Q&A: Addressing communication gaps among physicians, hospitals, other providers

Q: What are the essential steps to addressing some of the communication gaps that exist among primary care physicians, hospitals, and other providers?

A: In the United States, there are issues regarding communication between different levels of healthcare. According to a 2019 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey published by Health Affairs, only 33% of U.S. primary care practices are regularly in touch with homecare providers regarding their patients’ care, and only 42% report receiving patient condition updates from homecare providers.

The use of shared technology is critical for strong communication, says Alan Cudney, RN-BC, MBA, MHS, CPHQ, FACHE, a senior managing consultant for BRG | Prism Healthcare in Chicago.

“When two providers use the same EMR vendor, it will likely be easier to share patient information within the software,” says Cudney. “Even though the Meaningful Use program has promoted greater interoperability between vendor systems, there are still multiple steps for a physician to access a continuity of care document or information within a health information exchange. Physicians are busy enough, and taking extra steps to obtain patient information is simply not appealing, even if there is an available staff member to complete the task.”

Editor’s Note: This answer originally appeared in the April of Case Management Monthly.