Roadmap For Long-Term And Post-Acute Care Unveiled Recently At HIT Summit

Establishes five priories to promote efficient information exchange in LTPAC setting

The 2012-2014 Roadmap for Health Information Technology (HIT) In Long-Term and Post-Acute Care (LTPAC) was unveiled here recently by the LTPAC HIT Collaborative during its annual Long-Term and Post-Acute Care Health Information Technology Summit  (LTPAC HIT) in Baltimore. The Roadmap, the fourth to be published since the formation of the Collaborative in 2005, is updated every two years to provide guidance to all those who have a stake in the quality of HIT in the LTPAC setting.  The Roadmap is available at here(http://www.ltpachealthit.org/content/abouthistory-current-and-past-roadmaps).

“There is a need to continually monitor the national agenda to advance HIT priorities for the elderly and other vulnerable individuals who receive care in the LTPAC setting,” said Deborah Green, vice president of HIM Solutions at the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).  “The Roadmap is intended to stimulate grassroots activities; investments; and advocacy collaboration among policy makers, researchers, vendors, providers, consumers and others.” 

The Roadmap establishes five priorities for 2012-2014, including:

• Care Coordination between hospitals, physicians, LTPAC and other providers.
• Quality and Process Improvement to enhance the quality of care and the quality of life for people receiving LTPAC services by fostering coordinated quality measurement and improvement activities.
• HIT as a Business Imperative, which underscores the need for LTPAC providers to adopt and use HIT effectively to streamline processes, improve efficiencies, enable innovative business models, connect with acute care providers and demonstrate the value of HIT-enabled LTPAC providers to the health system.
• Consumer and Caregiver Activation and Engagement to accelerate person-centered “culture change” across and beyond LTPAC settings and services to empower and support consumer and caregiver well-being, engagement and choice.
• Workforce Acceleration to promote the development of technology skill sets across all levels of the LTPAC workforce to ensure that providers fully adopt and use HIT systems and devices effectively.

“The LTPAC sector is increasingly recognized as an essential component and a potential innovator of emerging national, community and personal health and wellness strategies,” said Peter Kress, VP & CIO, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities, LTPAC HIT Summit Strategic Partner, and founding member of the Collaborative.

Progress made toward the priorities established in the 2010-2012 Roadmap also was highlighted during the Summit, including: 

• Certification criteria and processes for LTPAC electronic health record (EHR) solutions were published by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), and certification requirements were successfully completed by leading LTPAC EHR vendors.
• Challenge grants were awarded by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to four states to promote LTPAC health information exchange (HIE) initiatives.
• Adoption of electronic medical/health record (EMR/EHR) solutions and related strategies continued in the LTPAC sector.
• Health and wellness monitoring technologies were incorporated by LTPAC providers to support existing and emerging business and service models.
• Broader recognition and support of LTPAC concerns and activities was achieved in ONC, standards development and quality initiatives.

The LTPAC HIT Summit is sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA); American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL); LeadingAge and Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST); National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) and the Home Care Technology Association of America (HCTAA); National Association for the Support of Long Term Care (NASL); and the American Society for Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP). 

About AHIMA
Representing more than 64,000 specially educated Health Information Management professionals in the United States and around the world, the American Health Information Management Association is committed to promoting and advocating for high quality research, best practices and effective standards in health information and to actively contributing to the development and advancement of health information professionals worldwide. AHIMA’s enduring goal is quality healthcare through quality information. For more information, visit www.ahima.org

SOURCE: LTPAC HIT