MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'electronic'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:49:50 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181970&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhi-tech-choose-your-own-adventure-coming-medical-school-near-you Though it was longer ago than I care to admit, I can remember checking out every copy of the Choose Your Own Adventure® series my local library had to offer. Whether it was “Prisoner of the Ant People” or “Zombie Penpal” (nope, I didn’t make those titles up!), those books allowed me to control my own destiny, choose my own fate – escape from the ant people or allow my long-distance pal to eat my brains for breakfast. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181970 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:02:32 +0100 5181970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182342&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F09%2Ffuture-of-pathology-jim-harrison.html This is a guest blog note by Jim Harrison, M.D., Ph.D. He is a pathologist and Associate Professor at the University of Virginia. It's a repost of a document that he circulated on the Association for Pathology Informatics (API) listserv earlier in the year and is, in part, a compilation of input from other pathologists about anticipated changes in AP and CP. Earlier this summer I posted a request to the API list for thoughts about key changes that might occur in AP and CP within the next five years and how those changes might be best supported by IT. A similar request was passed around in CAP's informatics-related committees, and the results were compiled for distribution to the CAP Pathology Transformation project. I did receive several responses from this list, so I'm summari... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182342 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:42:49 +0100 5182342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181958&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F2ScUo2cTw1c%2F Many of you might remember my recent post about EMR Performance Issues (ie. EMR Slowness). Turns out, the post had a pretty big impact on some readers of the site. In fact, it sounds like it was partially therapeutic for some to realize that they’re not alone. I asked permission to share one of the responses with you so you could get some more first hand perspective on the issue of EMR slowness. I share it in the hopes that others can be aware and avoid it. Plus, I hope the EHR vendors that read this will take it to heart and be fanatically focused on EMR speed and customer support. I’ve removed the name of the writer and the names of the vendors. Plus, realize that it was written originally in an email communication and not necessarily to be published. OMG…you hit the na... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181958 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:28:48 +0100 5181958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182320&cid=t_99892_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FscEadyD2R4s%2F As technology makes the world smaller, monitoring clinical trials no longer requires traveling to a destination to check up on the investigators. Much of this work can be done remotely and the FDA, in fact, wants to encourage sponsors to undertake more of what the agency calls risk-based monitoring in order to match international standards articulated by the International Conference on Harmonisation. And so the agency has just issued new guidance for drugmakers and contract research organizations, or CROs, to help sort out the variables that would determine when centralized monitoring would be preferable over on-site monitoring. The primary focus, the FDA notes, should be on steps that protect human subjects, while maintaining data integrity and compliance with regulations. Despite advance... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182320 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:50:37 +0100 5182320 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181975&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fehr-incentives-likely-improve-quality Healthcare is one of the last industries in the United States to universally incorporate technological advancements. While most sectors have made significant investments in information technology to improve efficiency and consumer relationships, America’s health care system is still largely paper-driven. As a result the healthcare system is plagued by inefficiency and poor quality. Delivery is slower, more prone to errors, and harder to measure and coordinate than it should be. Investments in health information technology can help improve this situation. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181975 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:19:45 +0100 5181975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181959&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FTHPZrzE1cCI%2F In a post on EMR and EHR about Social Media and EMRs, Andre Vovan, MD MBA from Mitochon Systems offered an interesting insight into the comparison between EMR and social media. Social media and EMR are a natural fit. Think about what social media really enables. The ablity to stay connected, following different strings of info/story weaved by connected people. Say for instance you and your friends went to the Grand Canyon, one person took pictures while the other did the cooking, planning, and was responsible for entertainment during the trip. When they try to retell the story to their friends, each will be able to add different aspect of the story and with social network platforms such as facebook, this is possible. Now take the story above, and insert 2 doctors and change the trip taken ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181959 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:44:38 +0100 5181959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181960&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FGFmRr9VJvx8%2F Chuck Podesta is Fletcher Allen Health Care’s chief information officer. ICD-10 would not be so daunting if the deadline was not occurring during the rush to get EHRs for meaningful use. Add in value-based purchasing, bundled payments and transitioning to ACOs, and you can see why many CIOs are retiring early or migrating to the vendor or consulting world. We are just over two years away from the October 2013 deadline, and there is much work to be done. ICD-10 contains 68,000 codes, as opposed to the 13,000 currently used in the ICD-9 world. There is a code for every condition that exists on the planet. The revenue cycle system, which includes registration, HIM and billing/AR, will be the lynch pin to ICD-10 readiness. Having a solid vendor partner and a strong product is key to a succ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181960 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:56:35 +0100 5181960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181979&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fsocial-media-reactions-top-5-worst-emr-myths