Clinicians working in long-term and post-acute care (LPTAC) settings often juggle much more than they should handle. From charting to compliance, healthcare can quickly become chaotic. Fortunately, the strategic implementation of health IT can dramatically simplify these demands.
Acting as a silent partner, health IT helps clinicians achieve smarter, faster, and safer care. Here’s how it works.
Health information technology, commonly known as health IT, is a broad term referring to the use of digital infrastructure to manage patient information. Software, computer systems, and mobile health apps all classify as health IT, as well as electronic health records (EHRs) and online platforms.
As part of that information management, clinicians and healthcare staff use health IT to securely store data, share it with appropriate team members, and properly link it to each patient's complete medical history.
The main purpose of health IT is to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care. At the same time, it reduces administrative burdens for staff and lowers healthcare costs for everyone involved.
Health IT focuses specifically on information management, which sets it apart from other healthcare technology. Think of it this way: A CT scanner is healthcare technology, but the system that stores and organizes those images? That's health IT.
Today's healthcare professionals rely on a variety of health IT solutions including:
EHRs
Patient portals
Telehealth platforms
Mobile health apps
AI and machine learning tools
True, the lines between different health IT tools often blur, but what matters is how they help you provide better care with less administrative hassle.
Any clinician working in an LTPAC setting knows that the job hardly ever stays in one room. It follows you through hallways, different facilities, and entire stacks of patient records.
And here’s where health IT really shines, becoming a sort of second brain in their day-to-day operations.
With the right software and tools, clinicians can view lab results, medication history, vitals, and any other relevant info at a tap’s distance. This deep and comprehensive access to data improves decision-making and cuts down on paperwork-related issues.
At the same time, health IT promotes coordination across the board. A therapist can quickly update progress notes that a physician will later read to adjust treatments and medications. Everyone will be working from the same source, meaning there will be fewer gaps in care and reduced readmissions in LTPAC.
Comprehensive and cohesive healthcare means multiple sites, professionals, and facilities, so reliable access to data has become more important than ever.
EHRs should work for clinicians, but it often ends up being the other way around.
Proper health IT helps resolve this by streamlining tedious tasks, reducing the workload on staff, and speeding up workflows. Here’s how it works.
Nobody studies medicine for thousands of hours just to end up focusing their brainpower on paperwork. Still, documentation management is undoubtedly one of the most time-consuming tasks in healthcare.
Health IT systems strive to cut down the time it takes for professionals to document encounters. Templates, voice dictation, auto-fill fields, and dozens of other features help staff chart faster and more accurately.
Less time typing means more time with patients.
The terms “click fatigue” and “click burdens” are relatively new, but they describe a very real phenomenon: the lack of an efficient, streamlined digital workflow. In healthcare, this translates to time lost for physicians trying to navigate and manage patient documents.
Smart shortcuts and efficient automation are trademarks of modern health IT. From autofill common orders to prepopulated sections, the correct software should save time — not require more of it.
Seamless workflows are a fundamental part of health care IT — but there’s much more than meets the eye. Advanced tools are also about data-driven insights, which artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics can then use to put common patterns to your favor.
By going through databases regarding lab results, notes, past treatments, and other useful information, AI-powered EHRs can surface potential concerns. This gives clinicians a chance to intervene early while also optimizing the subsequent paperwork.
Patients have the right to access their medical records and data, and IT for health can deliver in ways we never imagined before. Through portals, reminders, and mobile apps, patients can get their hands on results, prescriptions, and any other useful info with just a few clicks.
These patient engagement features directly contribute to better treatment adherence and improved outcomes, especially in chronic conditions.
Healthcare, as a whole, is slowly shifting from fee-for-service models to value-based care arrangements. As such, preventive care is becoming more important by the day — and so are accurate, easy-to-navigate documents.
Health IT helps clinicians and other professionals track risk factors, gaps in care, and quality benchmarks efficiently. For example, a patient overdue for a wellness screening will quickly be flagged by AI applications in EHR systems, get approved by a clinician, and be notified through a mobile app.
You can't talk about healthcare without broaching the subject of regulation — and health IT is no exception.
The primary law health IT must comply with is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA dictates how patient information and data are stored, shared, and secured.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) is an extension of HIPAA that further details how health IT should comply. Similarly, Meaningful Use programs also play a part in how health IT is designed and used.
Most health IT nowadays is fully ready to comply with all regulations — but it’s always a good idea to double-check.
Health IT is here to solve problems, not to further complicate things. Clunky interfaces, endless clicks, and outdated systems can quickly lead to unnecessary stress and hundreds of wasted hours.
At ChartPath, we set out to deliver a health IT platform built for LTPAC clinicians by people who understand their day-to-day struggles. Our mobile-friendly systems are intuitive, efficient, and customizable.
We strive to reduce errors and meet compliance standards. And it all works to help you with one thing: getting back time for actual patient care.
If you’re ready to see how it works, schedule a live demo with our team today.