News: Provider communication across settings, practices found lacking, study suggests

A 2019 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey found that among 13,200 primary care doctors in 11 high-income countries, United States primary care physicians fare the worst when it comes to communicating with hospitals, specialists, and community health providers and organizations.

“Although the United States leads in several aspects of health information technology, its physicians still face challenges with coordinating care and exchanging information electronically outside of their practice,” a press release issues by the Commonwealth Fund says.

Surveyors found that the United States trailed other countries in several key areas, where other countries performed marginally better:

• Only 50% of United States physicians are notified when their patient visits an emergency department
• 33% of United States primary care practices are regularly in touch with homecare providers regarding their patients’ care
• Less than 50% of United States primary care physicians receive updates on patient medications or care plans
• Only 40% of United States physicians say they “frequently” coordinate with social service and community providers who are working with their patients

Physicians in the United States utilize technology, but often those systems don’t allow them to exchange information easily with physicians outside their practice. Roughly 50% say they can’t exchange patient clinical summaries or test results with outside physicians. However, 72%-93% of physicians in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden say they can share that information.

While the United States pays more for healthcare than any other country, it is apparent that primary care physicians often lack the tools for proper communication of patient care information amongst different practices, hospitals, and specialists as well as with social service agencies.

While technological solutions that allow for physician practice EHRs to communicate and overlap with hospital records, outpatient CDI reviews are also an important piece for addressing this problem. Performing such reviews ensures accurate and concise patient records with proper diagnoses and supporting information, meaning a smoother transition from one practice or setting to another.

Editor’s note: Portions of this article originally appeared in Revenue Cycle Advisor. The full study can be found here.