Patient Engagement

The Young Adult and Family Center at the University of California at San Francisco’s Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics is using social networking technology to deliver mental health services to adolescents, young adults and veterans who need additional care or who might not otherwise receive care. In this case, the social networks are private and secured, only for the use of patients and related caregivers. Kim P. Norman, MD, distinguished professor of adolescent and young adult health at the University of California, San Francisco, and founder and director of the Young Adult and Family Center, will discuss the center’s pioneering healthcare IT work in an educational session at HIMSS16 titled “Create Chronic Disease Services Using Secure Social Networks.” See all of our HIMSS16 previews Norman explained that along with other clinical research teams across the country, UCSF is using personal health social networks to create scalable clinical interventions that “allow us to overcome the barriers of distance, a dearth of clinical resources, stigma, and expense that make it so hard for us to provide quality healthcare services to remote and underserved populations.” Norman will discuss how caregivers at the UCSF center leverage secure social networks to reach veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, to help underserved youth and their families overcome trauma and to aid high school and college students in building resiliency skills. Norman said that healing, by its very nature, is social, and that social technology lends itself to the healing process. “Technology can create true collaborative care among multiple providers in multiple systems of care, and secure social media can serve as a virtual psychotherapy office,” Norman said. “My colleagues and I also are focusing on integrating mental health services into medical care programs for chronic diseases using personal social networks, including to deliver better cancer, diabetes and dementia care.” Innovative clinical programs leveraging cloud-based medical-grade records and also tie together patients with families and other non-medical caretakers, Norman said, arming them with access to relevant data. [Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook] “We use private, secure social networks to build longitudinal relationships with our patients and their families to extend care beyond the traditional points of service into the home, school and community, and, for the first time, to integrate behavioral health and the social context of patient care within chronic disease care programs,” Norman explained. “We believe this is the future of chronic disease care.” Norman’s session, “Create Chronic Disease Services Using Secure Social Networks,” is slated for March 2, 2016, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Galileo 1004. Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT This story is part of our ongoing coverage of the HIMSS16 conference. Follow our live blog for real-time updates, and visit Destination HIMSS16 for a full rundown of our reporting from the show. For a selection of some of the best social media posts of the show, visit our Trending at #HIMSS16 hub.

A recent study funded by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality suggests that patients with fully electronic health records experienced fewer adverse events such as hospital-acquired infections. In order to be considered a fully electronic EHR, "physician notes, nursing assessments, problem lists, medication lists, discharge summaries and provider orders are electronically generated," according to researchers. Using 2012 and 2013 Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System data, AHRQ examined outcomes for cardiovascular, pneumonia and surgery patients – specifically with regard to occurrence rates of 21 adverse events in four clinical domains: hospital-acquired infections, adverse drug events, general events (falls or pressure ulcers, for instance) and post-procedural events. [Also: CMS awards $110M for patient safety] "To assess the role of EHRs in preventing adverse events, the researchers measured to what extent care received by patients in the 1,351 hospitals was captured by a fully electronic EHR," said Amy Helwig, MD, deputy director of AHRQ's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, and Edwin Lomotan, MD, medical officer and chief of clinical informatics at AHRQ's Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement, in a blog post. The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Patient Safety, show that, of more than 45,000 patients at risk for nearly 350,000 adverse events in the study sample, 13 percent were exposed to fully electronic health records. Among all patients examined in the study, the occurrence rate of adverse events was 2.3 percent, or 7,820 adverse events. Patients with EHRs, meanwhile, had 17 to 30 percent lower odds of any adverse event. Helwig and Lomotan said that health IT has shown patient safety gains, but research to prove it has often looked at just one healthcare provider at a time. "A question that remains unanswered is the impact of fully installed electronic health records systems used in multiple organizations," they wrote. "Another big question: can EHRs go beyond improving safety-related processes to actually preventing adverse events, such as potentially deadly hospital-acquired infections, from reaching patients?" The findings from "Electronic Health Record Adoption and Rates of In-hospital Adverse Events"  suggest hospitals with EHR can offer more coordinated care from admission to discharge to reduce the risk of patient harm. They note, however, that adverse event odds varied by medical condition and type of event. “For example, patients hospitalized for pneumonia and exposed to a fully electronic EHR had 35 percent lower odds of adverse drug events, 34 percent lower odds of hospital-acquired infections, and 25 percent lower odds of general events. Among patients hospitalized for cardiovascular surgery, a fully electronic EHR was associated with 31 percent lower odds of post-procedural events and 21 percent fewer general events," they wrote. [Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook] Helwig and Lomotan caution that the AHRQ study raises a few questions. “The findings showed a significant relationship between fully electronic EHRs and adverse drug event rates for patients hospitalized with pneumonia, but not for those with cardiovascular disease or needing surgery,” they wrote. “This may be due to the fact that certain high-alert medications, such as opioids, which are often associated with adverse drug events, were not included in the MPSMS measures." Still, the authors said as more hospitals mature in their use of EHRs, those systems can play a key role in preventing adverse events. Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN

