Provider Success Stories
The Availity Example
summary
The Availity Care Profile is an electronic health record that provides a single, comprehensive view of patients’ health care — across multiple physicians, other providers and health plans. Availity improves the patient experience, while reducing cost and administrative complexity for all stakeholders.
Real-Time Information Across the Health Care System
An important change that can be made right now is the nationwide rollout of the Availity Care Profile, an electronic health record that allows providers to access claim-based patient information across the health system, in real time. Unlike other, more recent initiatives to develop an electronic health record, Availity draws on the existing payor-provider information network and Web technologies to create a record of a patient’s services throughout the health care system. Availity already has increased “connectivity” within the system and has been received favorably by providers.
Benefits for All Stakeholders
Availity offers a workable solution to the need for a standardized electronic health record. By consolidating claim-based information that is routinely collected from physicians, pharmacies, labs and other health care providers, Availity gives health professionals a single, comprehensive view of their patients’ care – in real time, without the need for additional data collection. The result is greater efficiency, reduced costs, fewer unnecessary services and improved patient safety.
Expanding the System Nationwide
Piloted in 2006 by a joint venture of Humana Inc. and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, the Availity Care Profile is embraced today by nearly 120 health plans, 950 hospitals, 28,000 physician offices, and more than 100,000 users. Yet, opportunity remains to introduce Availity throughout the nation, to all health plans, hospitals and providers. This rollout would complement electronic health record initiatives being undertaken at the federal, state and local levels, while bringing immediate improvement to the entire health care system. The Availity Care Profile also could be integrated with self-reported patient data. Offered to the public, Availity then would give consumers a single, secure, directly accessible source for their personal health information.
