Good healthcare is an important part of our lives — and the choices we make on our healthcare plan can be a hugely crucial decision. Indeed, some employers are now using employee health data tracking to help their employees be healthier, make better decisions regarding their healthcare plans, and also help themselves cut healthcare costs. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. Particularly health-conscious employers may even use vaccination tracking software or occupational health reporting software to keep tabs on the healthcare decisions their employees make. If these measures sound too “big brother” rest assured: many health experts actually suggest that this type of tracking can improve patient care and improve access to clinical data. If it’s a matter of improving public health, these employee health data tracking measures could be taking big strides towards keeping employees healthier and happier.
What Are These Employee Health Data Tracking Measures?
There are plenty of apps and devices that can now track our health and many of these we already use to track our steps, heart rate, and meals. Some companies are using these apps and devices to keep an eye on workplace health. Weight, cholesterol, and mental health issues are just some of the things that can be tracked and measured with these new employee health data tracking measures. Since employers are in charge of paying for employee health plans, they already may have some access to this data, but these measures take it a step further.
On the employer side, employers can take a look at employee healthcare plans and choose ones that will have the maximum benefits for the lowest cost, saving resources all around. Employee health data tracking can benefit both the employer and the employee when used appropriately.
How Easy Is it To Access Employee Health Records?
While doctor-patient confidentiality is still important, electronic medical records have made it easier to track data and statistics. It also makes a physician’s life easier — over 80% report that EHRs (electronic health records) actually improve their access to clinical data, which can help them treat the patient better. Over two-thirds reported that an EHR can have important increases for better patient care. Serious medication errors can be cut down by over 50% when a computerized physician order entry is done instead of by hand. In these cases, technology is helping make patient care better and a physician’s job easier and more error-free.
The data that a workplace gathers from tracking programs might also help better inform doctors about workplace trends and what they should be pinpointing.It might be easier for them to suggest what vaccinations should be updated, for example.
Talk to Me About a Vaccine Tracking System?
Though there are some anti-vaccine people out there, the truth is that vaccines help prevent almost 3 million deaths every year. They’ve wiped out smallpox and are close to wiping out polio — just in the last 60 years. The flu vaccine is one that we should all take every year. The Advisory Committee on Immunization practices suggested that every person over the age of six months should receive a yearly flu vaccine to ward off the effects of influenza. This is because flu viruses are constantly evolving and changing every year, so the vaccine is often updated to help combat mutations and different permutations. Additionally, our immune response to the vaccine decreases over time, so a new vaccine is needed to keep our body up to date.
With a vaccine tracking system, it’s possible to encourage employees to get their updated vaccine every year, keeping more people healthy. This tacjavascript:%20void(0);tic along with “flu vaccine fairs,” coverage of all employee shifts, and better education campaigns can help with vaccine adherence of over 70%! A vaccine tracking system can also send out digital reminders, which have been shown to help vaccination rates among patients.
All the data that’s collected from our daily activities may actually serve a higher purpose other than just for our own information. It can help our employers and our doctors make better healthcare decisions on our behalf and prompt us to make good decisions regarding our healthcare.