| | APRIL 20198CIOReviewIN MYOPINIONBy Robert Davis, CIO, Arizona Care NetworkA ROBUST IT FRAMEWORK: THE LYNCHPIN IN DELIVERING ON THE PROMISE OF VALUE-BASED CAREIt used to be that a company's IT staff was holed up in a chilly room in the back of the office surrounded by scores of computers, servers and other equipment.Nowhere has that scenario changed more than in healthcare, which has become more data-driven than ever before. And the IT team sits at the center of the industry's transformation from volume- to value-based care. The shift to value-based care is not new; as those of us who work in healthcare know well, the industry was headed in this direction long before the passage of the Affordable Care Act. More importantly, value-based care is here to stay. In fact, by 2020, America's health insurance leaders predict that three-quarters of their business will be in value-based contracts. If our aim is to deliver better care at a reduced total cost, then technology's role is clear: Metrics must be built upon an ever-growing variety of data systems: EHR, HIE, satisfaction surveys, claims data, data warehouses, connected wearables, CRM and population health tools.Consider how a digitized IT infrastructure can inform both care and business strategies for everyone in the healthcare spectrum ­ from independent practitioners to multi-hospital systems. Technology also can help close the loop on a patient's journey from a primary care physician to a specialist and then back to the PCP. And meaningful data can predict the onset of diseases among the larger population. Beyond care delivery (whether it's preventive or for a chronic or an acute condition) clinicians and hospital systems rely on technology to succeed in a changing healthcare environment. This extends far beyond the EHR. In value-based care, EHR is just one piece of the puzzle; IT has a hand in everything from creating clinical care pathways and patient engagement tools to workflow management, financial and performance reporting systems. Technology is essential in aggregating, analyzing and sharing information Robert Davis
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