By Levi Njord, Chief Information and Technology Officer for Monument Health
In today’s modern world, everything we do electronically generates information collection. Our healthcare system is no exception. Every hospital or doctor visit is an opportunity to gather patient information that subsequently allows our healthcare team to make more efficient and effective decisions toward getting patients onto a road of wellness or recovery. Our Western Slope doctors are great about knowing how to care for their patients when they are physically in front of them, but often lack a means of following the patient’s care once they leave the office. Monument Health is closing this gap by converting the sea of data generated throughout the healthcare system into functional information that doctors can use to help them make the best and most informed decisions for patients and their families.
Where do we get information?
Each month, Monument Health receives medical and pharmacy data from more than 10 different sources, in over 40,000 files, in multiple formats. We work closely with our partner, Quality Health Network (QHN), one of the largest and most respected health information exchanges (HIE) in Colorado, to get a comprehensive view of our members’ health profiles. We get information from our local hospitals: St. Mary’s Medical Center, Family Health West, Delta Health, and Community Hospital, as well as from the electronic medical records of our healthcare provider partners. Essentially, if a doctor requests information from services provided outside of their office, we work to get it for them on the patient’s behalf, so they can serve their patients using the most current and relevant information.
How do we make sense of all this information?
Monument Health has partnered with some of the world’s most respected technology companies to develop a customized, high-tech, super secure, and fully compliant data platform we use as a home for patient healthcare information. We take the stewardship of your information very seriously and exceed national standards for security and compliance which are validated and checked regularly. Our system is highly dynamic and flexible to the varying needs of doctors and medical teams. When the need for quick and expanded data increase, our system can flex to accommodate those needs in real time. For example, when Monument Health expanded services to patients with Medicare Advantage, we were able to rapidly identify patients who were due for an annual wellness visit and provide that information to their doctors.
How do we use this information to benefit our community?
We use the information we have gathered to create both a clear and comprehensive picture of a population of patients and a window into the healthcare journey of each patient. Our analytics team uses cutting-edge analytics and reporting tools like Python and Tableau to create actionable tools for providers to help them more effectively deliver care when it is needed most. Doctors use these tools to inform and improve the care that patients receive. For example, we will alert a provider when a kiddo is overdue for their annual wellness check, when a diabetic patient has not had their A1c checked in a while, or when a patient has been discharged from the hospital and needs follow-up with their primary care doctor. Lastly, we measure provider performance based on a number of metrics, informing providers about their strengths and opportunities for improvement.
We at Monument Health believe that healthcare data should work for the patient, their family, and their doctor to make healthcare less expensive, higher quality, and establish a path for a lifetime of wellness. We know that an effective healthcare system communicates clearly, is highly connected, and provides value.
We believe that your healthcare information should do the same.
Levi Njord is the current Chief Information & Technology Officer at Monument Health. He has a decade of experience in healthcare research, analytics, measurement, decision support, and disease dynamics. Over the past few years, he and his team have developed a cutting-edge platform at Monument Health to consume, analyze and report on healthcare information. Prior to his current post, Levi led teams of healthcare analysts and practitioners across the industry and government to solve clinical, strategic and business problems using data. He is an Infectious Disease Epidemiologist by training and has led teams and personally responded to epidemics both domestically and internationally.