As part of its agenda, the Department of Health (DOH) has stated that both private and government hospitals should invest in ehealth (electronic health) and data for decision making.
The DOH also mandates the use of EMR (electronic medical records) as well as promote interoperability of hospital information system that will enhance the healthcare information exchange (HIE) connecting networks of private and government hospitals across health systems.
This will come in handy with the full implementation of the Universal Health Care Act which provides all Filipinos with guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable health care goods and services and protected against financial risk.
Health system challenges
According to Cris M. De Luna Jr., Managing Director of EHealth Medical and Enterprise Systems Distribution, there are three main challenges to the country’s health system—patient registration, data quality and inefficient policies to better understand the real time information for decision making.
De Luna was a guest speaker at the recently held 22nd Annual Convention of PACSSM (Philippine Association of Central Services and Sterilization Management Inc.) where he tackled the topic “Innovation and Transformation in the Healthcare industry: Focusing on AI (Artificial Intelligence), IT (information technology) and Remote Monitoring.”
EHealth Medical and Enterprise Systems Distribution was established primarily for the purpose of identifying hospital ICT (information and communication technology) project engagements by finding opportunities and matching those with company resources and EHealth Medical’s strategic technology of partners and suppliers so that they can come up with a project.
“There is a poor, slow recording, and data processing as well as duplication of processes like repeated recording of the patient’s demographic data and past medical histories from one health facility to another. There is also a very long reporting process,” De Luna said.
Quality of data
Data quality, De Luna explained is a problem in terms of reliability, timeliness, accuracy, and completeness, which, in turn will affect decision making.
“In terms of inefficient policies, there is poor governance for data security. Many data or health information come from disparate systems and locations with different data formats and lacking in harmonization,” he said.
To resolve the situation, the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) created the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) or EMR Adoption Model. It is an eight-step process that allows users to track their progress against healthcare organizations across the country and view all scores in the HIMSS Analytics Database.
EMRAM measures clinical outcomes, patient engagement and clinician use of EMR technology to strengthen organizational performance and health outcomes across patient populations. The internationally applicable EMRAM incorporates methodology and algorithms to score a whole hospital, including inpatient, outpatient and day case services provided on the hospital environment.
“The system scores hospitals in the Philippines and around the world relative to their digital maturity, providing a detailed road map to ease adoption and begin a digital transformation journey towards aspirational outcomes,” De Luna explained.
Optimize work environments
Measuring evidence-based data at each stage, organizations use EMRAM to optimize digital work environments, improve performance, and financial sustainability, built a sustainable workforce and support an exceptional patient experience.
Some of the hospitals in the Philippines adopt the EMRAM Electronic Medical record Adoption model and it is estimated that 80 percent of the hospitals in the country have not reached the stage 4, 5, 6 and 7.
This is where De Luna’s team comes in. His company’s solution is to create synergy and interoperability with the goal of meeting DOH’s agenda for private and public hospitals.
“Our goal is to guide, assist, and provide Philippine hospitals with innovative and highly-advanced technologies and systems in achieving HIMSS EMRAM Level 7 to improve patient safety, increase patient satisfaction, support clinicians and secure data,” De Luna said.
Patient safety
To improve patient safety, De Luna said the team will evaluate and improve this by optimizing their EMR implementation to provide access to critical information when and where clinicians need it. This will also help increase patient satisfaction as there will be a reduction in time and errors in care delivery.
“An effective EMR is one that is designed for the distinct uses of the clinicians who work with it. The EMRAM ensures the workflow and content in the digital tool meets the needs of the clinical teams while monitoring compliance with approved standards,” he said.
It is also critical that policies and practices are in place for data security to ensure a successful EHR EMR implementation.
“The EMRAM guides the organization in policymaking for the appropriate use of data in the EMR stores and the level of access available to clinician teams and others within the organization,” De Luna said.