Weekly roundup: Patient engagement efforts abound with lack of EHR interest

Beth Walsh, Editor, CMIO

Some of the developments surrounding EHRs and patient engagement this week raised my eyebrows. According to a Xerox survey, only 26 percent of Americans prefer their medical records in a digital format. Meanwhile, at the mHealth Congress held in Boston last week, presenters discussed several successful patient engagement efforts that involve the latest technology.

For example, Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston takes a multidisciplinary, patient-centered approach to managing diabetes that produces positive results. Patients begin treatment at the clinic with a mean A1C level of 7.5, but the average patient is able to reduce that number in short time and maintain a lower level for a long time, according to 10 years of data pulled from Joslin’s EHRs. To expand its influence, Joslin will begin to share its various resources and health management tools through Joslin Everywhere, a web-based service, and Joslin Inside, a mobile application-based service. These services will be made available to providers and patients alike, and intend to support primary care providers who see more diabetics than specialists without the specialized knowledge and to engage patients.

And, payers have gotten in the mobile health game as well. Aetna acquired the iTriage app last year and is using the mHealth tool to help patients navigate the healthcare system through reminder and provider search functions. Aetna also makes the health-focused app Mindbloom Life Game available for free, hoping to encourage healthy living through gamification. Since its launch in September 2011, more than 50,000 have registered to play the game.

Providers aren't doing everything right, however. This week saw the announcement of two fairly significant data breaches. Covered entities are going to need to improve their privacy and security efforts in short order because audits conducted by the Office of Civil Rights are well underway. Some of the fines and penalties announced to date should spur lots of activity in these area.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a data initiative that creates the new Office of Information Products and Data Analysis (OIPDA). The office is designed to maximize CMS data for internal and external users. 

The new office has a long list of responsibilities but the overall goal is "ensuring that the CMS enterprise maximizes its data resources, transforming the agency into a data-driven organization."

Is your organization undergoing a transformation regarding data, patient engagement or other initiatives? We’d love to hear from you.

Beth Walsh
CMIO Editor
bwalsh@trimedmedia.com