Patient profiling: ResMed integrate applications to give fuller picture

SAN DIEGO - The ResMed Data Exchange has legs.

In one year, the exchange, which integrates sleep and respiratory treatment data from ResMed's AirView and U-Sleep platforms with third-party electronic health records and billing and care management applications, has signed on half a dozen vendor partners. And there are more in the works, says Raj Sodhi, president of the Healthcare Informatics division at ResMed.

“We are focused on making sure every individual providing care for a patient with a condition that is affecting their overall health—from a primary care physician to a respiratory therapist to an HME coach—can see the full picture of the patient's health,” he said.

The exchange launched in October 2014. So far, it has attracted as vendor partners Epic EMR, Brightree, Universal Software Solutions, DME Data Solutions, TIMS and Lab Retriever, and as users hundreds of HME providers.

Here are three reasons why ResMed launched the exchange and why Sodhi believes it has taken off.

Keep wrestling to a minimum

“Healthcare providers today are wrestling with multiple applications to both operate their practice/business and to manage patients,” he said. “By embedding patient data inside the applications providers already use, we increase efficiency—from fewer application logins to reduced training requirements, the list goes on. This frees up time for providers to spend with patients or make their business more successful.”

Focus on what matters most

“(The exchange) allows providers to prioritize their time and follow-ups with the patients who need the most attention,” he said. “For example, the exchange can identify a patient who misses one night of CPAP usage here and there, versus a patient who regularly goes off therapy for extended periods of time. With that information, a provider can make a decision to reach out directly to one via phone and another via email based on each patient's past history across multiple providers.”

Enhance patient, provider experience

“More device manufacturers, healthcare providers and application vendors realize the power of data interoperability to improve patient outcomes, enhance operational efficiency and differentiate their product offerings,” he said. “This will likely be aided by improved data standards that enable applications to talk to one another more reliably and effectively. As application vendors realize the value that integrations can have in differentiating their solutions, they will build richer functionality using data from other sources, further enhancing the patient and provider experience.”