The Impact of Health Information Technology on Case Management: New Survey Shows Text Messaging on the Rise
Pat Stricker, RN, MEd
Senior Vice President
TCS Healthcare Technologies
The health care system is undergoing rapid transformation, and a common challenge many case managers face is how to understand what types of Health Information Technology (HIT) systems are out there and how they directly or indirectly impact care management.
In 2008 and 2010, the Case Management Society of America (CMSA), the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, Inc. (ABQAURP), and TCS Healthcare Technologies (TCS) co-sponsored the Health IT Survey. The organizations have reunited to conduct the third release of the bi-annual survey assessing how health IT trends are impacting the practice of case management. For a free download of the 2010 survey results, click here.
Similar to the 2008 and 2010 surveys, the 2012 survey focuses primarily on current trends related to care management software applications and specific HIT system functionality within those applications. The study also examines other types of HIT solutions used by case managers, physicians, payors and others to support both individual patients and targeted populations. Now, with several years of trend information available, the research team is looking forward to making longitudinal comparisons of the survey data.
The survey this year has been expanded to track how emerging IT platforms are supporting "transitions of care" and "readmission" programs.
The 2012 results will be analyzed over the next several months, but preliminary results reinforce several of the trends from past years in terms of the greater reliance on technology and emerging communication platforms to optimize the clinical and financial goals of case management interventions. For example, the reported use of text messaging with clients has doubled from the 2010 survey and is predicted to double again by 2014:
• In 2010, 7% of the respondents reporting using text messaging to communicate with their clients/patients;
• In 2012, 13% report use text messaging; and
• In 2014, 29% predict that they will be using text messaging.
The survey results also will document the expanding intersection of case management interventions with emerging medical models such as Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and Patient-Centered Medical Home programs.
Health IT Systems for care management, providers and other health care settings will continue to evolve to support the latest health care reform requirements. Systems that integrate care management with provider and payor business and clinical IT platforms, designed to increase efficiency in communications, will have a significant impact on case management.
Stay tuned over the next several months as CMSA and its co-sponsors release the 2012 Health IT Survey results. Similar to past years, a webinar also will be scheduled for the early fall which will review the latest trends.
To contact Pat Stricker:
Email her at pstricker@tcshealthcare.com or reach her at (530) 886-1700 ext. 215.