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Providers’ relationship with life science companies has been difficult, to say the least. But it has become clear that to move the needle on improving healthcare, these stakeholders will have to learn to work together. Providers guard a wealth of physiological data on patient populations within their Electronic Health Records (EHRs).
Life science companies have the quality-oriented information about clinical trials, drug effectiveness in specific populations, drugs distribution and how or when patients use their medication. However, due to a history of distrust built from various misperceptions, providers have been wary of working with life science companies and looking at EHRs as more than a reform requirement.
This is further complicated by the fact that providers see EHRs merely as data repositories, rather than tools for enabling improved care. History aside, life science companies and providers have the opportunity to reshape the future of care. And believe it or not, EHR companies are the best positioned to facilitate this union.
Seeing the 360 Degree View of the Patient
EHRs can combine life science data around prescriptions, pharmacies and drug distribution, clinical trial results and drug effectiveness in specific populations with a patient’s medical history to allow physicians to get a fuller view of the patient’s medical history and which drugs will work best, potentially improving diagnosis and treatment plans.
Using Objective Knowledge to Improve Course of Treatment
While physicians have good knowledge about disease therapy, their judgment about when a therapy needs to be changed is based on the patient’s subjective feedback. For example, a diabetes patient who is on insulin pills may require injection therapy, but a doctor can only determine that change once they see deterioration through blood reports, or if a patient says they not feeling well. Life science companies have aggregated data on therapies based on industry best practices.
So if providers knew that a predominance of diabetes patients respond better to injection therapy once their blood reports show that their A1C has fallen below a specific number, they can proactively recommend that the patient be moved to the next step in the therapy. EHRs can help combine the patient’s medical information, map it against industry standards derived from life science companies, and help doctors determine a more objective course of treatment for the patient. Complimented with the progress that the industry is making in personalized medicine, this will further help us move toward a standards-based approach to care that is derived from objective and evidence-based knowledge.
Bringing Patients Into the Loop
Today, physicians place patients on adherence programs to help them keep closer to their medication and treatment plans. EHRs can leverage data from life science companies around medicine use and trigger alerts if medication is not being utilized optimally, allowing providers to better monitor patient care. Life Science’s role in improving patient adherence programs may also help strengthen trust between providers and life science companies, and improve the overall quality of care. The quality of care becomes more critical as we drive towards demonstrating better outcomes with the data.
As we move towards this value-based healthcare world, more insights will be generated in which life sciences quality medications, quality guidelines of care, and quality programs to affect adherence will be the determining factor in lowering admissions and improving the quality of patient outcomes. This combination of access to the patient data from the EHR and improved quality of care from life sciences medications and programs, brings the best offering to a healthcare network to lead to the common end goal of improved patient outcomes.
It’s time to dispel old myths about EHRs, and revise existing perceptions about pharma. Leveraging the full potential of EHRs can help providers close the healthcare value chain, bringing together all stakeholders – providers, payers, patients and life science companies – to truly make a positive impact on patient care.
Faisal Mushtaq is SVP and General Manager for the Payer/Life Sciences Business at Allscripts.
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