Published July 2016
The use of data in healthcare has been hailed as a solution for saving time and dollars and improving patient outcomes for a healthcare organization. However, many health systems have a hard time capturing and using data from patients that can make a real impact on their businesses.
Part of the issue lies in electronic health record (EHR) data, which can provide an incomplete picture of patient behavior, according to a study recently published in theJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association. EHRs are inadequate in capturing mental health diagnoses, visits, specialty care, hospitalizations, and medication, according to the study by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.
For example, when behavioral healthcare is administered off site, EHRs can miss large amounts of data, which can lead to overprescribing and missed diagnoses. EHRs missed 89% of data for acute psychiatric services, and for those receiving less than two weeks of outpatient care for depression or bipolar disorder, 60% and 54% of care, respectively, according to the study.
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