Analytics functionality improves but barriers remain

Analytics functionality has improved measurably in recent years, but the healthcare market is still catching up, according to a report from Chilmark Research.

Workflow integration remains an obstacle, with clinicians who could benefit from point-of-care insights unable to use the tools optimally, according to the report "2016 Clinical Analytics for Population Health."

Providers often have to exit the EHR and toggle to a different clinical portal for analytics reports, the report found.

"While our findings reflect significant advancements in the industry since the 2014 edition, not a single vendor earned a full 'A' rating as no solution is currently meeting the user engagement and clinician workflow needs of the healthcare organizations these products are intended to serve," Chilmark analyst Brian Murphy wrote in a blog post.

Chilmark profiled more than two dozen vendors in the report, including payer-developed analytics tools from companies like Aetna, technology from the major EHR vendors and products from technology companies like IBM.

However, even as providers work to lower costs and reduce utilization, most tools are underperforming on that front. There aren’t many, for example, that offer users functionalities that could detect excess imaging tests or antibiotics prescriptions, or overstays in skilled nursing facilities, Murphy said.

Workflow integration also is a barrier to effective analytics use, according to the report.

"While most vendors can provide their solution to an EHR user, few do this in practice," he said. "Making these applications palatable to a distracted and time-pressed user population is not easy. The most frequently described use case involves an ambulatory setting in which an office manager prepares physicians and other clinicians, via a morning huddle or patient-specific face sheets, with information about patients with care gaps being seen that day."