New Health IT Survey for Care Management Services Shows Opportunities for Integration, Standardization and Innovation

            Survey Report Is Available at http://www.TCSHealthcare.com



    AUBURN, Calif., Aug. 20 /EMWNews/ -- A new survey released today

documents current trends in how health care professionals are leveraging

health information technology (HIT) systems to support care management

interventions. The survey results highlight the need for many HIT

applications to offer more functionality, standardization and

interoperability to optimize clinical and financial outcomes for patients.



    Rob Pock, TCS Healthcare Technologies Founder and CEO, notes "survey

respondents report a wide variety of HIT platforms in use with different

orientations and attributes. Medical management organizations appear to

implement and use a number of approaches to optimize workflows that are

developed both in-house and through vendor applications. For example, 64

percent of the respondents report using multiple systems in contrast to 17

percent who rely on one system. Not surprisingly, just 20 percent indicated

that their system is fully integrated and interoperable with other external

IT applications."



    Pock elaborated too that "the survey findings warrant follow-up

discussion by health care thought leaders regarding: 1) the lack of

standardized information technology platforms currently available that

support the care management process; and 2) the need to define better ways

to popularize successful strategies. On the positive side, we are pleased

to note that a period of remarkable innovation is emerging."



    Cheri Lattimer, RN, BSN, CMSA Executive Director, observes that

"although the practice of nursing and medicine has been transformed with

the advent and adoption of electronics and computers, the application of

health IT systems as a tool to support care management is still evolving.

As a result, leveraging technology to improve medical management

intervention strategies should remain a high priority in terms of both

public health and reduced medical costs. CMSA is pleased to have

participated in this important study which focuses attention on these

important public policy issues."



    Pat Stricker, RN, M.Ed., Vice-President of Clinical and Client Services

at TCS and one of the principle researchers for the study, notes that

"satisfaction levels appear to be mixed in terms of how the survey

participants rate their experiences with care management software

applications and electronic health record (EHR) systems. Surprisingly, only

22 percent of the survey respondents reported that their care management

software applications allow them to spend more time with their patients."



    TCS Healthcare Technologies (TCS) sponsored this survey with support

from the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review

Physicians, Inc. (ABQAURP) and the Case Management Society of America

(CMSA). Over 500 individuals participated in this survey, which featured 30

detailed questions. The respondents represented a comprehensive

cross-section of healthcare professionals: one-third are practicing

clinicians; one-third are administrators; and roughly half work for a care

management organization (CMO).



    A complimentary copy of the survey analysis entitled "2008 Health

Information Technology Highlights: A Review of How Technology Is Changing

the Practice of Case Management," is available for download at

http://www.tcshealthcare.com. The White Paper is co-authored by Stricker, Garry

Carneal, JD, MA, former President and CEO of URAC, and Jeff Fraiter, RN,

BSN, CCM, CMSA's President.



    TCS Healthcare Technologies (http://www.tcshealthcare.com) is a leading

provider of software and clinical solutions that improve medical management

(UM/CM/DM) performance and effectiveness for health plans, insurers,

providers, third party administrators, medical management companies, and

others , who serve the private and public sectors. For more information

about TCS, call (530) 886-1700 ext. 211 or go to http://www.tcshealthcare.com.