Southeast Texas Medical Associates uses business analytics to build post treatment care programs

By eGov Innovation Editors | Apr 4, 2011

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NEW YORK -- The Southeast Texas Medical Associates (SETMA) is using business analytics software to gain greater insight into hospital readmissions and the data help the hospital identify causes and design interventions to prevent patients from having to return to the hospital soon after their discharge.

SETMA, a primary healthcare group based in Beaumont, Texas, has seen significant results even in the first six months of implementation, cutting the number of  patient hospital readmissions by 22 percent.

The hospital said the software help doctors identify trends, and assess treatment protocols to support the creation of a more comprehensive post-hospital treatment care programs. Additionally, SETMA physicians have been able to reduce time taken to evaluate patients’ data prior to treatment from a hours to a second.

According to an October 2010 study titled "Hospital Readmission: Influencing Factors Identified" at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), unplanned hospital readmission within 30 days -- occurs in nearly one in five Medicare patients in the US. These readmissions are not only extremely costly, but it can put the patient at higher risk of increased illness, and in some cases death. 

SETMA is utilizing IBM analytics software to identify the treatment interruptions and causes that lead a patient back into the hospital after discharge.  Physicians are collecting data on specific patient characteristics that did not require re-admission, beyond traditional information to include ethnicity, socioeconomic groups, the follow-up care received, and how much and how quickly they were able to receive that care, against those who were re-admitted for hospital treatment. 

By adopting IBM analytics software the clinicians are determining similarities within re-admitted patients, and are instituting new post-hospital treatment plans which will replace the typical transition of care documents to include recommendations, for example such as immediate at-home care, or interventional support if the patient lives alone.  SETMA describes these types of treatments as the most vital component in a patient's recovery plan. 

Dr. James Holly, CEO, Southeast Texas Medical Associates, and the 29 physicians of the SETMA practice have also implemented preventative care programs by analyzing key data of their more than 7,500 patients, including comprehensive background information, demographics, types of treatments, history of prescription care, risk factors and outcomes.

"Each day we challenge ourselves to respond faster, more efficiently and more effectively to the needs of our patients. You'd be surprised at the demand we get from our patients; they expect us to not just treat their ailments today, but to help them put plans in place to tackle ailments and challenges they will eventually face when dealing with a chronic disease like diabetes," said Dr. Holly. "Smarter healthcare is about always staying one step ahead for your patients. It's about analyzing information to meet the changing needs of your patient, and the IBM analytics solution allows us to do that."