HIIU is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to
identify, research and publicize practical programs and policies that
will result in an ideal healthcare system for the state of Utah.
HIIU'S RESEARCH
HIIU's research has shown that the major problem in the healthcare industry is the fragmentation of medical information.
An average person's healthcare record is scattered among at least 13 different locations; and, 30% of the state's healthcare dollars are spent on fragmented information systems and services.
Establishinga healthcare information system that produces a single, privacy-protected Coordinated Medical Record for every patient across space and time will have a greater impact on improving the quality and reducing the cost of healthcare than any other initiative.
The credit card industry is the model. Capture information from many different sites, coordinate it in a central location, keep is safe and secure, and distribute it efficiently.
HIIU's INITIAL PROJECT
HIIU's initial project is
to educate the public, particularly individual citizens (patients) and corporations, about the quality and cost benefits of establishing a statewide Coordinated Medical Record system.
HEALTHCARE INFORMATION INITIATIVE OF UTAH (HIIU)
HIIU is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
whose mission is to identify, research and publicize practical programs and
policies that will result in an ideal healthcare system for the
state of Utah.
HIIU's research
indicates that the establishment of a uniform statewide healthcare information
system will have a greater impact on both the quality and the cost of
healthcare in Utah than any other initiative.
Such a system will produce
Coordinated Patient Records and Coordinated Statistics and Reports. It will significantly improve the quality and decrease the cost of healthcare statewide.
UNIFORM
STATEWIDE HEALTHCARE INFORMATION SYSTEM
A
uniform statewide healthcare information system is a single system that is used
by every healthcare provider and every insurance carrier in the state.
COORDINATED
PATIENT RECORDS
Coordinated
Patient Records are single records that contain each patient's demographic,
insurance and clinical information. The records are patient-controlled and
privacy-protected. They follow the patient through space and time. They cross
all institutional boundaries. They are continuously available to the patient
and to any healthcare provider that the patient designates.
COORDINATED
STATISTICS AND REPORTS
A
uniform statewide healthcare information system will produce coordinated
statewide and industry-wide clinical and financial statistics and reports. This
information will make the entire healthcare industry transparent and
accountable. It will provide the data to clearly distinguish the difference
between valid medical care and expenses, and waste.
QUALITY
IMPLICATIONS
A
uniform information system will eliminate the need for patients and physicians
to rely on memory, repetition and guesswork at every caresite. It will clarify
and simplify the industry's billing processes. It will significantly reduce the
incidences of misdiagnoses, inappropriate medications, duplicate tests,
frequent emergency room visits, unnecessary hospitalizations, and fraud. Isolated
hospital systems, insurance company systems, and physician office electronic
medical record systems (EMRs) cannot provide these benefits.
COST
IMPLICATIONS
Utah's
healthcare expenses are nearly $16 billion. 30% of those dollars, $4.8 billion,
are spent on the flow of information throughout the industry. This is because
every insurance carrier and every healthcare provider has its own information
system, and none of the systems communicate well with each other. We are all paying an extremely high price to support these isolated systems. Studies have
shown that a uniform statewide system would cost about 3% of the state's
healthcare dollars, and would reduce overall healthcare expenses by at least 20%.
LOGISTICS
A
uniform statewide information system would be set up as a new entity in the healthcare
industry. It would be not-for-profit and independent of all insurance carriers
and healthcare providers. It would be run by neutral data management professionals
whose sole interest would be the security of the data, and the ethically
appropriate access to the data in the system.
REALISTIC
POSSIBILITY
The
credit card industry is the model for the system. Capture data from numerous
disparate sites, coordinate it, keep it safe, and efficiently distribute it.
Pilot studies have been done using this model. These studies demonstrated the
technical feasibility of establishing a uniform healthcare information system
on a large scale. They clearly documented the significant financial and
quality-of-care benefits of establishing such as system. They also demonstrated
the fact that as long as privacy is protected, it is hard for anyone to argue
against the value of a coordinated healthcare information system.
A neutral and independent statewide healthcare information system will revolutionize the healthcare industry. It will break down the barriers that currently exist between healthcare institutions. It will give patients and physicians the information they need to significantly improve the quality of healthcare. It will give employers and individual citizens (healthcare Purchasers) the information they need to appropriately reduce the cost of healthcare.
It will take a grassroots effort by individual citizens (patients), physicians, and employers to establish a uniform information system in Utah. If these groups join together for the common cause, they will have the critical mass, the financial strength, and the business know-how to make such a system a reality.
