September 7, 2010 Sharon Canner
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Better Program Access Goal of Committee. Meeting earlier this week, the HIT Standards Committee of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) accepted the recommendations of their Enrollment Workgroup to support the electronic enrollment of individuals in federal and state health and human services programs. Section 1561 of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in consultation with the Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Committee and the HIT Standards Committee, to develop interoperable and secure standards and protocols for this purpose. Given approval by both the Standards and Policy Committees, the recommendations now go to ONC for final action and implementation.
August 16, 2010 Jennifer Prestigiacomo
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In the drive toward meaningful use, the Chicago-based American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) plans to add health information technology tools to their Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. ABMS is the umbrella organization for 24 medical specialty boards that certify more than 750,000 practicing physicians. ABMS’ special advisor to the president, Sheldon D. Horowitz, M.D., spoke with HCI Associate Editor Jennifer Prestigiacomo about the new program and what physicians can expect.
July 28, 2010 Mark Hagland
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David Cochran, M.D., who has spent decades in patient care and healthcare management, became president and CEO of Montpelier-based Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL) in July 2009. The organization’s mission is responsible for supporting the deployment of electronic health records throughout Vermont in support of the state’s ambitious healthcare reform and population health initiatives. Further, VITL manages Vermont’s statewide health information exchange (HIE). Cochran spoke recently with HCI Editor-in-Chief Mark Hagland about his work at VITL. Below are excerpts from that interview.
July 27, 2010 Jennifer Prestigiacomo
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Confusion was the big headline in Williston, VT-based CapSite Consulting’s U.S. ambulatory EHR certification study. Despite an overwhelming majority of respondents (nearly 90 percent) citing the importance of EHR certification when evaluating EHR solutions, 40 percent of providers were unsure if certification was required to receive stimulus funds for ambulatory EHR purchases. Of the more than 850 healthcare provider organizations polled, misunderstanding about CCHIT (Certification Commission for Health Information Technology) Certification prevailed across small, medium, and large physician practices.
January 29, 2010
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Let's face it. Anyone who says Informatics has done for healthcare what it has done for the financial, entertainment and retailing industries either would have a hard time keeping a straight face or is delusional. “Bar codes” that were introduced 50 years ago are being hailed as the recent “big advance” in bedside health care. This is occurring while everyone else is going to RFID! And, HIT hasn't lowered costs as promised.
December 31, 2009 Kate Huvane Gamble
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As healthcare organizations move further into an electronic environment, the need for an accurate system of patient identification is becoming increasingly evident. Errors resulting from duplicate patient records or incomplete information can incur significant costs, burden the administrative staff, and most importantly, compromise patient safety.
