Sullivan Institute Call to Action Accelerates Patient Intake Automation Project

The Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation, in partnership with the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), announced a call for volunteers for the Health Benefits and Health Record Mobile Solution or Virtual Clipboard Initiative. The initiative is being designed to facilitate the patient intake process, including automating the collection of critical health insurance and demographic information.

Building off recommendations contained in the 2013 WEDI Report, the project seeks to leverage smart technologies to dramatically enhance the patient experience while improving patient safety. The Institute and its partners are working to create a solution blueprint for a “smart” mobile solution that will allow the provider’s “clipboard” of demographic, insurance and critical clinical information (e.g. allergies, medications and lab results) to be efficiency and accurately disseminated electronically to the provider. The goal is to design, launch and measure the Phase 1 pilot solution in 2015.

“We are encouraged by the resounding industry response during last month’s launch of this initiative, which included active counsel from more than 40 representatives from major health plans, providers, health IT vendors and government entities,” said Devin Jopp, Ed.D, president and CEO of WEDI. “Now we’re opening the call to action even further, welcoming more industry volunteers to serve as thought leaders and help guide efforts to drive this important initiative.”

To move the process forward, the following workgroups and workgroup leaders have been identified:

Pilot Design and Adoption

• Ryan Bosch, MD, Inova Health System
• Durwin Day, Blue Cross Blue Shield of IL
• Jon Zimmerman, GE Healthcare

Technical Solution

• Tammy Banks, Optum    
• Paul Heter, Aetna
• Jen Narcisi, American Dental Association
• Nithin Sathyamoorthy, Epic

Privacy and Security

• Debbie Bucci, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, HHS
• Jim Daley, BCBS of South Carolina
• Deidre Rodriguez, Anthem
• Richard Wagner, ABILITY Network

Measuring Success

• Chris Bruns, MedInformatix, Inc.
• Gail Kocher, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
• Robert Tennant, Medical Group Management Association

“This important initiative would not be possible without such diverse, industry-wide collaboration,” said Robert Tennant, Senior Policy Advisor, Government Affairs for MGMA. “We commend the Sullivan Institute for assembling some of the most prominent names in healthcare to guide this effort as we endeavor to overcome what can be a financially wasteful, administratively inefficient, and error-prone part of the care delivery process.”

Along with industry experts and volunteers, there will be liaisons from Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation’s Patient Experience Council involved with each workgroup so that the patient perspective is included in the design and implementation of the new “virtual clipboard.”

The scope of Virtual Clipboard Pilot will be in two phases to include both administrative and clinical information portions of the clipboard:

• Pilot Phase 1: Demographics & Benefits Coverage
• Pilot Phase 2: Medications and Allergies

The Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation is calling all industry stakeholders to get involved in the effort.  Please contact sholvey@wedi.org to learn more about this initiative, express interest in serving on the solutions workgroup, or be considered as a pilot site.

About the Sullivan Institute

In 1993, the original WEDI Report brought together public and private industry to develop a roadmap for healthcare information exchange. In 2013, on the 20th anniversary of that original report and with Then Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, M.D.’s leadership, WEDI developed a new report which laid out the future of healthcare information exchange. The Louis W. Sullivan Institute for Healthcare Innovation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, named in honor of The Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. Its mission is to bring healthcare leaders together to share knowledge needed to transform the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery through education, cooperation, communication and innovation. To learn more, visit www.sullivaninstitute.org.