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Automated Federated Search: How Medicom Helps Customers Reduce Financial Waste and Improve Patient Care

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Automated Federated Search: How Medicom Helps Customers Reduce Financial Waste and Improve Patient Care

What’s at risk when health systems operate inefficiently due to legacy technology and manual administrative practices isn’t just wasted financial resources or even patient satisfaction - it’s patient outcomes. We know the trajectory of patient care and recovery is the culmination of many factors. But, the capacity for care teams to seamlessly share medical imaging along the patient journey, reducing elements like patient friction and wasted time, is possible with Medicom's Automated Federated Search. This year we have seen an uptick in the number of organizations interested in implementing this workflow because they recognize the impact it will have on their ability to provide quality, efficient and secure care to the patients that rely on them every day. 

In this blog, we will answer some key questions and provide actionable next steps for introducing Automated Federated Search:

  1. What is Medicom’s Automated Federated Search and why is it important in healthcare? 
  2. How does Automated Federated Search work and what are its benefits for healthcare providers and patients alike? 
  3. What challenges must be overcome to implement Automated Federated Search in healthcare organizations successfully? 
  4. How can Federated Search improve patient care and reduce costs within the healthcare system overall? 
  5. How do I get my organization on the Medicom Federated Health Network?

What is Medicom’s Automated Federated Search and how does it work? 

Automated Federated Search is an image sharing workflow used to break through silos of patient imaging across disparate health networks and connect care teams as they interact with patients along their patient journey. Learn about the workflow in the steps outlined below, and access the rest of our Automated Federated Search FAQ here!

  1. A patient is scheduled for an appointment: The appointment priority level (STAT, ASAP, Routine, etc.) is used to either immediately issue a network broadcast query or wait until a set period of time before the scheduled appointment date.
  2. Schedule message generated: Information is gathered from an HL7 order/scheduling message or through API integrations using HL7 standards.
  3. Network query: Medicom service automatically broadcasts a federated query to Medicom Network providers.
  4. Processed query: All Trusted Contacts who have authorized Automated Federated Search will receive the query.
  5. Matched record: For patient safety, Automated Federated Search will only return data if a single, distinct match is returned from an external system for the patient and the patient has relevant priors.
  6. Reconciliation: The process can be further automated with retroactive order generation for outside/foreign studies and reconciliation into PACS.

The Healthcare Industry is historically slow to make changes - how can I advocate for Automated Federated Search in my organization?

Through the advisory relationships we have built in the industry and the close connections with our customers, we understand the complexities that face decision makers in healthcare. Advocating for shifts in both technology and culture in their respective organizations and the industry in general are not easy tasks. Medicom Sales, Marketing, Implementation and Customer Success teams are well versed and capable of leading such conversations, presentations and demos on clinical, operational and administrative impact. 

Reduce cost AND improve patient care? Tell me more! 

At Medicom, we provide hundreds of hospitals and health systems across the nation with the capacity to send and collect images through our Federated Search workflows (both automated and manual). Even though most patients already believe automated sharing of PHI and imaging to be widely adopted by their care teams, that often isn’t the case. The Automated Federated Search functionalities specifically reduce patient friction and protect patients and their families from time wasted bringing CDs and DVDs to different appointments at clinics that may not even be able to open those images. If images are lost or cannot be opened, patients often undergo reimaging and can even experience delays in diagnosis and treatment in a situation when time is becoming the currency of life. With regard to cost savings, we have witnessed our customers significantly reducing resources spent on CDs, DVDs and lengthy operational and administrative workflows.

When accessing images and patient priors happens in minutes, health systems are able to provide care for more patients. And with the ability to treat more patients with less financial, operational and administrative resources, revenue increases year over year. 

I understand the vision and I’m ready to implement Automated Federated Search! Now what?

We have made sure that joining Medicom’s health information network is simple - we know that the last thing health systems need are time consuming and complex onboarding processes. Schedule a meeting today and connect with our sales organization to see a demo of Automated Federated Search and discuss other Medicom solutions that are best for your workflows!