the collection of information embedded in the workflow of health care delivery, and collection and storage of data done in a manner that facilitates ongoing measurement of processes and outcomes.

The report also digs deep into three concepts that that I.T. infrastructure must support: patient safety, at-risk populations, and financial accountability and quality management. The report is free and available here, registration is required.

Source: Health Data Management