Recent Blogs
AHA comments on IFR for standards and certification
Date: Mar 18, 2010
The American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted to ONC its recommendations for changes to the Interim Final Rule on Monday, March 15. All the comments are in. Since the IFRs were released, we've been mucking around in the details (along with the devil, so to speak). As we wait for ONC to sift through the recommendations and figure out which to incorporate, we as an industry need to ask ourselves: What's the end goal? I believe the consensus is that we want health IT to enable providers to deliver high-quality care, reduce medical errors and lower the cost of care through efficient processes. Read »
Sutter Health renews EHR expansion; will others follow?
Date: Mar 17, 2010
Sutter Health, a Northern California not-for-profit network of community-based healthcare providers, announced it will resume implementation of EHRs throughout its hospitals. Not that the large hospital system is a bellwether for the economic recovery, but given that it stopped its initiative because of the recession, it's easy to come to that conclusion at first blush. The second thought is whether other health systems feel comfortable enough to resume their health IT initiatives. Read »
CCHIT says IFR on standards and certification may slow adoption rate
Date: Mar 16, 2010
With some standards being dropped and others being added, the Interim Final Rule (IFR) for EHR standards and certification is not aligned with CCHIT's current certification process. If the Final Rule is largely unchanged from the IFR, CCHIT says the new process could slow down the EHR adoption rate. Read »
Should the FDA be tasked with health IT oversight?
Date: Mar 15, 2010
In the last two years, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has received 260 reports of health IT malfunctions, some of which resulted in 44 reported injuries and six deaths. These numbers are prompting FDA officials to call for a federal framework and oversight to ensure patient safety. Read »
An Evolving EHR market can be unsettling
Date: Mar 11, 2010
Amidst a still-faltering economy, the bright spot has been healthcare IT, thanks to ARRA and its HITECH Act. Just as there is a lot of hope and energy invested in moving the healthcare industry into the 21st century, there are equal parts of anxiety and pessimism that billions of dollars will be spent without transforming the industry in the form of increased quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery, and reduction of medical errors and cost. Read »
Will ARRA widen Digital Divide?
Date: Mar 10, 2010
As the deadline for submitting public comment for the meaningful use criteria draws near, it seems as if there has been an uptick in concern and criticism being voiced regarding the federal government’s legislative efforts to drive healthcare IT adoption. Read »
MGMA physician survey results a reason to worry?
Date: Mar 09, 2010
Meeting meaningful use would negatively impact physician productivity, according to results of a recent Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) questionnaire. The physician members' concern couldn't have come at a more critical time - within days of CMS closing the public comment period. Read »
Consumer response to meaningful use an outlier?
Date: Mar 08, 2010
The Consumer Partnership for e-Health released consumer and employer responses to criticism about various aspects of the meaningful use criteria for EHR adoption. At first blush, it was surprising to see general support for the criteria. Then again, this nonpartisan group comprising consumer, patient, and labor organizations whose mission is to improve healthcare quality and achieving a patient-centered healthcare system through IT and knowledge sharing, represents some pretty knowledgeable parties. In other words, their responses aren't from the general public who are given sound bytes on healthcare reform and transformation. Read »
HIMSS10 Roundtable Part II: Raise or lower the bar on meaningful use?
Date: Mar 05, 2010
The great thing about the HIMSS10 roundtable that I attended this past Wednesday was that there were great discussions, which means multiple blog entries for me. Read »
HIMSS10 Roundtable Part I: Should EMRs and EHRs get all the attention?
Date: Mar 04, 2010
At HIMSS10 in Atlanta this week, you couldn't escape the topic of meaningful use and ARRA. From keynote addresses and education sessions to exhibit hall and Interoperability Showcase, the "M" word was the buzz word. Not surprisingly, a number of attendees are worried about what these regulations may mean for their healthcare organizations. And there are those attendees who are downright not in favor of the meaningful use requirements. Read »
Date: Mar 18, 2010
The American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted to ONC its recommendations for changes to the Interim Final Rule on Monday, March 15. All the comments are in. Since the IFRs were released, we've been mucking around in the details (along with the devil, so to speak). As we wait for ONC to sift through the recommendations and figure out which to incorporate, we as an industry need to ask ourselves: What's the end goal? I believe the consensus is that we want health IT to enable providers to deliver high-quality care, reduce medical errors and lower the cost of care through efficient processes. Read »
Sutter Health renews EHR expansion; will others follow?
Date: Mar 17, 2010
Sutter Health, a Northern California not-for-profit network of community-based healthcare providers, announced it will resume implementation of EHRs throughout its hospitals. Not that the large hospital system is a bellwether for the economic recovery, but given that it stopped its initiative because of the recession, it's easy to come to that conclusion at first blush. The second thought is whether other health systems feel comfortable enough to resume their health IT initiatives. Read »
CCHIT says IFR on standards and certification may slow adoption rate
Date: Mar 16, 2010
With some standards being dropped and others being added, the Interim Final Rule (IFR) for EHR standards and certification is not aligned with CCHIT's current certification process. If the Final Rule is largely unchanged from the IFR, CCHIT says the new process could slow down the EHR adoption rate. Read »
Should the FDA be tasked with health IT oversight?
Date: Mar 15, 2010
In the last two years, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has received 260 reports of health IT malfunctions, some of which resulted in 44 reported injuries and six deaths. These numbers are prompting FDA officials to call for a federal framework and oversight to ensure patient safety. Read »
An Evolving EHR market can be unsettling
Date: Mar 11, 2010
Amidst a still-faltering economy, the bright spot has been healthcare IT, thanks to ARRA and its HITECH Act. Just as there is a lot of hope and energy invested in moving the healthcare industry into the 21st century, there are equal parts of anxiety and pessimism that billions of dollars will be spent without transforming the industry in the form of increased quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery, and reduction of medical errors and cost. Read »
Will ARRA widen Digital Divide?
Date: Mar 10, 2010
As the deadline for submitting public comment for the meaningful use criteria draws near, it seems as if there has been an uptick in concern and criticism being voiced regarding the federal government’s legislative efforts to drive healthcare IT adoption. Read »
MGMA physician survey results a reason to worry?
Date: Mar 09, 2010
Meeting meaningful use would negatively impact physician productivity, according to results of a recent Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) questionnaire. The physician members' concern couldn't have come at a more critical time - within days of CMS closing the public comment period. Read »
Consumer response to meaningful use an outlier?
Date: Mar 08, 2010
The Consumer Partnership for e-Health released consumer and employer responses to criticism about various aspects of the meaningful use criteria for EHR adoption. At first blush, it was surprising to see general support for the criteria. Then again, this nonpartisan group comprising consumer, patient, and labor organizations whose mission is to improve healthcare quality and achieving a patient-centered healthcare system through IT and knowledge sharing, represents some pretty knowledgeable parties. In other words, their responses aren't from the general public who are given sound bytes on healthcare reform and transformation. Read »
HIMSS10 Roundtable Part II: Raise or lower the bar on meaningful use?
Date: Mar 05, 2010
The great thing about the HIMSS10 roundtable that I attended this past Wednesday was that there were great discussions, which means multiple blog entries for me. Read »
HIMSS10 Roundtable Part I: Should EMRs and EHRs get all the attention?
Date: Mar 04, 2010
At HIMSS10 in Atlanta this week, you couldn't escape the topic of meaningful use and ARRA. From keynote addresses and education sessions to exhibit hall and Interoperability Showcase, the "M" word was the buzz word. Not surprisingly, a number of attendees are worried about what these regulations may mean for their healthcare organizations. And there are those attendees who are downright not in favor of the meaningful use requirements. Read »
