Imagine that you’re a quarterback but you’re missing the playbook. You’re not allowed to talk to the coach or communicate with anyone on the sidelines. You can see a few of your teammates on the field, but not the full formation. You call the best plays you can with the limited information you have. And when the team inevitably loses, you catch all the blame.

In healthcare, primary care physicians (PCPs) are often thought of as the quarterbacks of their patients’ health, and the metaphor above rings true too often. As a family medicine physician, it feels like it’s only becoming more difficult to put my patients and myself in a winning position amid interoperability-related challenges.

Here’s a highlight reel of the ways data-sharing issues affect my everyday work:

Observations from the field

I experienced the transition from paper charts to electronic health records (EHRs) firsthand, and data exchange in this digital era is quite a double-edged sword. While I now have access to more data than ever before, the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming at times.

Just the other day, I reviewed a patient’s records after hip surgery and was faced with 40 documents, many of which were duplicates. All I really needed was the admission notice and discharge summary but instead, I was inundated with unnecessary details.

This is a natural byproduct of the lack of standardization for diagnosis. For example, a diabetic patient might have a dozen diabetes diagnoses in the medical record. The ophthalmologist might document diabetes with retinal or opthamalogical complications, the nephrologist might document diabetes with chronic kidney disease, and so on. This is how the problem list gets very long. That data needs to be reconciled somehow.

Despite practicing in Pittsburgh, a city known for its advanced medical infrastructure, I encounter significant barriers to effective information-sharing. Local health systems, though technologically advanced, often operate in silos, competing rather than collaborating. Even when I utilize information-sharing technologies, they are often cumbersome and not integrated into my workflow. As a result, I often find myself playing 20 questions with patients just to understand their current health status when the most important information is not readily accessible.

While I now have access to more data than ever before, the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming at times.

Keeping score

For PCPs like me, interoperability challenges are not only frustrating because they affect our patients’ outcomes, but also because they influence our livelihoods. Many of my patients have complex needs and see several specialists, but I don’t always have the visibility I need into the care delivered outside my office. If I don’t have access to patients’ eye exam results, for instance, I won’t receive credit. That could affect my score through the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), even if they did get that crucial care.

Primary care providers must constantly navigate the intricate web of quality measures and reimbursement structures to ensure we are paid for the services rendered. This, in turn, takes time away from direct patient care. And to bring back the quarterback analogy, it feels like the goalposts keep moving.

As we move forward in this rapidly evolving landscape, the importance of interoperability cannot be overstated. The push for quality measures and value-based care models highlights the necessity of seamless information sharing. It’s essential for improving patient outcomes and ensuring that I can provide the best care possible. However, the challenge remains: How do we create a system that truly supports providers and patients alike?

Tackling barriers together

At Altera Digital Health, we are constantly asking ourselves how we can bring to life our vision to better enable clinicians, empower patients and transform healthcare organizations. Learn how we can equip your team with the right information at the right time with The dbMotion™ Solution here.