The SSA is gong virtual?

Over the past few years it has been realized that the health care system needs a renovation. As this renovation goes under way, a domino effect will occur throughout several other industries one of them being the Social Security Administration. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has selected four prime contractors under the Information Technology Support Services Contract (ITSSC) that will be used to obtain health information via virtual health records to process applications for disability benefits. The ITSSC includes a one-year base period, plus six additional one-year options with an aggregate ceiling valued at $2.8 billion. The four prime contractors under ITSSC are Accenture, Computer Sciences Corp., Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin.

Each of the companies has the option to bid various projects that the Social Security Administration has planned, however the agency has informed each contractor about the type of work they will most likely be asked to participate in."

All four companies are prime contractors, but SSA has directed different paths" for each- Steve Shane. Accenture predominately focuses on emerging technologies involving topics such as, analytics, mobile, and web portals. They will also be working on ways to integrate data from EHRs into SSA systems to assist in disability and entitlement program determinations.

Until recently, the need for health IT was greatly underestimated. The world becomes smaller every day due to increasing speed of technology, and companies who previously were able to survive without are quickly falling behind, the health industry being one of them. By using IT, documents can be sent and received instantaneously, allowing recipients of disability claims and other entitlement programs to be determined more quickly, efficiently, and accurately. "Generally, SSA is trying to continue improving its services delivery and cost efficiencies," Shane said. This includes efforts to provide the public with "safe" and secure access to "important information," he said.

This all may seem like a fairly effortless transformation, but there are paper records for millions of Americans out there that need converted. And these records aren’t all kept in one place. As for myself, I have medical records in several offices in three different states ranging from large hospitals to a small town pediatric office and I’ve never even moved. While the process of scanning countless pieces of paper and x-ray film will be a hassle, the impact on the health system will be huge. Rather than having to call ahead to have documents and records faxed or mailed, they can be emailed instantly anywhere in the world.

This decreased amount of time between sending and receiving time will not just makes things more convenient for doctors, but for the SSA as well. Since the SSA will have immediate access to all health records, decisions on disability and other forms of compensation can be made the same day as the application is received. While all this seems like the decision is an obvious one, there are some drawbacks. We all know that there are possible consequences from relying on virtual documentation. Power outages will make it impossible to look at health records, and with the increase of cyber crime, people’s information will be at risk. Overall, I agree with the proposal, but I think it should not be put into effect until further advancements in cyber protection are made.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/EMR/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227700130