As a physician, I have a confession to make.
During the typical patient–doctor encounter, we discuss the patient’s health issues, offer some clinical guidance, emphasize the significance of following through, and send them on their way. But the truth is, this is noble in intent but weak on execution.
By the next time we see the same patient, we often have no idea what’s really been going on with their health and whether they’ve followed our recommendations to take their medications, monitor their blood pressure, increase their activity, and the like.
That’s because, as physicians, we are almost entirely reliant on whatever information appears within a patient’s electronic health record (EHR), and that limited view is simply not enough to deliver a full picture of a patient’s health.
Too often, EHRs document clinical encounters but miss out on information that reflects the patient’s entire health narrative — limiting their efficacy in tracking health progress and gauging success.
It’s like reading from a dictionary that only features words that start with “A” through “M” — it’s incomplete. To gain a complete picture of a patient’s health, physicians must incorporate other sources of data into their decision-making, such as wearables, claims, patient communications data, and admissions, discharge, and transfer information.
More diverse data, more comprehensive care: Expanding beyond the clinical encounter allows physicians to move from reactive to proactive care, supported by a more holistic view of each patient. Here are some ways additional, non-EHR data reinforce that mission:
Wearables data: Everyday devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers generate continuous streams of information about activity levels, heart rate, sleep, and more. Physicians who can see trends in these data can detect early signs of depression, intervene when patients fall short of activity goals, and monitor recovery after hospital discharge. Rather than waiting months to assess progress, clinicians can make timely, preventive interventions.
Claims data: Claims provide a comprehensive record of where patients receive care, which prescriptions they fill, and what procedures they undergo — often beyond the reach of their primary physician’s EHR. This data can reveal critical gaps, such as unfilled prescriptions or duplicate testing, and help avoid unnecessary costs and risks. For example, knowing a patient recently had a CT scan in another state could prevent unnecessary repeat imaging, sparing both harm and expense.
Communications data: Much of healthcare happens outside the exam room through calls, secure messages, and staff notes. These interactions often contain essential context, such as a patient revealing they cannot afford medication or are struggling with side effects. When captured and analyzed, communications data provides early warning of clinical issues, highlights barriers to adherence, and surfaces social determinants of health that may otherwise be overlooked.
Admissions, discharge, and transfer (ADT) data: Unlike claims, which can lag by months, ADT feeds provide real-time updates when patients are admitted to, discharged from, or transferred between care settings. Timely visibility into these events enables clinicians to follow up quickly after hospitalizations — a critical window to prevent readmissions and ensure smooth transitions of care.
Taken together, these additional data streams create a more complete patient story, allowing physicians to practice medicine that is proactive, personalized, and precise.
Not more tech, better tech
The irony is that while technology was supposed to make healthcare more efficient, it has often had the opposite effect. Excessive documentation, inbox management, and disjointed data systems have stretched physicians to the breaking point.
For example, one study found that a primary care physician would need 26.7 hours each day to deliver all guideline‑recommended preventive, chronic, and acute care, along with required documentation and inbox management for their patient panel. Another revealed that one in five emergency department patients arrives with a medical chart longer than Moby Dick. And on average, physicians spend over 16 minutes per encounter navigating the EHR instead of connecting directly with patients.
The way forward is not simply layering on more technology but introducing tools that work with physicians rather than against them. Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLM) hold particular promise by doing the heavy lifting of distilling vast amounts of information into clear, actionable insights.
Instead of sifting through countless data points from EHRs, claims, and wearables, physicians can be presented with prioritized summaries — such as a patient who recently missed a medication refill, showed declining activity levels, and had an emergency department visit last week. These technologies can surface the most relevant information at the right moment, enabling physicians to intervene earlier, focus on patient interactions, and reduce cognitive overload.
Smarter, more proactive medicine
Healthcare today requires more than the partial snapshot offered by legacy technology. By integrating diverse data sources such as wearables, claims, communications, and ADT feeds, clinicians gain a comprehensive, real-time view of their patients’ health.
When paired with AI-driven tools that filter and contextualize this information, the result is care that is not only more efficient for physicians but also more effective for patients. Moving forward is not about adding complexity. It’s about enabling smarter, proactive, and more patient-centered medicine.
Photo: elenabs, Getty Images
Dr. Mahadevanis Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Fold Healthand Professor of Emergency Medicine (Emeritus), Stanford University.
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