The benefits of data integration: HFMA study findings

An HFMA study of "best practices" integrated delivery systems that have integrated their clinical and financial data has found that these systems employ some common strategies--they buy rather than build their system software and they strictly adhere to industry standards for EDI and data conversion. The data integration study also shows that best practices systems are concentrating more on automating ambulatory care processes rather than their inpatient care processes and on developing comprehensive order-entry systems. Study findings were used to refine a conceptual data model that healthcare financial managers can use to implement integrated data collection activities in their organizations.