Even if there is not a current need for the data, many providers realize the information, collected over time, can yield insights that aid in improving operations and workflows.
Data mining
Imaging centers find that one of the top benefits of using an integration engine is becoming independent of EHR and RIS vendors for their interfaces. This independence also allows providers to “own their health data,” which means they can slice and dice any data elements that flow through interfaces in the engine. This offers myriad opportunities for providers for analysis.
A few pieces of data that could prove helpful for specialty clinics include:
- Report turnaround times
- Radiologist/physician productivity
- Revenue cycle management and forecasting sorted by modality, diagnoses, referring physician/facility, etc.
Example: A Corepoint radiology customer created reports from their database that tracked when the patient arrived and when the exam began. This information was used to improve times and increase overall patient satisfaction.
How it can be done using Corepoint Integration Engine:
First, you will need to determine what data should be stored. The answer will depend on how much disk space is available and what type of information you want to collect.
The most common choice is to place the entire HL7 message into the database as a new order is received. If your organization chooses this route, you’ll still need to decide what the most interesting components of data will be used to populate individual columns in the database for easier searching and selecting later. A few examples of data in an HL7 order that may be beneficial include procedure codes, modalities, arrival times, read times, etc.
Because the orders are transmitted over different connections, the engine user will need to implement database insertion logic on each interface. This can be done in the engine using the Action List feature, which allows users to create a trigger event (e.g., in incoming order) that causes the engine to take a specific action – send specific data into the database.
To learn more about creating a database using Corepoint Integration Engine, contact us to learn if it’s a good fit in your organization. The possibilities offered by our integration engine can go beyond interfacing and can provide key insights that improve your business operations.