Healthcare IT News Associate Editor Molly Merrill wrote a July 26 piece on the five worst EMR myths. Over the past month, there's been debate and discussion surrounding the list, via our social media outlets and in our reader comments posted on the Healthcare IT News site. Here are the five misconceptions Merrill included: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181979 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:45:12 +0100 5181979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174703&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fg_faMvFVu7k%2F Lynn Scheps is Vice President, Government Affairs at EHR vendor SRSsoft. In this role, Lynn has been a Voice of Physicians and SRSsoft users in Washington during the formulation of the meaningful use criteria. Lynn is currently working to assist SRSsoft users interested in showing meaningful use and receiving the EHR incentive money. Check out Lynn’s previous Meaningful Use Monday posts. A great deal of work, discussion, and debate by the HIT Policy Committee and its Workgroup members went into developing the recommendations for meaningful use Stage 2 (discussed in the last two Meaningful Use Monday posts). Meetings were frequent and lengthy, but I tried to listen in on most of them to gain some insights into the thinking behind the decisions being made and the future direction of me... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174703 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:35:33 +0100 5174703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174704&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FMJr4_oLHBIQ%2F Time to touch on a few popular topics that I found being discussed on Twitter. First, I’ll put the tweets and then a little but of my own commentary on these hot button issues in healthcare IT. @GovHIT Does a nationwide #EHR lower healthcare costs? Social media reactions | #GovHIT Blog http://ow.ly/64DL1 I always love when people talk about a nationwide EHR. I actually think that it’s a bad title by Government Healthcare IT, but that it’s a very good question. To me a nationwide EHR implies that there is one EHR for the entire nation. I think a number of other countries which are much smaller and less complex than the US have proven quite well that a nationwide government run EHR is a bad idea. I think the Government HIT article actually refers more to widespread adoption... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174704 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 07:20:12 +0100 5174704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174713&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fend-beginning-and-launch-i2o When Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the national coordinator for health information technology, addresses more than 4,700 healthcare professionals at the Allscripts Client Experience in Nashville on Monday morning, Aug. 29, he’s likely to discuss one of the most exciting developments in healthcare today – and perhaps surprisingly, it won’t be the meaningful use of electronic health records.  read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174713 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:48:46 +0100 5174713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169597&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FMv7wbsW1E7Y%2F Conclusion Don’t accept an EHR that’s slow. Make sure that the EHR performs at a satisfactory level. I know of nothing that frustrates a clinic more than a slow EHR. Related posts:Common EMR Implementation Issue – EHR Performance Issues We’re back again with our ongoing series on Common EMR... Common EMR Implementation Issues – Unexpected EHR Expenses This is the start of a new series of posts... Killer EMR Features According to EMR Vendors I previously posted a request to hear about the “killer”... (Source: EMR and HIPAA) EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169597 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:49:29 +0100 5169597 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169553&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgreat-clinical-care-and-excellent-bedside-manner-are-they-mutually-exclusive%2F2011.08.26 The New York Times recently published an article titled, Finding a Quality Doctor, Dr. Danielle Ofri an internist at NYU, laments how she was unable to perform as well as expected in the areas of patient care as it related to diabetes.  From the August 2010 New England Journal of Medicine article, Dr. Ofri notes that her report card showed the following – 33% of patients with diabetes have glycated hemoglobin levels at goal, 44% have cholesterol levels at goal, and a measly 26% have blood pressure at goal.  She correctly notes that these measurements alone aren’t what makes a doctor a good quality one, but rather the areas of interpersonal skills, compassion, and empathy, which most of us would agree constitute a doctor’s bedside manner, should count as well. Her articl... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169553 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5169553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159861&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Ffepic-beaker-ready-or-not.html There is going to be a lot of money made as the result of the potentially large-scale deployment of Epic's immature LIS called Beaker. One of the first in line to shake this money tree will be KLAS. Here is their announcement of a report on this topic by the company (see: Epic Beaker: Ready or Not?): The laboratory market typically sees little movement. Because of the expense and complexity from a laboratory system’s deep penetration into a hospital, laboratory systems are not changed frequently. If providers do change, it is rarely from a more sophisticated solution to a more immature one. One product that seems to be bucking that trend is Epic Beaker, Epic’s newly available laboratory solution. Of surveyed Epic hospitals currently using other laboratory solutions, over half are p... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159861 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:19:45 +0100 5159861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159649&cid=t_99892_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FHnJFRq7tkx0%2F And then it hit me… social media is derailing my life in fifteen minute intervals by distracting me with all the stuff that is already distracting my friends. via Fifteen Minute Intervals by James Shelley. Filed under: electronic life, Ephemera (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159649 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:01:43 +0100 5159649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159277&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fw2QBei4mkwo%2F For years, we’ve heard about how much clinical information is locked away in payer databases. Payers have offered to provide clinical summaries, electronic and otherwise, The problem is, it’s potentially inaccurate clinical information because it’s all based on billing claims. (Don’t believe me? Just ask “E-Patient” Dave de Bronkart.) It is for this reason that I don’t much trust “quality” ratings based on claims data. Just how much of a difference there was between claims data and true clinical data hasn’t been so clear, though. Until today. A paper just published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that searching EMRs with natural-language processing identified up to 12 times the number of pneumonia c... