Greenway Health launches the Greenway’s 21st Century Cures Academy to serve as a resource center for providers navigating the 21st Century Cures Act, its legal requirements, and its effects on the entire healthcare industry. Greenway’s 21st Century Cures Academy is a free resource available to anyone looking to learn more about the 21st Century Cures Act and its requirements.
The 21st Century Cures Act aims to improve the healthcare ecosystem and empower patients by requiring healthcare provider interoperability and patient data access for both patients and providers. The bipartisan legislation will require all healthcare providers, healthcare IT developers, and health information exchanges (HIEs) to be 21st Century Cures Act-compliant by Dec. 31, 2022.
“We consistently heard providers and industry leaders voice concerns and confusion surrounding the 21st Century Cures Act and its future requirements for compliance,” said Dr. Michael Blackman, Chief Medical Officer at Greenway Health. “We knew we needed to create the 21st Century Cures Academy as an educational series and resource center aimed to alleviate confusion, guide providers, and highlight the benefits this legislation will have on the entire healthcare system.”
Greenway’s 21st Century Cures Academy resource center provides easy-to-digest materials including checklists, quick guides, webinars, and other resources to assist healthcare providers in discovering the value the 21st Century Cures Act has to offer their practice.
By Dr. Michael Blackman, medical director, population health and analytics, Allscripts.
Dr. Michael Blackman
As healthcare delivery continues to evolve, healthcare technology needs to be there to support it. But, how will technology facilitate healthcare as we move forward?
Healthcare accessibility, especially for certain populations, continues to be problematic. The expansion of telemedicine has the potential to improve access, especially for populations that have difficulty accessing care, such as those with mobility or transportation issues.
Additionally, looking from a primary care standpoint alone, a fair percentage of patient visits can be conducted remotely while continuing to insure care quality. Telemedicine can extend a clinician’s reach by freeing up office time for those who gain extra benefit from being seen in person. However, the technology must support both the clinician and patient interaction, while not creating new barriers.
Potential barriers can come not just from factors implicit in the technology, but from the way it is implemented as well. For example, simple things such as a clinician needing to turn his or her back to a patient to access the system disrupts the clinician/patient relationship. Workflow considerations need to be front and center for all technology-related changes.
Leverage what you have – especially the data
There’s continually a desire to pursue the next shiny object, the next buzzword, the next big technology. But it comes down to why? What are you trying to accomplish with new technology that you can’t already do today? If it serves a strategic goal, then the new technology may be highly beneficial, but have you optimized what you are using now?
Electronic health records (EHRs) and other healthcare technology have brought us a plethora of data, but how many of us are using this data effectively?
The original goal of capturing data in EHRs was to improve care. We need to use that data to understand and improve care delivery. Sometimes that requires new technology, but whether one is using new technology or not, improving care requires a change in the way business is conducted.
Are AI and machine learning the future of healthcare?
Both AI and machine learning are likely to be integral components of healthcare’s future, but the underlying culture and business framework supporting these technologies will determine if we are able to get the most from them. Differences in organizational culture and business processes often explain why some succeed and others fail using the same technology.
