The need for improved data management and quality reporting is increasing exponentially as various healthcare reform measures take effect. From hospitals and physicians participating in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans looking to improve their Star ratings, it seems that no healthcare sector is exempt from this litany of change.
Take for instance ACO participants. While the newly formed care model promises to improve care coordination and cut costs, doing so requires that providers invest in patient population management platforms capable of collecting and sharing patient information across the continuum of care.
Similarly, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans are seeking out platforms capable of monitoring and tracking quality metrics. That is because under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS’) continually evolving Five Star Rating System, the pressure is on to improve quality or miss out on incentives such as year-round enrollment under a newly created special election period.
Despite the system-wide need for these advanced technology tools, few organizations have the resources necessary to invest in the hardware and software required to manage and track patient information and quality metrics. Small- to medium-sized businesses in particular are finding that they simply do not have the space or technical expertise to house and manage additional servers in-house.
As a result, many providers are seeking alternative solutions to their data management needs.
Software-as-a-Service Model
Perhaps the most well-known alternative to purchasing costly hardware and software is the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, which provides organizations with the software they need via intuitive web interfaces. By eliminating the need for upfront hardware investments and ongoing maintenance costs, cloud-based software eliminates the hefty cost barrier that many providers face with their IT infrastructure investments.
Further, unlike traditional software, SaaS-based solutions do not require the purchase of multiple licenses across the organization. Most subscriptions can be tailored to the organization’s user needs and customized as staff size fluctuates. In addition, because software is hosted by a vendor or service provider and made available over the Internet, users can access information anywhere with Internet access.
However, while the SaaS model has experienced a rise in popularity over the last several years, the reality is that it does not provide the holistic approach to care and quality management that healthcare organizations desire. That is because many organizations must subscribe to a number of SaaS-based solutions to meet their data management needs. As a result, information is stored in multiple silos across their various vendor networks.
Platform-as-a-Service Model
This has given rise to the Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) model. In essence, PaaS provides users with both the SaaS-based solution and industry-specific application platform or operating system they need to manage data needs. For healthcare organizations that utilize various software solutions, this means that all of their solutions and the accompanying information can be found within the same user-friendly interface, thus removing the silos inherent in the SaaS model and streamlining information management and sharing.
In other words, PaaS provides all the benefits of SaaS with the added convenience of having all products within the same platform. Because these solutions are compatible with most existing software solutions, including electronic medical records (EMRs), they also eliminate the need to “rip and replace” systems that providers have grown comfortable using.
Unlike traditional IT infrastructures, PaaS solutions can be rapidly deployed to meet healthcare organizations’ comprehensive patient population management and data tracking needs. In fact, where traditional software solutions may take up to two years to implement, PaaS-based solutions can take as little as 90 days. Further, because PaaS providers manage both the software and the infrastructure, organizations can easily scale offerings to manage an increase – or decrease – in patient population.
Finally, because the PaaS models allows software to be deployed as individual modules or comprehensive end-to-end solutions, providers can easily add or remove products as the customer’s needs change. This also eliminates the need for investment in long-term technology strategy that may be outdated before the phase ever goes live.
The Future of Healthcare
The reality is that healthcare reform is rapidly changing the business of healthcare as new regulations and requirements continually roll out. To remain competitive in today’s market, health plans must remain extremely agile, and be willing to upgrade their software and reporting solutions before requirements are fully defined. However, doing so often requires a hefty upfront investment and a great deal of risk for those organizations that do not have the internal resources to manage the evolution of the required technology.
PaaS removes both of these obstacles and provides organizations with the agility and flexibility needed to rapidly respond to regulatory and market changes. Further, by leaving all of the heavy lifting up to a software vendor who specializes in holistic healthcare data management on a single platform, providers can focus their time and efforts on what matters most – the patient, who at the end of the day is the true consumer of healthcare.
