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eHealth Initiative Releases Report on the Health IT Requirements for Accountable Care

Washington, D.C. January 26, 2012 – As new Accountable Care organizations (ACOs) begin to contract with Medicare to manage care, an eHealth Initiative (eHI) report, Support for Accountable Care: Recommended Health IT Infrastructure, provides key health IT recommendations necessary to support affordable and improved care delivery.

Key recommendations include:

• a health IT infrastructure that is flexible to support the changing needs of an accountable care organizational model;
• an infrastructure that supports the secure transfer, collection and storage of personal health data;
• a patient-centered system to engage and educate patients and caregivers;
• and a system that supports care coordination across the healthcare team and the patient.

The report illustrates how the recommended infrastructure can support patient safety, improve care for at-risk populations and help providers demonstrate financial accountability and quality management.

"It may be difficult for accountable care organizations to accomplish all of their objectives without a strong technology base that facilitates care coordination and gives doctors the tools they need to provide quality and affordable care," said Jennifer Covich-Bordenick, eHealth Initiative's chief executive officer.

These recommendations reflect the current status of 20 ACOs across the country, specifically related to the health IT infrastructure for each organization implementation goals and participation in the new Medicare Shared Savings program.

"Accountable care is an issue of critical importance to physicians. We hope that everybody in the industry takes the recommendations in this report to heart. With the right technology in place, these organizations have the potential to improve the health and well-being of their patient populations," said Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, FACP, Senior Vice President, American College of Physicians.

The report was developed by a multi-stakeholder council which met over an eight month period, and involved the input of over 100 individuals and organizations across the healthcare industry. The council was co-chaired by Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, FACP, Senior Vice President, American College of Physicians and Marcia Guida James, MS, MBA, CPC of Humana Inc.

The report can be downloaded on the eHealth Initiative Website at www.ehealthinitiative.org.