The Bahamas’ National Health Insurance Authority and eClinicalWorks Report Significant Progress with Electronic Health Records
NHIA saw a substantial increase in cancer screenings and diabetic assessments after implementing eClinicalWorks population health tools
Nassau, Bahamas — December 14, 2023 — The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has seen significant progress since the launch of its Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. The NHIA has partnered with eClinicalWorks, the largest ambulatory cloud EHR and provider of digital healthcare solutions to transform healthcare delivery, and has adopted population health tools that help to analyze population health.
With over 150,000 residents enrolled in the NHI Bahamas program, the EHR system aims to enhance patient care, improve operational efficiency, and drive positive health outcomes. The EHR system also helps manage telehealth platforms, which allow healow TeleVisits™ or virtual visits from a registered NHIA Primary Care provider to ensure continued care for beneficiaries unable to physically visit a doctor, especially family island residents.
Since the EHR implementation, all NHIA-registered facilities have successfully adopted the EHR system. As a result, the compliance data collected has grown significantly.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), 74% of deaths in the Bahamas result from noncommunicable diseases (NCD). NCDs include diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. Within a year, there has been a notable increase in the screenings using the population health tools available within the NHIA EHR system for various NCDs, and an increase in compliance across the NHIA’s healthcare providers network.
Notable increases are as follows:
- Screenings for prostate cancer improved 10-fold
- The number of screenings for cervical cancer doubled
- Colorectal cancer screening compliance improved 14-fold
- Assessment of diabetic patients improved by 44%
*This national data was collected from a cohort of 35,514 patients.
“The collaboration between the NHIA and eClinicalWorks has allowed us to take a significant step towards revolutionizing how we collect and track patient screenings and results,” said Chadwick Williamson, Chief Information Officer of the NHIA. “With continued progress, we can eventually develop wellness policies and programs related to chronic disease management. It emphasizes our shared commitment to transforming healthcare delivery throughout The Bahamas.”
“eClinicalWorks is proud to partner with the NHIA to help digitize the Bahamian healthcare system to improve clinical operations and drive public health initiatives on a national scale,” said Girish Navani, CEO and co-founder of eClinicalWorks. “By implementing eClinicalWorks EHR and population health tools, the NHIA is better equipped to track compliance data and improve long-term patient care.”
About eClinicalWorks
eClinicalWorks was founded in 1999 to help digitize paper charts for ambulatory practices. Today, eClinicalWorks leads the nation in innovation with cloud-based solutions for Electronic Health Records and Practice Management. In addition, we help ambulatory practices, specialists, health centers, urgent care facilities, and hospital systems manage their revenue cycle, patient relationships, and Population Health initiatives. More than 180,000 providers and nearly 1 million medical professionals rely upon the power and scalability of the eCW Cloud for flexible clinical documentation, better front-office workflows, and more efficient billing driven by Robotic Process Automation. We combine innovation, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to patient safety to enable practices to grow and thrive amid the challenges of 21st-century healthcare. For more information, visit www.eclinicalworks.com, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or call (866) 888-6929.
About National Health Insurance Authority
The NHIA, established in 2017 by the government of the Bahamas, aims to standardize and optimize primary care, offering accessible and quality healthcare to all Bahamians. With the enrollment of over 150,000 individuals with over 140 Providers across Abaco, Grand Bahama, and New Providence and 9 Labs within the program, the NHIA is dedicated to a shared goal of universal health care. For more information, visit www.nhibahamas.gov.bs