Patients with access to their online health information who received timely alerts about gaps in care were more inclined to receive preventative tests and screenings compared with patients who didn't use the service, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. Rates of preventive health screenings, chronic disease management tasks and vaccinations around the country remain low, according to the study. More than  20-80 percent of adults fail to obtain the health services they need. "Making sure patients receive appropriate tests and screenings is a critical part of providing high-quality healthcare, but it can be challenging and time-consuming to get patients to follow through due to a variety of reasons,” the study’s lead author Shayna L. Henry, Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation, said in a statement. The study found that 8.8 percent of patients who used an online portal were more likely to receive colorectal cancer screenings than those members who didn't, and online users were 11.9 percent more likely to complete their HbA1c testing than non-users. [Also: Patients struggle with sharing health information online] Additionally, 9.1 percent of online users were more likely to visit providers for mammogram screenings, while 6.1 percent were more likely than non-users to receive a Pap smear. However, there was no noticeable difference between online and non-registered members when it came Patient access to health data, appointment reminders improve care gaps and patient engagement to receiving vaccinations. Researchers analyzed the electronic health records of 838,638 Kaiser Permanente members in Southern California. Around 40 percent of these members use the online Patient Action Plan, or oPAP, a Web-based system launched in 2012 that provides access to personalized health information. It also sends emails to members if they're in need of preventative care based on their last appointments for preventative screenings and specific health conditions, such as smoking and diabetes. [Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook]  “Our study demonstrates that by creating a customized and personalized communication to patients about their care needs, healthcare providers can directly engage patients and close important gaps in care, particularly for preventive screenings for cancer,” Henry said. "Although the findings represent only a small segment of the overall KPSC membership and the effect sizes are modest," the study's authors said, "the results of the present study indicate the oPAP has considerable potential to be a model for cost- and resource-effective patient engagement in health maintenance and disease prevention." Twitter: @JessiefDavis

