Written by Rob Inglish, Practice Director, Patient Identity & Vendor Analysis/Selection
If you Google “Population Health Management” you will get 77.5 million results, so there is no lack of information about population health management. But how do you make sense of what needs to happen for your organization to meet your population health goals? One step at a time…
Whether you’re just getting started and are defining your population health management strategy, or have already begun your journey, you will likely hit roadblocks and challenges along the way.
But despite the fact that leaders know there will be challenges, a 2014 study by SSI-Search showed that Population Health Analytics was a top priority for CIOs and IT leaders.
After talking with many of these leaders, a consistent theme and one that presents a lot of challenge, is in the area of patient identity — specifically around EMPI solutions. Most have deployed an EMPI solution. However, most were still not happy with the results they were getting (or not getting). There are always going to be some errors in any EMPI solution, but there are things you can do to make sure you are maximizing its potential to get the most accurate patient matches.
The first step is to know your duplication rate. Having a high duplication rate or not knowing your duplication rate at all can adversely affect care. Reducing your duplication rate can have positive effects, such as:
The second step is to take action to reduce your duplication rate once you know what it is. There are several ways this can be done:
These are just a few benefits of, and steps toward, managing your EMPI appropriately, which is key to meeting your population health management goals.
If you would like more information about EMPI services, such as strategy planning, vendor selection, or EMPI implementation, contact me here.
