Sullivan Report Finds WEDI Vision Progress, More Work To Be Done

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Patient engagement strategies are on track, while innovation is needed to systemize data.

The Louis W. Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation has released a report updating the industry on the results of the 2013 WEDI Framework & Roadmap for Future of Healthcare Exchange. The report offers guidance on potential improvements within HIE development and health IT adoption while serving “as a progress report on stakeholder efforts to drive improvements through technology and data exchange,” according to a press release

The 2013 WEDI Report created a roadmap for healthcare information exchange and provided a framework for the next generation of HIE designed to reduce costs, improve delivery, and achieve better outcomes across healthcare. The Sullivan Report has assessed the efforts over the past year and assigned a rating in four key areas of focus identified in the original WEDI report.

Five Republican Senators have criticized the interoperability roadmap created by the ONC as lacking specific goals and deadlines, saying instead it “speaks in generalities” without answering the questions that vendors and providers have, according to FierceHealth IT.

In the area of Patient Engagement, the Sullivan Report awarded a progress rating of GREEN, stating, “Although the industry has lagged behind in driving improvement in health IT literacy, there has been continued momentum in patient information capture and patient identification. Private sector efforts, combined with a new federal vision and roadmap for health IT, are deemed to be on pace in meeting WEDI recommendations.”

For Payment Models, the rating was YELLOW, reflecting the fact that while “new payment models have leveraged technological advances to rapidly iterate, evolve, and scale across the country,” models such as ACOs are not yet mature, and still have an unproven success and sustainability factor. “A framework of core attributes and technological functionalities has yet to be developed and the industry needs further directed efforts to achieve the recommendations outlined in the initial report.”

Data Harmonization and Exchange also earned a YELLOW rating, reflecting the fact that, while initial efforts at implementation of a national health IT infrastructure have largely been successful, there remains consensus that renewed focus on further standardization and harmonization of data is necessary to achieve true interoperability on a national level.

And finally, Innovative Encounter Models also received a GREEN rating. “Healthcare consumerism has created a vibrant testing ground for venture capital, federal pilots, and industry initiatives to explore new ways of providing patient-centered care across the continuum, the Sullivan Report states. Given the explosive growth of these initiatives, the report anticipates that federal legislation, reimbursement policies, and consumer demand for services such as telehealth will further expand in 2015.

Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., WEDI founder and honorary chair of the WEDI Report Executive Steering Committee, said, “As an industry, healthcare is advancing toward the system we envisioned nearly 25 years ago – leveraging technology to improve care and lower costs. But it is also clear that a significant amount of work remains before us. The health IT ecosystem continues to increase in complexity, driven by regulatory and legislative changes, data interoperability challenges and the increasing importance of consumer-driven care.”