Health Information Exchange for Employers
Employers play a significant role in health care for both employees and retirees. They have a great deal to gain from increased quality and more efficient delivery of care, which will result in savings for the employer and a healthier working population.
Underlying Principles
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According to the National Coalition on Health Care, health insurance expenses are the fastest growing cost component for employers. Since 2000, employment-based health insurance premiums have increased 100 percent.
- Employers, and in particular self-insured employers and their employees who bear 100% of health care costs, can realize measurable benefits with every cost reduction, such as fewer repeated tests, duplicate prescriptions, medical errors, adverse drug interactions, and office visits.
- Private sector companies know the value of investing in information technology to increase productivity and cut costs in their businesses. These same principles apply in using IT to improve the delivery and quality of health care while controlling costs, which will benefit employers.
- Employers and employees already proactively managing health care delivery may be using personal health records (PHRs) made available by Dossia, Google Health or Microsoft HealthVault. HIXNY plans to integrate with commercially available PHRs, making it easier and more efficient to access comprehensive patient information and deliver quality health care, as well as preserve any investments employers may have made in PHRs.
- Employers are recognizing the importance of RHIOs and their initiatives. The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has endorsed the health information exchange system being developed by California Regional Health Information Organization (CalRHIO). CalPERS is the third largest purchaser of health benefits after the federal government and General Motors. (Calpers.ca.gov)
- For employers, membership in a RHIO gives them "a seat at the table" enabling them to help shape initiatives important to them, such as facilitating the registration process and implementing e-visits to reduce time out of the office for employees.