Healthcare data retrieval becoming faster, more accurate

The data released by hospitals could have a great effect on future improvement efforts and help doctors and administrators optimize their performance. However, a recent Healthcare Finance News report found that both the speed of information release and that information's data quality vary widely from one state to another.

“Florida is one of the best in the nation in providing hospital discharge data that’s timely, comprehensive and reasonably priced. And Virginia will likely be the first state to release first quarter 2012 discharge data. But the quality and timeliness of the data varies widely from state to state," data expert Jason Moore told the source.

In future, according to Healthcare Finance News, the federal government's policies may ensure that data makes its way out. The uses of the data may vary from improving quality of care to boosting hospital finances.

Keeping high-quality information has been a recent topic of intense interest in healthcare. Internal hospital records are sensitive and classified, yet hold information that could drastically improve outcomes. A recent policy brief on the exchange of health data urged stronger accountability checks to make sure data is stored in a secure way that is compliant with state and federal laws.