What You Should Know:
– A new survey from Verato, a healthcare identity management company, reveals significant challenges faced by healthcare organizations in meeting the data sharing requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act. The survey reveals only 36% of organizations have comprehensive data quality programs in place to comply with the Cures Act.
– Despite the Act’s focus on promoting interoperability and patient access to data, many organizations lack the necessary infrastructure and processes to comply.
Key Findings
- Only 41% report full compliance with the information-blocking rules.
- Less than half are fully compliant in key areas like patient data sharing and electronic notifications.
- 98% expect an increase in data requests and influx of external data.
- 57% believe patient data-matching errors will lead to a crisis within 5-10 years.
- 97% see future negative impacts of poor data management.
- 89% agree that a Healthcare Master Data Management (hMDM) system is crucial.
- Almost all (97%) have fragmented, siloed data systems.
- 66% lack confidence in their data management infrastructure’s ability to protect data integrity.
Challenges Implementing Cures Act
The survey highlights the significant challenges organizations face in implementing the Cures Act and ensuring seamless data exchange. This lack of preparedness could have serious consequences, including:
- Limited patient access to data: Patients may struggle to access their own medical records and information, hindering their ability to manage their health effectively.
- Poor care coordination: Fragmented data can lead to communication breakdowns and inconsistencies in care, potentially harming patient outcomes.
- Increased healthcare costs: Duplication of tests and procedures due to data errors can significantly increase costs for both patients and healthcare systems.
- Information blocking penalties: The proposed rule from the HHS could impose financial penalties on hospitals and health systems that engage in information blocking.
Importance of hMDM as a Solution
The survey emphasizes the importance of hMDM systems as a critical solution to address these challenges. By accurately identifying patients and consolidating data from various sources, hMDM can enable secure and efficient data exchange, improve data quality, and facilitate compliance with regulations.
Survey Methodology
The survey, conducted by Big Village, collected data from 197 executives from U.S. hospitals, health systems, and payers. Respondents actively manage patient data and are involved in data linkage, storage, and utilization.
