PAC providers want to see greater interoperability from hospital to post-acute care setting

Sharing patient information electronically from a hospital to post-acute care is not widespread, providers told CMS. During a HIMSS23 hearing session on long-term and post-acute care on Thursday, a group of PAC leaders informed the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services that interoperability in the post-acute care context is a barrier. In many instances, they claimed, patient information is not transferred electronically from a hospital to a post-acute setting. Systems can communicate with one another thanks to technology, but adoption is not common due to cost, cultural barriers, and technical issues, according to Susan Adams of LifeCare Services. According to her, certain EHR systems have a fee whereas phone calls are free. Although information is shared in other ways, it would be excellent to have more thorough patient assessments from the hospital to comprehend the person's current state of health and their objectives.