We tend to think of data extraction as something done by huge corporations. They need various types of data to help simplify their decision-making process as well as their various procedures. However, the healthcare industry has caught up and has begun to make constant use of data extraction to help simplify matters here as well.
To put it plainly, data extraction refers to the obtaining of raw data, and then applying it somewhere else. This raw data can be obtained from your written records and added to your practice’s electronic database. This data can come from various sources. These include making use of web scraping, a central database, a SaaS platform, or even Excel spreadsheets.
Making use of this various collected data, a virtual assistant can extract data from your patients’ electronic medical records (EMRs) and, using this information, generate reports. The data used can include, amongst others, their visit histories, billing information, patient demographics, and coding information.
Data extraction can have many different applications in the healthcare industry. Not only can the information help improve a doctor’s service to their patients, but it can also be used to help decrease costs and improve decision-making. A virtual assistant, making use of technology to extract data and generate reports, can make a huge difference in how a healthcare practice conducts its business.
So, how would one apply the reports generated through data extraction?
Data extraction can help you more easily identify high-risk cases. These patients may need specialized care that would become clear once you have studied the generated report. It would also better enable you to determine the measures needed for each stage of the patient’s care plan as well as the administration needed to do so. Some patients may have a hereditary proclivity to certain health conditions, for example.
Data extraction would also help you in determining the clinical progression of a patient. It may also help you make an informed decision about the medications you advise or the treatment options you suggest. Also, certain drugs may not work on certain people, depending on their health issues and history.
The advent of digital health records has made data extraction easier. By replicating this data, and adding new data to it, you ensure a better record of your patients’ medical history and other relevant data.
The data stored in digital health records includes patient demographics, medical history, medications used, etc. But it also enables a healthcare provider to determine whether a patient has not followed medical advice.
The data extraction process can help a healthcare provider make an informed decision about medications prescribed to patients. The process can call up a list of possible medications and, using a patient’s medical history as a guide, a healthcare provider can make a better-informed decision about treatment options.
Making use of data extraction can promote better health care and a more effective business environment in different ways.
It can help reduce the number of mistakes that could arise from the manual processing of information. In so doing, you may see not only a reduction in mistakes due to processing errors but also a reduction in costs.
Data extraction may allow you to automate processes in your practice like patient billing, for example. This means you no longer need to hire and train someone to do the job. This could lead to a reduction in administration costs.
Manually compiling data and generating relevant reports takes a lot of time. Making use of data extraction speeds up the process of finding the information needed while decreasing the risk of errors in reports.
And data extraction may have another benefit when it comes to productivity. Your in-house staff, when unburdened with the task of having to correlate patient data, may have time to focus on other necessary tasks that they find more meaningful. As a result, you may see your employees’ levels of motivation and work satisfaction increase.
Data extraction can help you make better decisions about your patient’s condition and healthcare needs. Also, you would reduce the risk of conflicting treatments and duplicating tests patients have already undergone. You would also improve your ability to make an accurate diagnosis and thus offer quicker, and even better, primary care.
However, the different reports generated need not only focus on patient care. Depending on the type of report, they can also help you make more informed decisions about the business side of running a healthcare practice. You may, for example, decide to expand the services your practice offers or cut down on some.
Incomplete health reports often result in healthcare providers not offering their patients adequate preventative care. Preventative care involves helping to prevent potential health issues resulting from environmental, genetic, or lifestyle factors and could vastly improve a patient’s health outcomes. Data extraction that results in a comprehensive report can help give a healthcare provider the tools necessary to suggest preventative measures.
The more people handling a patient’s private information, the greater the risk of the information leaking. HIPPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, is a federal law designed to protect patient health information. Their sensitive information may not be disclosed to anyone without their explicit knowledge or consent.
A virtual assistant can, through data extraction, present you with various reports regarding a medical practice’s income and expenditures. This not only includes billing, but all expenditures incurred. These reports could help you to make the decisions needed to increase your practice’s income streams.
Hiring and having someone trained to do data extraction is costly. Not only do you have to pay for their training, but you have to take their salary and benefits into consideration. Hiring a virtual assistant to undertake this task may prove a cheap, safe alternative. When you hire a virtual assistant from Cool Blue VA, you have the assurance that you have a well-qualified person who knows how to do the job. All our virtual assistants have undergone HIPAA training, so you have the assurance that your patients’ private information stays just that – private.
As to salary and other benefits? It is not your problem. You simply pay the bill every month and we take care of the rest. Remember, you only pay for the hours worked!
Something else to consider is the flexibility a virtual assistant provides your practice. They can work any hour of the day or night. They are not constrained to a typical nine-to-five workday.
Something else to consider is that most of our virtual assistants have some type of medical background. They know and understand medical jargon and are well-versed in data codes. What is more, you do not need to foot the bill for any expensive equipment or ensure a space within your practice for them to work. They work from a remote location and have their own equipment.
By extracting, creating, customizing, and analyzing different reports, a Cool Blue VA Medical virtual assistant can help your medical practice use electronic medical records, or EMRs, to automate and streamline the reporting process. In so doing, they can help your healthcare practice gain valuable insights into your practice’s performance, financial data, and patient demographics, amongst others. You can use this data to make the correct decisions to improve your practice’s overall performance.
If you would like to know more about how Cool Blue VA can help your practice thrive and the various services we offer, call us today. Our contact number is 714-695-8000. We will gladly answer any questions you may have. Why not let us help you find the perfect virtual assistant for your practice’s data extraction needs?
