Healthcare Data Silos Cause Problems Throughout the Healthcare System

If you talk to any healthcare provider, and most patients, about healthcare data sharing, you quickly discover that one of the biggest problems patients and providers face is healthcare data silos. What do I mean by that? Imagine you see your primary care physician. Your PCP determines that you need an evaluation by a specialist. They put in a referral. You go see the specialist like an orthopedic surgeon, and that provider determines you should try a conservative treatment by another sub-specialist, like a physical therapist. Fast forward 2 months, and you follow up with your PCP. The PCP asks you how things have been going, and you say you don't feel any improvement. So, your PCP tells you that they believe you would benefit from a physical therapy course of treatment.

Now you're annoyed. "How did you not know that I've just finished up 8 weeks of PT treatment?" you might be thinking. Here's the problem: your PCP put in the referral for the original specialist, but then had no idea about the PT. Maybe they received some kind of follow-up communication of note from the orthopedic surgeon. But your PCP has no insight into the rest of the course of care.

This is the problem caused by healthcare data silos. So, this week, I sit down with Rick Mirell from Arrow Health to talk about the challenge with healthcare data silos and some new technology-driven tools that aim to solve this problem for the industry.

What we cover in this Episode:

-The importance of open flow of data in healthcare
-The breakdown in communication and data between healthcare systems and providers
-How data can improve clinical outcomes
-The patient experience when healthcare data isn't shared well

Full episode note: https://rehabupracticesolutions.com/better-outcomes-157

Learn More: https://rehabupracticesolutions.com
Podcast: https://www.betteroutcomes.show
Get the Book: https://amzn.to/3M2UZ6x
Book a call with me: https://calendly.com/rehabu/discovery
Connect with Me: https://www.rafisalazar.com

If you'd like to learn more about Strata EMR & RCM and achieving a 99.99% reimbursement rate for your PT, OT, or SLP Clinic head over to stratapt.com and book a demo with their team!

Rethinking State Licensure in Healthcare for the 21st Century

State-based licensure for healthcare professionals has been the status quo for over a century. But in an era defined by digital health and telemedicine, is this 19th-century solution still fit for purpose? In this episode, I explore the historical context of state licensure, the modern-day challenges it poses to telehealth, and practical solutions for breaking down regulatory barriers. Drawing insights from my experience as a state licensing board member and recent academic research, we dissect the structural flaws that limit patient access, drive up costs, and stifle innovation in healthcare. Here's the original post on state licensure in healthcare that fueled this episode.

What we cover in this Episode:

-The origins of State-Based Licensure
-How Technology has Changed the Healthcare Regulatory Landscape
-The Real-World Impact of State Licensing in healthcare & the Barriers it places to providing/receiving care
-Possible solutions or alternatives for State-based healthcare licensing
-How value-based care and regulatory policy are intertwined

Full episode note: https://rehabupracticesolutions.com/better-outcomes-156

Learn More: https://rehabupracticesolutions.com
Podcast: https://www.betteroutcomes.show
Get the Book: https://amzn.to/3M2UZ6x
Book a call with me: https://calendly.com/rehabu/discovery
Connect with Me: https://www.rafisalazar.com

If you'd like to learn more about Strata EMR & RCM and achieving a 99.99% reimbursement rate for your PT, OT, or SLP Clinic head over to stratapt.com and book a demo with their team!

This episode of The Better Outcomes Show explores how artificial intelligence (AI) transforms healthcare delivery and decision-making. Drawing from a structured review of 288 peer-reviewed articles published between 1992 and 2021, we break down key themes, trends, and implications for clinicians, health systems, and patients. From diagnostics to health services management, we’ll look at where AI is already making an impact—and where the field still needs to grow.

What we cover in this episode:

-The rapid growth of AI in healthcare research and its emerging significance.
-Five core applications of AI in healthcare: health services management, predictive medicine, patient data handling, diagnostics, and clinical decision-making.
-How AI supports clinicians by improving diagnostic accuracy, predicting disease spread, customizing treatments, and streamlining administrative tasks.
-The leading countries in AI healthcare research and the current state of international collaboration.
-Key trends in AI research, including machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, telemedicine, and COVID-19-related applications.
-Identified gaps in research, such as the need for cost-benefit analyses and considerations for low-resource settings.
-The importance of ethical considerations, data quality, and workforce skill development in AI implementation.
-The necessity of balancing AI support with preserving physicians’ critical thinking to avoid over-reliance or “de-skilling.”

Full episode note: https://rehabupracticesolutions.com/better-outcomes-155

Learn More: https://rehabupracticesolutions.com
Podcast: https://www.betteroutcomes.show
Get the Book: https://amzn.to/3M2UZ6x
Book a call with me: https://calendly.com/rehabu/discovery
Connect with Me: https://www.rafisalazar.com

Resources mentioned:

The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare: a structured literature review (https://bmcmedinformdecismak.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12911-021-01488-9)

If you'd like to learn more about Strata EMR & RCM and achieving a 99.99% reimbursement rate for your PT, OT, or SLP Clinic head over to stratapt.com and book a demo with their team!