A new survey shows that while the medical management industry continues to focus resources on health IT, consumers are hampered in accessing their information online due to the cost of developing Web portals and other business- and security-related concerns.

Conducted by URAC, a nationwide healthcare accreditation organization, "The URAC 2010 Population Health/Care Management Survey" is the third in a series of studies of medical management organizations meant to periodically assess industry trends and identify potential issues for the near future.

Two prior surveys were conducted by URAC (formerly known as the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission) in 2001 and 2005.

The current study looks at the status of medical management, including products and services offered, populations served, staffing models and information management systems utilized.

Preliminary analysis of the survey data URAC has received so far shows the following:

• A majority of respondents predict an increase in demand for consumer-directed programs through internet portals. However, the percentage of companies indicating that consumers can currently access their cases through an online portal remains low. The cost of developing these portals was reported as a significant challenge facing organizations.
• Medical management organizations continue to automate their processes: 1) The number of companies scanning medical records into their medical information systems is growing. 2) Respondents project an increase in the use of data from EHRs for care management review.
• Organizations are implementing numerous patient safety initiatives. The most common initiative identified was training of both clinical and non-clinical staff on how to handle crisis calls.

"The medical management industry continues to innovate to meet the needs of the changing healthcare system," said Alan P. Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. "Changes outlined in recent healthcare reform legislation emphasize the delivery of high quality care and promote integration of services across the care continuum. These preliminary results suggest that progress is being made to integrate the use of technology for care coordination. The next step must be to share this information with patients to empower them to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare."

URAC continues to collect information, and will be looking at additional areas including trends for average caseloads in case management, approaches toward staffing and demands for a highly skilled workforce.

As the survey is still open, URAC encourages all companies that offer utilization management, case management, disease management, independent review, telephone triage and health information services, health call centers, or wellness programs to participate. For more information, e-mail communicationsurac.org.