The multi-year initiative will assist in nursing home residents' care, as well as support public health reporting.
The Long-Term Care Data Operative has added an electronic health record (EHR) provider as its newest partner in developing the largest and most comprehensive health records system and study of nursing home residents nationwide.
American HealthTech, an EHR provider for the long-term care and post-acute care sector, joins Brown University, Exponent Inc., and MatrixCare as partners in collecting and using nursing home residents’ electronic medical records and associated data, such as lab results, to create comprehensive resident EHRs to help providers monitor their residents’ needs and outcomes.
"We are excited to have American HealthTech join us on this effort," said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), which is leading the multi-year cooperative. "Together with our partners we plan to transform the delivery of care for vulnerable residents in nursing homes to improve and save lives."
The health records system will allow researchers to generate real-world evidence on various treatments and care practices for the elderly and individuals with disabilities in nursing homes, as well as support public health reporting, according to AHCA.
"By lending our insight and expertise to this important initiative, we continue to do our part to support community heath by better understanding and utilizing resident data which will aid future prevention measures for COVID-19 or an equivalent health crisis," said Claire Stephens, American HealthTech’s senior vice president.
Indeed, a major barrier to developing appropriate clinical and operational responses during this global pandemic—particularly for nursing homes, which suffered phenomenally heavy patient losses—is the lack of comprehensive data.
Over time, the cooperative, funded by the National Institute on Aging, will serve three broader functions:
- Assist providers with healthcare operations, including care coordination for residents who transfer between skilled nursing facilities.
- Provide public health monitoring for medical conditions and infections, including COVID-19, to be securely shared with relevant health authorities.
- Identify research opportunities for National Institute of Health funded academic institutions.
"Thirty years ago, the minimum data set made it possible to characterize the needs of nursing home residents and to document the impact of new treatments and policies," said Vincent Mor, PhD, professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice in the Brown University School of Public Health.
"This initiative transforms this effort by linking ‘real-time’ clinical data, including lab results and orders, in ways that can transform the delivery of care to the increasingly vulnerable population of nursing home residents."
“Together with our partners we plan to transform the delivery of care for vulnerable residents in nursing homes to improve and save lives.”
— Mark Parkinson, president and CEO, American Health Care Association
Carol Davis is the Nursing Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Long-Term Care Data Operative is collecting nursing home residents' medical data to help providers monitor needs and outcomes.
Collected data will assist residents' care practices, as well as support public health reporting.
A major barrier to developing clinical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic has been lack of comprehensive data.