Data Integration: The Essential Elements of Telehealth Sustainability

Data and system integration is less fascinating than the latest conversations about how AI can improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. However, to make artificial intelligence or other technologies successful, a solid, good data sharing environment is required. This basis is essential for sharing medical data between internal or external hospital systems or between telemedicine providers and hospital systems. It also directly affects employee productivity and is key to being able to conduct data science to evaluate results and develop strategies for new or extended telehealth services.

Without integration working at the best performance level, health care systems cannot increase the much-needed income that telehealth can encourage patient retention by providing professional and acute care by providing professional and acute care opportunities for people in rural areas without expensive travel.

Get data close

Medical records, encountering data, quality and revenue statistics, and many other data points drive increased demand for integration and interoperability. This data is essential for telehealth providers and hospitals, enabling them to assess the effectiveness of current services and strategically fight for future growth.

Here are some specific integration issues to consider.

Data sharing between systems: Hospital systems are working to adopt standards such as the Fast Healthcare Interoperable Resources (FHIR) standards developed by the Health Level Seventh International (HL7). The standard requires modern APIs that can support FHIR and a platform that can handle data between systems in order to provide a more thorough and comprehensive look for patient care. Hospitals with traditional systems and smaller budgets face the challenge of modernizing their infrastructure to support FHIR.

Integration with telehealth providers: To evaluate and plan patient treatment, telemedicine providers need secure access to hospital system data. The recommended approach is to use Citrix remote desktop or a VPN with multi-factor authentication (MFA), which allows doctors to remotely retrieve patient records and develop treatment plans without burdening hospital staff. This method enables seamless data access while maintaining security. Furthermore, hospitals can avoid expensive investments in unnecessary integration and interfaces by leveraging these secure remote access solutions.

Conquer the digital divide: Another challenge is broadband access to support efficient high-speed data file transfers. Rural and urban communities have suffered from the “digital divide” and insufficient broadband technology has hindered telehealth services and patient consultation. The Pew Charitable Trust estimates that 24 million Americans lack high-speed broadband access. The $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (Bead) program is designed to help states close the digital divide, but has been implemented without success since its inception three years ago. Conflicts in broadband mapping are a problem that causes delay. The new government is reviewing the beads and may modify the plan to facilitate progress. One option is to reduce attention to high-speed fibers by using cost-effective satellite transmissions, freeing up funds for bead affordability requirements to provide low-cost service options to help low-income families.

Skills and budget reality within the system: To promote technical capabilities in data sharing, larger institutions are providing excellent skills training programs to employees in disciplines such as Electronic Health Records (EHR), while smaller systems and systems in rural communities are struggling with comprehensive training programs with limited budgets. In addition to this, senior skilled IT professionals are required to implement and manage any important system and data integration. Smaller institutions will have difficulty competing for these professionals with attractive pay options in larger health systems and technology fields.

To build technical capabilities for the future, smaller organizations can adopt a strategy from larger systems: they can develop current employee training and improve skills, note that data complexity and AI integration will continue to require skilled employees and increase competition for recruits.

Get valuable insights: Data sharing is not only crucial to gain more insight into the benefits of telehealth A hospital system is provided, but how the system itself provides services based on population needs.

Telehealth providers need to conduct regular data analyses to provide baseline and ongoing reports on patient outcomes. Due to the expansion of professional care, reduced readmissions, new service categories and operational cost-benefit analysis, they can also relate to the hospital system to the study of patient retention.

Such partners will provide the most powerful intelligence on how telehealth can contribute to better services, revenue and economic sustainability.

A stronger future of technology

Telehealth has become a recognized part of healthcare delivery. However, in order to expand the influence of telemedicine and further support hospital services. Data integration, sharing between systems and providers, broadband access and skills training are key areas that affect patient care. These issues are addressable as providers continue to implement interoperability standards. There are some options to provide more high-speed communications in rural and low-income communities. In addition, training programs can develop employees with more technical skills. Through the concerted efforts of providers and communities, healthcare can achieve a stronger technological foundation.

Editor’s Note: The author and his company are not affiliated with any entity mentioned in this article.

Photos: metorworks, Getty Images

This article passed Mixed Influencer Programs. Anyone can post opinions on MedCity News’ healthcare business and innovation through MedCity Remacence. Click here to learn how.