Laboratory Industry Changes: White Papers That Keep you Informed
Unprecedented Healthcare Change
Healthcare is currently undergoing more change than we have seen in decades. With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Meaningful Use, ICD-10, and numerous other regulatory changes bombarding our healthcare system, it is judicious to remain informed and up-to-date. These changes generate a lot of discussion throughout the healthcare industry and Orchard Software is committed to publishing informative white papers with the most current information available to help laboratories position themselves for success. Below are three helpful white papers available for download.
The Value of the Lab in the New Healthcare Model
As healthcare continues to transition away from a fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursement model to a value-based model, how will this impact laboratories? Where will laboratories fit in the new healthcare models and what can they put in place to continue to add value to
the patient encounter?
This comprehensive white paper discusses why change is a must in the U.S. healthcare delivery system, the need to redefine the value that internal laboratories add, and outlines potential ways that labs can contribute to patient care above and beyond test reimbursement. Included is a discussion of how laboratories can be involved in eliminating healthcare waste, the lab’s role in risk stratification and population health management, and the absolute need for physician support. The paper examines the importance of utilization monitoring and implementation of testing cascades and algorithms, as well as the value of adding useful interpretations to results. The laboratory world is changing and the most successful laboratories will need to embrace the change and find ways to thrive in the new healthcare models.
The Value of Data in the New Healthcare Model
The ongoing shift from FFS reimbursements to value-based payment models has put a spotlight on the need to maximize the value of your clinical data. This data plays a pivotal role in three cost-saving areas: controlling waste, reducing excess test utilization, and supporting quality patient outcomes. To ensure your lab’s significance in the new healthcare model, you must strategically and proactively monitor and utilize your clinical data in ways that improve patient outcomes and save healthcare dollars.This white paper outlines the importance of the laboratory’s data.
Structured Data: Essential for Healthcare Analytics & Interoperability
Have you ever wondered what is the difference between a LOINC code and a SNOMED code and why do we need both? Have you ever looked at an HL7 message during interface troubleshooting and wondered what it meant? If you have and if you would like to understand the emphasis and importance of interoperability and structured data to facilitate precise communication throughout our healthcare system, this white paper explains types of interoperability, the importance of standards (such as LOINC and SNOMED CT), why structured data is necessary for analytics, and how it ties into synoptic reporting for pathology.
Coming Soon: Test Utilization
Be on the lookout for Orchard’s next white paper entitled: Effective Test Utilization: A Laboratory’s First Step in Contributing to the New Healthcare Model. This soon-to-be-published white paper delves into more detail about the importance of having a test utilization program in place and outlines the beginning steps to start one. It reviews how and why lab tests are misordered and provides specific examples of ways to monitor test utilization that can improve patient care and reduce overall healthcare spending. In an environment that has little room for inefficiency or waste, it becomes imperative that laboratories take a proactive, involved role in making sre that the best tests are ordered and interpreted properly to contribute to our goal of better patient care.
For more information on Orchard Software visits www.orchardsoft.com.
