NHS Trusts could improve service and cut costs with
effective data integration, according to a US-based healthcare
company.
Humana, which specialises in collecting and analysing healthcare
data to reveal regional trends, is carrying out trials with a
number of trusts across the UK as part of a drive by the Department
of Health to improve efficiency.
The government is currently attempting to modernise the NHS with
its
National Programme for IT. Despite making
substantial progress, it has been
plagued by controversy.
IT director, Ramu Kannan, said, "There have been some big
changes in the NHS recently.
"Primary care trusts have been made commissioners, so they need
to contract with providers of healthcare such as GPs, hospitals and
ambulance trusts.
"But they lack the necessary expertise to be able to do
everything, and the government is opening up a tender for companies
to support them."
By taking data from GPs and demographic data, as well as
diagnosis, medication and treatment data, and integrating
everything, Trusts will be able to see a clearer picture of health
in their region.
The data can help them predict if a patient is likely to become
ill - and work to prevent it - as well as allowing them to see
where resources need to be spent.
By working out the likely occurrences of different illnesses,
trusts can plan financially and avoid ever-deepening debts.
Automating processes can help with the quality of data the
collected and free up staff time, and integrated data can make it
easy to see where errors or anomalies are occurring.
Kannan said, "Trusts have previously used guesswork to decide
what services to commission. The NHS has been sustained by
continued over-funding from the government, but when that funding
is turned off, they will need to become more sustainable."