Why a patient longitudinal record is important for ACOs
The Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Model. CMS defines ACOs as “groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, who come together voluntarily to give coordinated high quality care to the Medicare patients they serve.” Coordinated care is an important aspect of the ACO, as it “helps ensure that patients, especially the chronically ill, get the right care at the right time, with the goal of avoiding unnecessary duplication of services and preventing medical errors.”
The Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) emphasizes that “once an accountable care organization (ACO) or other collaborative care entity has laid the foundation for a robust health data exchange by ensuring the electronic capture of complete clinical and financial information at the individual provider level, the next step is to build the core of the structure – the longitudinal patient record.”
A longitudinal record holistically evaluates patient population with a record that trends vitals and lab values over time. The move toward longitudinal records is key to understanding a patient’s complete medical picture. Access to and use of longitudinal records is particularly important for patients with chronic conditions, as the independent physician can quickly access important clinical data to help manage chronic conditions and easily schedule follow-up appointments to address any potential gaps in care.
Patients with chronic conditions tend to see multiple providers, undergo lab tests, and may require stays in healthcare facilities. Coordinating that care within the ACO relies on the patient longitudinal record being accurate, current, and easily accessed by each provider. HIMSS explains that “in addition to providing support for clinical decisions, longitudinal records included in the ACO’s central data repository enable the organization to monitor compliance with treatment guidelines, meet reporting requirements and identify best practices to improve care.”
