Written by: Mariama Adekomaya, Healthcare Data and Reporting Specialist, CareLink.

The 11th Annual RISE Summit took place earlier this month in Nashville, TN. I had the opportunity to attend the conference with the hopes of learning more about the ways in which data is impacting healthcare delivery, especially when it comes to post-acute and community based providers. Although the conference offered speculative information on the future of data in healthcare delivery, the common theme throughout the conference was on how providers and health plans could utilize data to increase their overall quality.
As the three days of workshops came to an end, I was left with three major takeaways on how providers can improve quality of care and quality performance and how data is crucial in these initiatives.

1. Care will need to be available at home and technology will allow it to get there: Patients are no longer only interested in seeking healthcare outside of their homes but are also interested in options that will allow them to receive care and remain healthy at home. Many of the conference workshops highlighted the importance of engaging with patients in their homes whether through telehealth applications or other health monitoring devices. Presenters also stressed the importance of care management programs / case managers assessing patients at home in order to get a better understanding of the challenges they face by staying at home, or in the community. Providers and payers continue in their efforts to provide quality care and improve quality performance through innovation and the use of proven technology to meet these challenges and keep people at home, or their preferred setting of care.

2. Demographics and social determinants are important factors when it comes to a person’s health: According to The Commonwealth Fund, 80% of physicians conclude that addressing patients’ social needs are as critical as addressing their medical needs, but feel ill equipped to address these challenges. Data on demographics and social determinants can help providers and care management programs gain an understanding of their patients’ needs and recognize gaps in their access to care. Data analytics tools will also allow providers to track the efficacy and outcomes of certain programs and interventions, ultimately allowing them to apply a level of predictive analytics and target specific patient populations, creating better health outcomes.

3. Developing aligned networks are vital to healthcare delivery: There are often many providers who share a patient population, but these providers aren’t connected in caring for their shared patients. In order to create efficiencies and improve health outcomes, it is important that providers develop partnerships and align networks with one another.