Archive for the 'Christine Bechtel' Category

In the Works: New Patient Rights

Published on September 15, 2011 in Christine Bechtel, Health Care and HIT. 4 Comments

Christine Bechtel

“When it comes to health care, information is power. When patients have their lab results, they are more likely to ask the right questions, make better decisions and receive better care.”
~ HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

Patients and families may soon have a great opportunity to have more control over ­ and make improvements in ­ the health care they receive. Under a proposed rule released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today, patients will be able to receive test results reports directly from labs upon request.

This is great news: it will help patients access their information when they want and need to, ensure that their medical records are updated and accurate, and support them in being active and informed decision-makers in their care.

Does this take doctors out of the equation? Absolutely not. Doctors and other providers always have been and will continue to be essential in helping patients understand and interpret their test results. This rule won’t change that.

Here’s what it will change: Right now, many states have laws that prohibit patients and families from getting their test results directly from the labs; they must go through doctors’ offices instead. And unfortunately, there are still millions of patients who do not receive their lab results, leaving them without the information that they need. That, too, will change.

The new rule will allow patients to have a more hands-on role in their health care decisions and be able to seek the medical attention that they need – and that’s a huge step forward for better care.

Learn more in our statement.

What, No Tiara?

Published on February 8, 2011 in Christine Bechtel and HIT. 0 Comments
Christine Bechtel

Christine Bechtel

Recently, a reporter conducted an analysis of the people considered to be “the most powerful” in the field of health information technology (IT).

Focusing on the Health IT Policy Committee (a federal advisory body that provides input to key federal agencies with jurisdiction over health IT), the reporter conducted an analysis of stakeholders serving on various workgroups with the capacity to influence public policy.  His generous conclusion is that based on the number of workgroups and other subjective factors – including “forceful will” – that the most powerful person is…me.

My parents couldn’t be happier.  My colleagues won’t let me live it down.

I’m more than a little embarrassed, since I can think of about a thousand other people in Washington more powerful than I am – including the hard-working federal agency staff that actually set and oversee the implementation of HIT policy and initiatives.

But to me, the most powerful people are actually those professionals in the field who are making a real difference every day in the lives of patients and their families.

They are living examples of how this can be done – that electronic health records can be used in a meaningful way right now to truly benefit not just doctors and health insurance companies, but patients and families themselves.

Physicians like Ted Eytan, who are using their medical training and their deep rooted personal beliefs that care really is about patients to help health systems like Group Health and Kaiser Permanente re-engineer the way they use information to provide care that is better, safer and more patient-centered.

Professionals like Micki Tripathi, who are leading statewide efforts to build systems and relationships that help doctors talk to each other electronically (through information exchange) and thereby coordinate care for patients who need it.

Institutions like the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is making it possible for veterans and their families to download their own health information electronically – so they don’t have to tote reams of paper from doctor to doctor in an attempt to make sure their care teams have the information they need to provide the best care they can.

These outstanding people and organizations are changing health care for patients and their families every day.  They do what they do to help people like Susan Crowson.  Susan was a caregiver for her father, “Pop,” for years.  She created Excel spreadsheets to track his complex care.  She alone bore the burden of getting doctors to share important information.  When she took her dad for lab tests every two months, Susan was the one who had to make sure all Pop’s doctors got the test results — or it didn’t happen.  In today’s technologically advanced world, this is just unacceptable.

At the end of the day, I believe that power in this world is about making a meaningful difference in people’s lives, and these are just a few of the most powerful people in my book.  And more “power” to them!

Great News: ‘Meaningful Use’ Rule Released Today!

Published on July 13, 2010 in Christine Bechtel, Health Care and HIT. 0 Comments
Christine Bechtel

Christine Bechtel

We’ve said it before and you know it’s true: health information technology is for better health outcomes, not just better technology. And the new regulations released by the Obama administration show that they get it.

