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MANAGED CARE EXECUTIVE EDITION October 2002. ©MediMedia USA
Survey: Despite technology’s gains, pharmacy data remains hard to get
When it comes to the role of data access in delivering cost-effective care, speed is of the essence. But a survey by URAC (aka the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission), indicates that while health care organizations are trying to upgrade their information-technology systems, pharmacy data are still hard to integrate.
So say 92 health care organizations surveyed, even though they know that the most effective organizations can link pharmacy, laboratory, and claims data to alert physicians and patients of possible problems.
"Unfortunately, while 74 percent of survey respondents can link claims data to medical management data, only 33 percent have linkage capability for pharmacy data," URAC notes.
The organizations say that they are well positioned to generate population- and patient-specific data, and need "other relevant data, such as pharmacy," to "promote integrated management and outcomes measurement approaches."
| IT capabilities in health care organizations | |
|---|---|
| All medical management programs within the company operate on a single information technology platform | 74% |
| All medical management program areas share information about cases in a common system | 74% |
| Anyone in the medical management area can access patient information, including name and diagnosis | 71% |
| Case managers and utilization reviewers share a single system | 84% |
| Medical management data can be linked to claims payment data | 74% |
| Medical management data can be linked to pharmacy claims data | 33% |
| The company provides training to staff on privacy and security issues relating to information release | 100% |
SOURCE: TRENDS IN MEDICAL MANAGEMENT: 2001 INDUSTRY PROFILE, URAC, WASHINGTON, 2002