HIMSS Continuity of Care Maturity Model - an importent patient focus acros the continium of care

In a few weeks Himss is announcing the European model of HIMSS Continuity of Care Maturity Model: Transforming Health through Effective Usage of Interoperability and Analytics in Nice in the start of April at WOHIT.

Himss is renowned for its maturity model EMRAM within the hospital sector, where 7 stages defines the maturity of digitalization within the hospital. The Nordic countries and maybe Denmark in particular have always focused on the patients journey.The entire continuum of care from the GP, to the hospital, municipality, pharmacy etc. Denmark has a widespread digital landscape that shares data as messages between the participants with the patient in the centre.  The Continuity of Care Maturity Model will address exactly that, and more importantly it will drive change into a focus around the patient and not the Hospital. You could call the new maturity model a patient centred model!

I have participated in the project of developing the model with Himss analytics as the project manager. It has been fun and very rewarding to work closely with other healthcare partners across Europe, but also to develop something different, something new and substantial important for the health services and organisations across the European Union.

The above sounds like a little flamboyant, but a maturity model is important. Not that it matters if you get a 5, 6 or 7 in an isolated perspective, but the model and the eagerness to achieve greatness will drive the business, the hospitals and partners in a certain direction. It will be a driver of change, and the model will point the direction and set out the goals – so of course it is important, that it is designed properly. Data shows in the US, that the higher grade you have in the EMRAM the greater your hospital will be within quality metrics end efficiency. So it is ultimately not about the digitalization, the grade or us bragging in the bar late at night about my hospital being EMRAM 6 or even 7! – it is and always will be about cutting costs and improving quality – it is about the patient and nothing more actually. 

I truly believe Continuity of Care Maturity Model will in the future be a factor in that equation.

Himss on the model:

HIMSS Europe is presenting the Continuity of Care Maturity Model, that evaluates various aspects of delivering continual care covering both capabilities at organization and pan-organization levels. The Model will measure the readiness of an organization to deliver continuity of care as well as the maturity of a healthcare system in the continuity of care delivery. There will only be a global model but regional specifications are possible within the model’s framework.

The model has been designed by HIMSS Europe in collaboration with a pan-European workgroup including country teams from Spain, the Netherlands and the Nordics. It comprises 32 individuals representing regional and national health authorities, strategic planning organizations, CIOs of groups or regions, industry and HIMSS consultants.