Key Takeaways:
- The American Journal of Managed Care’s Health Information Technology special issue has been chronicling the evolving technological landscape in US healthcare for the past 15 years.
- This year’s special issue focuses on the expansion of health IT across care settings, patient populations, technologies, and stakeholder groups.
- The issue includes studies on health IT and care management in postacute care transitions, the adoption of AI tools in clinical care, telehealth, and patient-facing digital health programs.
- The studies highlight the importance of organizational relationships, interoperability, and patient-centered design in ensuring the effective use of health IT.
- The issue also emphasizes the need for continued investment in health IT infrastructure, as well as the importance of addressing disparities in access to and use of digital health tools.
Introduction to Health IT Special Issue
The American Journal of Managed Care’s Health Information Technology special issue has been a leading source of information on the evolving technological landscape in US healthcare for the past 15 years. The issue has tracked the growth of digital infrastructure, the development of health information exchange (HIE), and the adoption of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and telehealth. This year’s special issue continues this tradition, with a focus on the expansion of health IT across care settings, patient populations, technologies, and stakeholder groups.
Health IT and Care Management in Postacute Care Transitions
One of the key areas of focus in this year’s special issue is health IT and care management in postacute care transitions. Bucy et al explore the use of HIE in care transitions to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for older adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD). The study finds that SNFs caring for higher concentrations of patients with ADRD report lower information exchange capacity, and that these SNFs and their hospital partners do not appear to be making special investments in technology to support these care transitions. The study highlights the importance of organizational relationships and informal, nontechnological integration practices in supporting high-quality care transitions.
Adoption of AI Tools in Clinical Care
Another key area of focus in this year’s special issue is the adoption of AI tools in clinical care. Three articles in the issue reflect the rapid adoption of AI tools in clinical care and the implications these tools have for clinicians, delivery organizations, and patients. Adler-Milstein et al offer a holistic evaluation of AI scribes in ambulatory care, illustrating that physicians’ perceived documentation time savings and actual time savings were uncorrelated. The study reveals a dose-response relationship between scribe use and documentation time, and larger time savings for physicians who had the greatest documentation time at baseline. The authors suggest that subjective measures may be a route for return on investment, as these may reflect cognitive burden more readily than EHR use metadata.
Telehealth and Digital Health Programs
The issue also includes several studies on telehealth and digital health programs. Mandal uses the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to examine telehealth use among food-insecure individuals, finding that although food insecurity is associated with fewer overall primary and preventive care visits, the visits that do occur are more likely to be conducted via telehealth. Cullen et al examine telemedicine use in rural populations, finding that individuals who used telemedicine were more likely than nonusers to utilize preventive services. Wolverton et al focus on telehealth in the context of team-based chronic disease management, evaluating a pharmacist-led hypertension program integrating home blood pressure monitoring with virtual visits.
Patient-Facing Digital Health Programs
Finally, the issue includes several studies on patient-facing digital health programs. Atefeh offers a commentary exploring digital platforms designed for children and parents, emphasizing the importance of developmentally appropriate, child-centered design in pediatric digital health. The article provides concrete guidance to developers on how to ensure usability and equity. Shepherd et al evaluate an employer-sponsored digital digestive care management program, adding to a growing body of evidence on patient-facing digital care programs and the condition-specific intricacies and design considerations necessary for success. Ali et al examine patient portal engagement among more than 250,000 older adults with chronic conditions, identifying persistent disparities in use by age, race, language, and education.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this year’s Health IT special issue of the American Journal of Managed Care highlights the importance of health IT in improving the quality, cost, and access to healthcare. The issue includes studies on health IT and care management in postacute care transitions, the adoption of AI tools in clinical care, telehealth, and patient-facing digital health programs. The studies emphasize the need for continued investment in health IT infrastructure, as well as the importance of addressing disparities in access to and use of digital health tools. By exploring the expansion of health IT across care settings, patient populations, technologies, and stakeholder groups, this issue provides valuable insights into the future of healthcare and the role of health IT in shaping that future.
