Innovation Amidst the Crisis: Health IT and the Opioid Abuse Epidemic | Part 4 – Resource Allocation and Access

By COLIN KONSCHAK, FACHE and DAVE LEVIN, MD  Dave Levin Colin Konschak The opioid crisis in the United States is having a devastating impact on individuals, their families, and the health care industry. This multi-part series will focus on the role technology can play in addressing this crisis. Part one of the series proposed a strategic framework for evaluating and pursuing technical solutions. A Framework for Innovation In part one of our series, we declared the opioid crisis an “All Hands-On Deck” moment and made the case that health IT (HIT) has a lot to offer. Given the many different possibilities, having a method for organizing and prioritizing potential IT innovations is an important starting point. We have proposed a framework that groups opportunities based on an abstract view of five types of functionality. In this article, with an assist from Dr. Marv Seppala, Chief Medical Officer at the Hazelden-Betty Ford Foundation and Dr. Krista Dobbie, Palliative Care physician at the Cleveland Clinic, we will explore allocation of resources and access to care and the role that technology can play. Resource Allocation and Access for Opioid Management Supply and Demand There is almost always an imbalance between what we need (demand) what we have (supply) in healthcare. This ever-present imbalance between supply and demand inevitably and regularly leads us to grappling with how to wisely allocate precious resources. The opioid crisis is no exception and is a good window...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Tech Access to care Colin Konschak Dave Levin Divurgent Health IT Sansoro Health Source Type: blogs