In the second episode of our special series on recommendations to the Trump administration, Quality Matters host Andy Reynolds welcomes Ryan Howells, Principal at Leavitt Partners, for an illuminating discussion on transforming digital quality and data exchange..

Ryan shares fresh ideas from the Leavitt Partners roadmap to reshape digital health infrastructure by embracing scalable, internet-based standards and dismantling policy barriers. At the core of this conversation is that effective data exchange must be powered not only by modern standards, but by trust among people and institutions. 

Ryan’s suggestions include:

·   Implementing APIs at scale to reduce manual processes and administrative waste. The same APIs that power everyday apps can streamline data exchange between payers and providers, replacing faxes, phone calls and redundant forms.

·   Certifying data exchange—not just software functionality. Instead of dictating how systems are built, federal policy should focus on certifying APIs, allowing EHR vendors the flexibility to innovate while helping ensure that data flows freely.

·   Establishing “tables of trust.” Regional collaboration among payers, providers and government agencies can test new digital infrastructure in real-world settings and be the model for national expansion.

Digital quality transformation will require more than just tech upgrades—we must rethink relationships, trust and policy levers. Listen to this episode to learn how the Trump administration could support a data-driven revolution in health care quality.

Key Quote:

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, almost 30 years. But when I go into my doctor’s office and I still have to fill out a clipboard with a piece of paper on it with information I know they already have, it is painful. 

The best representation of whether we are making progress is, I don’t want to ever go into a doctor’s office and fill out a clipboard. If I could just not fill out my health history, my demographic information, whether information should be sent to my doctor—if all that is just in the doctor’s system—I would say we have made progress. Because at that point it will be real to the individual. 

Think about it in terms of digitizing all of the health care data and making sure it is with the right person, at the right time, in the right place to make the right decisions. When that happens, we’ll know we’ve made significant progress.” 

Ryan Howells

Time Stamps:

(02:27) Why Implementing Health Care APIs is Hard

(05:32) Tables of Trust: A Case Study from Utah

(07:03) Scaling Trust and Interoperability

(13:12) Eliminating Manual Processes 

(18:23) Solving Diverse Use Cases 

(19:36) Encouraging Early Adoption of APIs

Links:

NCQA Recommendations to the Trump Administration 

Leavitt Partners Recommendations: “Kill the Clipboard!”

Connect with Ryan Howells