The following is a guest article by Dr. Guillermo Diaz, Chief Medical Information Officer at Los Angeles Department of Health Services – Ambulatory Care Network, and Ali Modaressi, CEO at Los Angeles Network for Enhanced Services (LANES)
When Alex was brought into L.A. General’s emergency room, the hospital’s care team documented a number of indicators that appeared to be related to a neurological issue. As part of their intake process, the team checked Alex’s (a pseudonym) medical history through the hospital’s health information organization and discovered the patient had recently undergone a cardiac surgery at a different hospital; their post-surgical issues had merely mimicked a neurological challenge. This discovery allowed the care team to quickly switch gears and administer accurate care from the appropriate experts, saving the patient from needless testing and waiting.
This nimble response would not have been possible if L.A. General were not participating in data sharing. L.A. General, along with the entire Los Angeles County Department of Health Services which includes four hospitals and 24 free-standing outpatient centers, shares patient data bi-directionally with other health entities through its health information organization (HIO), also referred to as health information exchanges (HIEs), enabling its team to quickly access relevant information in compliance with HIPAA. This avoids the laborious process and delays associated with calling, faxing, and contacting providers and family members.
As data sharing initiatives gain momentum, including TEFCA nationally and the Data Exchange Framework in California, it’s an important reminder that data sharing advancement is more than a policy or technological discussion. Data sharing decisions impact the care that patients receive every day. It can shorten the time to accurate care that improves outcomes not only in emergency situations as described above, but also when caring for communities long term.
HIEs aren’t new, but they’re not yet ubiquitous, and that’s a problem for both patients and clinicians. As a board-certified physician in clinical informatics working for the second-largest municipal health system in the U.S., and leader of a health information organization (HIO), we are dedicated to the use of meaningful technology application and educating healthcare professionals on the use of digital platforms, especially concerning the exchange of patient information and health data.
When applied correctly, data sharing platforms and tools will improve the quality of care delivered at the individual and population levels. They address gaps in patient information accessibility and make a holistic view of their medical history, including mental health and social determinants of health information, available at the point of care. They serve as a valuable supplement to electronic health records, providing a more complete view of patient information which helps healthcare providers to access patient data beyond the confines of their individual healthcare facilities. They also can integrate mental health data, empowering providers to tailor treatments effectively, addressing both physical and mental health needs. Importantly, they align with patient privacy guidelines, often integrating directly with existing systems.
From a physician perspective, this is more than just another technology to adopt. It’s no secret that time spent on administrative responsibilities, including time spent in poorly designed EHRs, are contributing to physician burnout and ultimately, workforce shortages. At scale and with widespread adoption, HIEs hold the promise to reduce the time physicians spend duplicating data sources and recording basic patient information. Instead, clinicians will be able to pull existing information, spending more valuable time practicing medicine and working directly with patients, and less time coding and updating notes.
As technology continues to evolve, the healthcare ecosystem faces both challenges and opportunities in leveraging data to enhance patient care across diverse and expansive networks. Responsible data sharing and continual improvement in user-friendly interfaces for healthcare professionals is critical for encouraging adoption of new technologies.
As L.A. General has demonstrated, the integration of data sharing technologies and processes drives better patient outcomes and allows teams and organizations to operate more efficiently and effectively. While not every patient care situation is as critical as the one shared above, every patient interaction does benefit from accurate information and care coordination, making data sharing a no-brainer for the future of healthcare.
About Dr. Guillermo Diaz
Dr. Diaz is a board-certified physician in clinical informatics, who is devoted to the appropriate implementation and use of clinical software to assist in improving the quality of clinical care delivered. He has guided the successful implementation and use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, registries, health information exchange, and other various health information systems and changes. He has been practicing in this field for over 15 years. Dr. Diaz works for the Ambulatory Care Network, a division of the Los Angeles Department of Health Services, which is the 2nd largest municipal health system in the United States.
About Ali Modaressi
Ali Modaressi is the CEO of the Los Angeles Network for Enhanced Services (LANES), a qualified health information organization (QHIO) exclusive to Los Angeles County that supports more than 10 million lives. He currently serves on the California Health and Human Services Data Exchange Framework Stakeholder Advisory Group. Prior to LANES, Modaressi was a health IT leader at L.A. Care Health Plan. He has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare IT.
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