Health IT is helping accountable care organizations achieve clinical and population health goals. According to a recent survey from Premier, 66 percent of ACOs said technology improved care quality, 63 percent said it improved preventive screening and vaccination rates, 59 percent said it improved chronic disease management and 55 percent said it improved overall health outcomes.
However, a lack of interoperability between data sources is keeping ACOs from reaping the full benefits of their technology, the survey found.
All 62 of the ACOs surveyed reported at least some trouble combining data from different sources, and 88 percent said these integration obstacles are "significant."
"While accountable care organizations are providing quality care for many patients, even more could be accomplished if interoperability issues were addressed," said Jennifer Covich Bordenick, CEO of the eHealth Initiative. "However, the cost of interoperability can be prohibitive for many organizations."
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