Designing solutions for existing health care-related problems takes teamwork, knowledge and collaboration. To help build a better understanding of how organizations can reach these solutions, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) sponsored the Virtual InterOpathon presented by Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services (MiHIN) on May 28-29. The speakers included Rich Boehm, IT delivery director at BCBSM and other top-level representatives from several organizations, including Stephanie Arntson, product innovation manager at the Interoperability Institute; Gerry Miller, founder and CEO of Cloudticity; and Tim Pletcher, executive director of MiHIN;. They covered topics that stretched across the interoperability in health care, the sharing of data, several different platforms and software, and how to bring it all together for consumers. Interoperability in Health Care As defined for the purposes of the InterOpathon per BCBSM, “Interoperability is the ability to electronically share meaningful health care data without special effort.” The problem: Information currently exists in silos, the data is not connected and there is no sharing of information. The desired future state: For patients and their health care providers to have access to complete health history at any given point in time. Removing these barriers to the flow of data in a secure, efficient and cost-effective way will help to:
- Lower the cost of care
- Increase care coordination
- Increase consumer engagement and shared decision-making
- Improve customer experience
- Improve patient outcomes
- Improve quality and safety
- Improve operational efficiencies
Why Now? COVID-19 has brought with it an urgency of data reporting and data exchange between health care providers and health care payers. Patient information and patient care, particularly regarding virtual visits, have increased exponentially. Creating these solutions today will only help us effectively collaborate and save lives. What Are the Outcomes? The attending teams at the InterOpathon worked virtually via various platforms available to them to create a solution to a chosen case. The created solutions, including a PowerPoint presentation and demonstration, were due May 29 and submitted to a judge’s panel. We want to thank all the teams that participated in the MiHIN InterOpathon. The winners and results will be announced June 5 via the Interoperability Institute website and social media platforms. BCBSM was honored to be a part of this forward-thinking, solution-focused InterOpathon. We know that this type of collaborative effort is what will help make impactful and lasting change to health care and offer better outcomes and a higher quality of life to consumers. Photo Credits: Rawpixel.com, alphaspirit
