6 solutions to tribal health challenges

1. Reporting  

Most EHR and data analytics solutions offer reporting capabilities, but not all support the data needs of tribal health reporting.

Tribal health clinics need robust data capture throughout chart documentation. For example, National Data Warehouse (NDW) and Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) requirements include specific fields for reporting.

Your system’s data capture mechanisms should be able to track information needed for both. This will allow your clinic to pull and analyze data on its own for reporting to specific regulatory programs.

2. Telehealth

When the COVID-19 pandemic created widespread demand for virtual care, clinics turned to telehealth solutions.

Using telehealth, providers and patients can review care plans, address problems, and discuss medication prescriptions from their respective locations, without risk of exposure to the virus. Telehealth resolves transportation issues, childcare needs, busy schedules, and other obstacles to care.

When a telehealth solution is integrated with the EHR, it increases ease of use. By implementing telehealth, providers can boost outcomes for patients, as well as for their clinics.

3. Patient engagement tools

It’s no secret that the more involved and invested patients are in their care, the better the clinical outcomes are likely to be. Patient engagement tools give patients greater access to their health information, empowering them to become involved in their care.

Between visits, patients and providers can communicate using an online patient portal and patient messaging to address potential issues before they become problems and even answer questions so there’s no need for an in-person visit. Meanwhile, clinics can send patients reminders about upcoming visits to reduce no-show rates.

All of this promotes patient compliance and healthy outcomes.

4. Faster provider documentation

The EHR should make practicing medicine a better experience, not a more burdensome one. Ideally, it will feature simplified workflows and intuitive user interfaces, so providers can document patient visits with ease.

Many clinics are seeking alternatives to Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS), the government’s clinical and administrative information management solution.

Click here to read how a clinic increased its population’s average life expectancy by five years after switching from RPMS to Greenway’s Intergy EHR and practice management solution.

5. Billing services and support

Billing can be time consuming and complex for a tribal health clinic. Many patients have co-occurring morbidities, see specialists, or have a variety of insurers.

A revenue cycle service helps clinics submit cleaner claims, reconcile payments, work billing rejections, post payments, and more. It saves time and helps clinics thrive financially. Less time and stress working on billing means more time and energy to focus on providing care to your community.

Click here to read how a clinic brought about a dramatic improvement in key performance indicators (KPIs) by partnering with Greenway Revenue Services.   

6. Analytics to manage at-risk populations

Data is power. Using an analytics solution, providers can monitor a particular patient panel, whether it’s comprised of diabetics, patients over 55, or patients who fall into multiple categories.

A variety of data views can shed light on the needs of the most vulnerable populations, helping providers determine whether their clinical interventions have resulted in the intended outcomes, such as lowering the A1c3 in diabetic populations.

How Greenway can assist

Greenway’s Intergy platform supports the complex needs of tribal health clinics. It offers Indian Health Service (IHS), Medicaid, and Medicare reporting. Meanwhile, Greenway Revenue Services helps clinics make informed, data-driven decisions.

With Greenway, your clinic can increase revenue and improve patient outcomes while ensuring regulatory compliance. Click here to learn more.