I was thrilled to watch HHS Secretary Sebelius, who recently spoke at the National Partnership’s annual luncheon, make the announcement this morning at HHS. These new regulations will mean that those health providers who take federal health IT dollars will be held accountable for improving the care you receive – by using health IT in a meaningful way.

An end is finally in sight for the days when doctors have to sift through incomplete and incomprehensible hand-written medical records – when patients must tote test results from doctor to doctor – and when family caregivers spend endless time trying to coordinate medications and treatments for those who can’t do so for themselves.

And we say ‘good riddance.’ The regulations are strong, sensible, patient-centered – and just what the nation needs as we reform our health care system.

But let’s be clear: our work on the meaningful use of health IT isn’t done. As we move forward, we need to make sure the regulations are strengthened so providers who violate privacy laws are ineligible for federal IT dollars, and so providers are required to give all patients timely access to their health information.

So, for today, let’s celebrate. Today’s action helps put in place the foundation for a health care system that works for patients and families – and we will all benefit as private and secure electronic health records become the norm in the United States. And tomorrow, we forge ahead. Stay tuned….

The Evidence is There: Better Coordinated Care Makes Sense and Saves Money. Duh.

Published on October 14, 2009 in Campaign for Better Care, Christine Bechtel and Health Care. 0 Comments
Christine Bechtel

Christine Bechtel

This just in.  What health care experts have suspected for some time has been demonstrated by a new study published in the American Journal of Managed Care: patients who can rely on a coordinated system where their providers talk to each other, their medical information is available electronically, and they have improved access to doctors and nurses – have better health outcomes.

Quick Fact: What is a Patient-Centered Medical Home?

A “medical home” — aka: “patient-centered medical home”— is a medical office or clinic where a team of health professionals work together to provide a new, expanded type of care to patients. It’s not an institution or nursing home, but a medical office or clinic that offers coordinated, comprehensive primary care that is personal and focused on making sure the patient’s health care needs are met.

The study compared four components – patient experience, quality of care, costs, and staff burnout – at a pilot patient-centered medical home (PCMH) in Seattle.  The outcome is compelling. 

Patients at the PCMH fared far better than patients at control sites in some significant ways.  After 12 months, patients at the PCMH had 29 percent fewer visits to the emergency room and 11 percent fewer hospitalizations.   These patients reported higher levels of satisfaction with their care and took a more active role in their own health care through regular communications with doctors and more participation in patient groups and self-management workshops.  These outcomes are good for patients, good for providers, and good for our nation’s pocket book. 

Another reason the medical home model is so promising?  Staff burnout (a long-time problem for primary care clinics that threatens the important role they play in preventing disease and keeping people healthy) was significantly less after one year at the PCMH.  Only 10%  of staff reported high burnout compared to 30% at the control sites.

And– because we love it when higher quality of care makes financial sense too – even though the PCMH had some significant initial start-up costs, those costs were recouped quickly (after one year).  The study estimates this is because of savings from fewer emergency visits and hospitalizations.   From the patient’s perspective, there was no detectable difference in cost between the PCMH and the control sites; meaning the PCMH was providing better care and patients were getting better outcomes and it didn’t cost them more.

But of course there’s bad news – there always is.  The problem is that all those savings generated by the PCMH didn’t actually accrue to the same people who made the wise investment in the first place.  For example, reduced hospitalizations are a worthy outcome, but those savings don’t benefit the PCMH directly; they really save health plans money.  That’s a function of the way we currently pay for health care, which promotes fragmentation over coordination and leaves patients feeling as though they’re a collection of body parts instead of the whole person they really are.

Evidence like this should play a central role in re-organizing health care payment and delivery systems in this country.  As Congress debates the future of health care, we must make sure that the way we pay for and deliver care helps every patient receives the high quality, coordinated care they deserve. 

For more information about the Patient-Centered Medical Home and how you can help advance this exciting new model of care in your area, click here.