Canadian and U.S. researchers formed a collaborative to explore social media in public health, with plans to generate a practice roadmap. The endpoint: enabling public health entities to harness social media to better help deliver effective intervention strategies. “This trend is an emerging phenomenon that the healthcare industry needs to grasp and couple with the IT infrastructure in place to fully engage individuals in managing their health,” said Susan McBride, a professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. “Public health organizations in both Canada and the United States are using multiple tools in social media programs to intervene on targeted efforts. All of this will further inform the roadmap for use of social media in population and community health.” McBride has more than 25 years of experience in clinical, informatics and outcomes management capacities. McBride’s research focus is on healthcare informatics, analytic methods using large datasets, patient safety and quality. See all of our HIMSS16 previews She will be co-presenting at HIMSS16 with Richard Booth, RN, PhD, an assistant professor at the Western University Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing in Ontario. These executives will deliver the findings of their latest research during a session titled “Building a Road Map for Social Media in Public Health.” “We are hoping to consolidate some of the current knowledge of social media used in population and public health,” Booth said. While the world has become increasingly networked, government and healthcare have only now begun to realize the importance and value of communication that can be afforded by social media and related styles of communication, Booth added. “I view topics like social media as a new generation or asymmetric way that health IT is growing and evolving. The type of health IT largely driven by consumers – we as healthcare providers and informaticians are late to the game in many respects,” Booth explained. “Unlike traditional clinical or health IT, this type of technology allows for immediate two-way communication with service recipients; thus, it can’t be controlled or managed like traditional health IT.” [Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook] Because social media is so dynamic, the potential for its use in healthcare is very exciting, Booth added. And while the term ‘social media’ may fade in terms of its relevancy and usage, the communication modality offered by social media will become infused into the everyday way of doing things, including delivering healthcare, he said. “Consumers of the not-too-distant future will be increasingly wanting to discuss and collaborate with each other as much as with their clinicians,” Booth said. “Social media – though not in its exact, current form – will offer us insights into what types of communication patterns might be possible moving into the future. We have a lot of work ahead of us.” The session, “Building a Road Map for Social Media in Public Health,” is slated for Friday, March 4, 2016, at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Galileo 1004. Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT This story is part of our ongoing coverage of the HIMSS16 conference. Follow our live blog for real-time updates, and visit Destination HIMSS16 for a full rundown of our reporting from the show. For a selection of some of the best social media posts of the show, visit our Trending at #HIMSS16 hub.

JoAnn Klinedinst, Vice President of Professional Development at HIMSS, previews the topics and approach for education sessions at HIMSS16 and how attendees can access content online after the conference in the newly redesigned Learning Center. LEARNING CENTER: Health IT's most comprehensive online learning platform

The vast majority of Americans say they would welcome using technology and mobile devices to monitor their health, according to a recent study by the Society for Participatory Medicine, a nonprofit membership organization focused on patient engagement. The study found 84 percent of survey respondents felt tracking blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, physical activity and other data with a user-friendly mobile device between provider visits would help to better manage their health. [Also: Remote patient monitoring market booming amid readmission fines] "The important findings from the survey show patients really want to partner with physicians," said Daniel Z. Sands, MD, co-founder, co-chair of the Society for Participatory Medicine. "It's not a typical service industry, like the car wash model of healthcare where the patient cruises through the system," he added. "Providers need to engage patients, and patients want it." In fact, 77 percent of survey respondents felt it was both important for themselves and their healthcare provider. ORC International interviewed more than 1,000 Americans on behalf of the Society for Participatory Medicine and found 76 percent of respondents would use a clinically accurate and easy-to-use monitoring device; 81 percent would be more likely to use a device if their provider recommended it, and 57 percent would like to use the device and share the information with their provider. "I think many physicians believe patients just want to come in for their visits, but don't really want to engage in their healthcare," said Sands. "The participatory method is really important, but the question is, do physicians want to have a partnership?" "If we get it right, we have the opportunity to leverage technology to help patients contribute to their health information without coming into the office," he added. "This information is valuable to patients and to providers. It's an important tool to get healthcare outside of the office." According to Sands, it's a change in mindset for many providers that medical schools are attempting to combat. But it's challenging in the constraints of a medical practice to transition to this type of care. Further research must be done on physicians to determine their issues and thoughts. Twitter: @JessiefDavis

Three weeks after the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, they will meet again at HIMSS16 in Las Vegas.

Tamara St. Claire is the chief innovation officer of Xerox Healthcare – and later this month at HIMSS16 she will also be among the Social Media Ambassadors credentialed to cover the conference.

Tom Martin, PhD, Director at HIMSS and PCHA, provides a sneak peak at what’s in store for attendees interested in learning about connected health technologies at HIMSS16. Watch more video coverage of HIMSS16

(SPONSORED) Two physicians working at the intersection of healthcare and technology recently chatted about what FHIR will mean to practitioners at the point of care.