February 14, 2013 Mark Hagland
article
One day after the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based CHIME named Russell P. Branzell its incoming chief executive officer, Branzell spoke with HCI Editor-in-Chief Mark Hagland regarding his acceptance of the CHIME CEO position, and his aspirations for CHIME as an organization going forward.
February 12, 2013 Gabriel Perna
news
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has selected Russell P. Branzell as CEO, the organization announced this week. Branzell, currently the CEO of Colorado Health Medical Group, a division of University of Colorado Health, will begin his new role in April.
February 11, 2013 Mark Hagland
article
James E. Levin, M.D., Ph.D., CMIO at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, died unexpectedly on Feb. 10 while traveling on business. Dr. Levin, 55, was a nationally recognized pioneer in medical informatics, and had helped guide his colleagues at Children’s of Pittsburgh, part of the vast 20-plus-hospital University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) health system, through industry-leading innovations in clinical innovation and electronic health record (EHR)-driven clinical performance improvement.
February 11, 2013 Gabriel Perna
news
In a blog post, the director of federal health architecture at the Office for the National Coordinator of Health IT (ONC), Lauren Thompson, announced the arrival of version 4.0 of the government's CONNECT software. CONNECT, which is an open source health information exchange (HIE) platform, has been a joint effort between ONC, the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
February 9, 2013 Mark Hagland
article
Jeff Loughlin, project director at the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative and executive director of the Regional Extension Center of New Hampshire, shares his perspectives on the current state of EHR adoption among medical groups-and the lessons that have been learned by leaders of the regional extension centers.
February 7, 2013 Gabriel Perna
blog
When it comes to patients’ skills and knowledge on their care, more equals less, according to the recently published findings of one research team. The study found the most tuned in patients cost 8-to-21 percent less than the costs of patients with the lowest level of activation. It’s just one more piece of evidence that supports this growing movement.
February 6, 2013 Mark Hagland
blog
When Carolyn Clancy, M.D., announced on Jan. 31 that she was leaving the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which she had headed for almost exactly 10 years (she became that agency’s director on Feb. 5, 2003, after previously working at the agency as director of its Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research), it signaled the end of an era.
February 5, 2013 Ted Reynolds and Chris Miller, CTG Health Solutions
article
The meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs), healthcare reform and ongoing pressure to improve clinical and financial performance will drive six trends that we expect will impact providers in 2013, say two executives at CTG Health Solutions
February 3, 2013 Mark Hagland
blog
CIOs, CMIOs and other healthcare leaders have a real opportunity to help shape community-wide healthcare delivery performance improvement initiatives: just ask Jane Brock, M.D., of the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care, that state's QIO.
January 30, 2013 Gabriel Perna
blog
In the process of conducting research for my most recent feature, I came to realize one thing about how hospitals across this country are trying to improve the patient-centered culture. It’s not about high-definition TVs, better food, temperature-controlled rooms, and a quiet night’s rest. It’s about better communication.
January 30, 2013 Mark Hagland
article
Leaders at the American Health Quality Association recently showcased the release of an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that documented an impressive decline in avoidable hospitalizations and readmissions among Medicare patients in communities in which Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) have coordinated interventions that engaged whole communities in care improvement.
January 29, 2013 Mark Hagland
article
Earlier this month, the Health Research Institute at PriceWaterhouseCoopers consulting firm released a new report, “Top health industry issues of 2013: Picking up the pace on health reform.” PWC’s John Edwards, director of the consulting firm’s healthcare advisory division, shares his perspectives on the most pressing challenges facing healthcare IT leaders right now. Here’s a hint: think data and information systems, not IT per se.
