A new report urges the healthcare industry to utilize IT strategies in creating a Learning Health System environment to expand the vision of using health IT and health data infrastructure to improve the medical care of individuals.
The report was produced by JASON, an independent group of scientists funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that advises the federal government.
JASON's report outlines how to use health IT to focus on the health of individuals as opposed to the care of individuals, and it proposes developing a Learning Health System that would connect the medical system with societal inputs, "creating important links between health and wellness and healthcare."
The report offers the following three strategies to accelerate progress toward a Learning Health System:
1. Leverage the work of nonprofit institutions focused on specific medical conditions or certain population groups. The report suggests organizations like the American Heart Association or American Association of Retired Persons can advocate for the sharing EHR and health data.
2. Improve electronic data exchange between all members of an individual care team. Doing so would utilize the many data sources and produce a data-rich environment. The report suggests implementing the role of a "care coordinator" who integrates all the data streams.
3. Develop reliable indices of the health of a community using geographic and socioeconomic indicators, as such indices can provide a better understanding of how community support can boost healthcare.
"The learning health system needs to be 'closed loop' to ensure a continuous and transparent cycle of research, analysis, development and adoption of improvements relevant to health and wellness and to the delivery of healthcare," the report concludes.
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