Chiropractic Participation in ARRA: Why 25% Is Not Nearly Enough
DOCUMENTATION
Robert Moberg
CEO ChiroTouch
As a chiropractor, you undoubtedly want to do what’s best for your profession. You want to support the efficacy of chiropractic treatment and show the healthcare community at large that chiropractic holds a highly valuable position in the prevention and treatment of ailments. Indeed, there has been a longstanding rallying cry for a fully recognized place in modern healthcare; not merely as a course of care that is an afterthought or an “alternative” option, but as a valuable and highly effective method by which to prevent and manage illness and promote wellness within the patient community. The ARRA EHR Incentive Program has been an invitation to finally realize that goal.
^Certified electronic health record systems are designed to improve care by supporting the provider throughout their entire treatment roadmap. 5 Ï
The True Purpose of the EHR Incentive Program
As of today, approximately 25% of chiropractors are taking this open invitation and lending an active voice to the overall conversation concerning the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment. Compare this to the megaphone with which over 90% of medical doctors are speaking to the decision makers. We are being left behind, and the lack of industry participation in the inevitable movement towards outcomes assessments that substantiate efficacy is putting the entire chiropractic industry at a severe disadvantage.
Certified electronic health record systems are designed to improve care by supporting the provider throughout their entire treatment roadmap. With carefully constructed reminders, alerts, clinical quality measures, and judiciously orchestrated system checks and balances, providers can treat patients in a manner consistent throughout the United States healthcare system by adhering to a methodically reliable set of industrywide standards and consistent reporting mechanisms. The government’s EHR Incentive Program has been intended to guide providers towards using certified EHR technology in a meaningful way.
Meaningful way. This vague designation has perplexed practitioners since the program’s inception. But now as we reach our fifth year, its intent has become clear. In the past, research on chiropractic effectiveness has been conducted sparingly at best, and therefore the collection of real, raw data is currently of the utmost importance in bringing chiropractic to the forefront of overall patient care. And yes, this means that as we move forward, a DC’s choice of treatments and methods will be under evaluation. But it is a necessary evil in order to acquire hard evidence of the true success of chiropractic.
The Power of Data Aggregation
Better tracking of clinical results means greater recognition and more reliable, reformed payments for chiropractors. But the only way to get the evidence out is to the get data in. And the only way to get the data in is to collect it in a structured and consistent manner. Demonstration of the effectiveness of any type of medical procedure requires proven outcomes, calculable data, and cohesive industry participation. Enter the certified EHR.
A certified EHR provides captured data at the point of care and provides defined measurements of chiropractic treatments and the resultant patient outcomes. This aggregation of data through careful acquisition of specific patient data
and reporting on clinical quality measures will also assist in helping providers understand which services achieve better clinical results.
The Future Focus of Interoperability
The need for chiropractors to fully participate in the EHR Incentive Program will never be more apparent than in the year 2017. Interoperability will become paramount as providers and their patients gain the ability to send, receive, and communicate through a common set of electronic clinical data and nomenclature on a nationwide scale. By the end of 2017, a free-flowing data exchange between certified systems is both expected and highly anticipated.
Why is interoperability so important? Exchanging data between healthcare providers allows for earlier and more accurate diagnoses, reduced costs, fewer duplicate tests, and increased quality of care. A common language offers providers from different specialties a standard means of communication and helps providers make more informed decisions when it comes to diagnosing and treating their patients.
EHRs are bringing about what has been sorely needed in the community—a voice in the greater healthcare arena. EHRs offer access to a broad range of chiropractic data from across the country, providing a high-level view of quantifiable achievements. If we can attain full participation by the chiropractic community at large, chiropractic care will rise up to take its rightful place on an even playing field with other healthcare practitioners and their courses of care.
The time has come for chiropractors to participate in this burgeoning new era within the current healthcare system. The ball has been rolling for quite some time, and the benefits and participation from the rest of the healthcare community are clearly recognized. The only option now is to get on board or be left behind. Chiropractic care should be a valued part of the greater picture of healthcare in America, and it’s high time to put it solidly on the map. If you are one of the 75% who has not yet participated by implementing a certified EHR, the fate of chiropractic is in your hands. All you have left to do is take that inevitable step towards the future.
RobertMoberg is a seasoned and tenured business professional with a solid combination of corporate and entrepreneur business experience. As CEO, he has helped establish ChiroTouch not only as a trailblazer in the software industry within the chiropractic community, but also as a stalwart leader in the profession. His commitment to chiropractic is not only evident in the innovations ChiroTouch brings to practicing doctors, but in the countless ways he has led the charge in giving back to the profession. By supporting the state and national associations, chiropractic colleges, and the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, Robert works tirelessly to help raise awareness of chiropractic and the benefits only the profession can provide.
