Health Information Technology: An Untapped Resource to Help Keep Patients Insured

• Published in: Annals of family medicine Vol. 12; no. 6; pp. 568 - 572
• Main Authors: DeVoe, Jennifer E., MD, DPhil, Angier, Heather, MPH, Burdick, Tim, MD, MSc, Gold, Rachel, PhD, MPH
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Academy of Family Physicians 01.11.2014
• Subjects: Eligibility Determination; Family Medicine; Health Information Exchange; Humans; Insurance Coverage; Insurance, Health; Internal Medicine; Medical Informatics; Medically Uninsured; Models, Theoretical; Patient-Centered Care; Primary Health Care - economics; Reflections; patient-centered medical home; health insurance; electronic health records
• ISSN: 1544-1709; 1544-1717
• DOI: 10.1370/afm.1721

Abstract The recent confluence of: (1) changing state and national insurance-related policies, and (2) the rapid growth in electronic health record (EHR) use, yields an unprecedented opportunity for patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) and other primary care practices or care settings to use health information technology (HIT) and health information exchange (HIE) in novel ways to impact patient health. We propose that HIT is an untapped resource for supporting clinic-based efforts to help eligible patients obtain and maintain insurance coverage. This commentary presents a conceptual model and guiding principles for this idea. Additionally, it describes insurance support tools that could be used to conduct ‘inreach’ and ‘outreach’ with patients around health insurance, similar to how HIT is used to manage chronic disease and panels of patients, and to improve population health outcomes.