Better Rules Needed to Boost Use of Big Data

It's easy to get swept up in the swelling enthusiasm for using the explosion in electronic health and claims records to improve every aspect of healthcare. But the era of “big data” isn't going to happen without better federal rules for stimulating its uses and preventing abuses.

First, let's look at the promise. Proponents say big data can be used to figure out what works best for which patients. It will identify those patients most likely to bounce back to the hospital after discharge and target interventions to prevent that from happening.

As Modern Healthcare's Melanie Evans reports in her story accompanying this year's survey of accountable care organizations, some provider organizations are moving to harness big data to anticipate the healthcare needs of patients so they don't show up at the hospital in the first place. A significant portion of their reimbursement is now coming from risk-based contracts with insurers.

Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/1zBpKV7

Source: Modern Healthcare