July 11, 2012 Jennifer Prestigiacomo
article
In light of the recent shuttering of Tennessee’s statewide health information exchange (HIE), what has never been more apparent is that HIEs must solve concrete business problems, while also fitting into clinician workflow. Nine healthcare providers in western Pennsylvania are seeking to do just that by launching ClinicalConnect, the region’s first HIE, to improve the quality and coordination of care for patients as they move among the region’s hospital systems.
July 6, 2012 Jennifer Prestigiacomo
blog
Group Health, the Seattle-based integrated delivery system that is both a payer and a provider, is the very definition of a model student when it comes to health information exchange (HIE). I make this comparison because the system has done well in marshalling its resources internally and externally to create a pragmatic approach for exchange. However, like many HIEs around the country, Group Health is still studying new approaches to find what works.
July 5, 2012 Jeff Smith, Assistant Director of Advocacy at CHIME
article
CHIME submitted comments this week to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, responding to the agency’s vision for nationwide health information exchange. ONC officials in May released a Request for Information (RFI) that sought feedback on how to establish a governance mechanism for the nationwide health information network (NwHIN).
June 29, 2012 Gabriel Perna
blog
A day after being engulfed in the craziness of the reporting on the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, I want to point our readers to an article I wrote earlier this week that may have gotten lost in the Affordable Care Act hubbub. The article, This Doctor Will Now See You on Facebook, highlighted the works of Jeff Livingston, M.D., a partner at the Irving, Texas-based MacArthur OB/GYN, a seven-physician, two mid-level provider obstetrics and gynecology practice.
June 28, 2012
news
The Pennsylvania eHealth Collaborative has announced a new grant program that aims to encourage doctors and other healthcare providers to begin securely exchanging health information over the Internet using direct messaging. This type of messaging looks to provide a secure and standards-based method to encourage electronic exchange of health information among providers, particularly those providers that do not have the resources or technical capacity to engage in more comprehensive health information exchange (HIE).
June 13, 2012
news
A policy brief by the New York City-based Consumers Union and the Washington D.C.-based Center for Democracy & Technology is calling for solutions that strengthen privacy and security in EHR systems, as well as in the increased use and appropriate sharing of patients' health data. The brief cites a recent nationwide survey by the Markle Foundation that found 83 percent of doctors still share their patients' information with other medical professionals by paper or fax – not electronically.
May 8, 2012 Jeff Smith, Assistant Director of Advocacy at CHIME
article
Despite a fairly constant flurry of news clippings regarding federal efforts to combat fraud in Medicare and Medicaid, prominent Senators want more “tangible results” from CMS to improve program integrity...Comments filed with both the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) identified concerns related to the proposed Stage 2 EHR reporting period as well as CMS’ varying approach to clinical quality measures (CQMs).
April 24, 2012
news
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced final rule aimed at preventing fraud in Medicare and is reportedly estimated to save taxpayers nearly $1.6 billion over 10 years. The rule aims to ensure only qualified, identifiable providers and suppliers can order or certify certain medical services, equipment and supplies for people with Medicare. It also aims to help beneficiaries receive quality care with CMS verifying the credentials of a provider who is ordering or certifying equipment and supplies.
April 23, 2012 Gabriel Perna
article
Last week, HCI Assistant Editor Gabriel Perna spoke with Deloitte’s senior advisor for healthcare transformation and technology, Harry Greenspun, M.D., to talk about the opportunities and challenges in mobile health (mHealth), and where the industry is headed. Part two of this interview series covers other opportunities in mHealth, including the appealing area of remote patient monitoring. Greenspun also discusses some of the difficulties that will lie ahead for mHealth developers and stakeholders.
April 19, 2012 Gabriel Perna
article
An exclusive interview with PwC's John Edwards on the research firm's latest study on social media usage in healthcare. The study, “Social media ‘likes’ healthcare: From marketing to social business,” looks at the opportunities that exist for providers, payers, and pharmaceutical companies in using social media platforms in healthcare, amid the growth of its presence in the industry.
April 19, 2012 John DeGaspari
article
More hospitals are looking to the cloud as a viable way to store clinical, imaging, and financial data. Experts acknowledge its advantages, but caution it’s a step that requires careful planning and vetting of potential cloud vendors.
April 17, 2012 John DeGaspari
article
As hospitals face challenges of moving to the electronic medical record, often while operating under tight budgetary constraints and with small IT staffs, moving data to a cloud platform is becoming an attractive option to some. Making the right decision depends on carefully weighing risks and benefits, according to weighing risk Michael Gaasche, manager with the business development department of Smart Devine & Company, LLC, a Philadelphia-based consultancy and, prior to that, IT director with the Department of Health and Opportunity for the city of Philadelphia.
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