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159277 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:47:57 +0100 5159277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158993&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcardiac-devices-causing-more-infections-whats-the-cause%2F2011.08.25 A new report published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and reported in theHeart.org and elsewhere, suggests the infection rate of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CEID’s) between 1993 and 2008 has greatly increased from 1.53% in 2004 to 2.41% in 2008 (p < 0.001) with a dramatic rise in 2005: Click image to enlarge The authors explain this sudden increase on the basis of comorbities: (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158993 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5158993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159650&cid=t_99892_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F8Xq1JYvNYpY%2F Image by acaben via Flickr Sad at the resignation of Steve Jobs. I bought my first computer, an Apple ][, back in December of 1982 after my niece and nephew got one for Christmas and had to show it to me after dinner. I had to be dragged away from it at midnight, and was at the computer store the next day. I had one of the first Macintoshes out, back when they didn’t come with hard drives installed and you had to load the operating system into it via floppy disks. The 5.25″ kind. The magazine ads featured its screen covered with an amazing (at the time) graphic: the picture of a geisha brushing out her hair. I have tried to find that image online for a couple of years, but have never managed to locate it. A special poignancy of the resignation is that the resignation is almost cer... white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159650 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:11:13 +0100 5159650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159862&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fdoes-epic-have-a-near-monoply-for-large-hospital-emrs.html Joseph Conn, who writes for ModernHealthcare.com, picked up on one of my blog notes about the Epic EMR dominance in larger hospitals (see: Not yet an Epic monopoly or conflict). Here is his note: Bruce Friedman, in a post on Lab Soft News says, "Epic has achieved a near monopoly of the (electronic health-record systems) installed in the largest U.S. hospitals." And writing in the Washington Examiner, Lachlan Markay, an investigative writer with the conservative Heritage Foundation's Center for Media and Public Policy, reveals that Epic Systems Corp. CEO Judith Faulkner not only has made campaign contributions to Democrats but also has served as a member of the federal Health Information Technology Policy Committee, which "holds in its hands the future of health informat... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159862 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:51:59 +0100 5159862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159278&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F6jLMN8ZSAok%2F We’re back again with our ongoing series on Common EMR Implementation Issues. Seems like readers really liked my first entry in the series about Unexpected EHR Expenses. To be quite honest, I was really happy with how that post turned out myself. It’s one of the most comprehensive and useful posts I’ve written in the 5.5+ years I’ve been writing about EMR and EHR. Hopefully we can continue that trend. Today’s Common EMR Implementation Problem: EHR Performance Issues I have to admit that this is a really tough problem to crack. However, it’s also incredibly common. The symptoms for this problem usually are described as, “THIS EHR IS SOOOOOO SLOW!” (This is appropriate use of ALL CAPS since they are often yelling this.) Followed by a *huff* and... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159278 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:44:49 +0100 5159278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159317&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhospital-marketing-are-you-ready-patient-experience Social media in healthcare is evolving and finding its way into operational and clinical tools and this has been where much of my focus has been lately.  However, I do want to check-in with where healthcare social media got it's start and a recent survey of hospital marketers will help us with this. Some interesting survey results were released not long ago and I want to share the link to the report and highlight a couple of things.  By 2013, hospital marketers predict: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159317 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:52:46 +0100 5159317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159863&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fapathology-informatics-2011-conference-only-six-weeks-away-1.html The second annual Pathology Informatics 2011 conference is only about six weeks away. It will be held in Pittsburgh on October 4-7, 2011. It's the merged version of two prior, long-standing informatics conference, APIII and Lab InfoTech Summit. You can review the entire conference schedule as well as register on-line. Three separate content tracks are being offered: Clinical Information Management, System Support and Connectivity, and Digital Imaging. The 3 1/2 day conference with a venue at the Pittsburgh Wyndham Grand offers an opening day with three workshops, included in the registration fee, 10 plenary lectures, and 27 track lectures. A total of 43 faculty members will participate. Also presented will be about 40 scientific presentations and 15 e-posters that have been selected fr... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159863 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:47:29 +0100 5159863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159279&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FHNwIjbnhAi8%2F I recently had the great opportunity to go to breakfast with Valerie Migliore and Karin Eichler during my visit to my in-laws in the upstate New York area (Rochester specifically). Despite being very pleasant ladies I was also happy to see they could speak EMR speak with me. I’ve met a whole lot of different people over the years and far too often I go and meet with someone who is just getting into the EMR world and so they’re still learning the ways of the EMR (excuse the Star Wars reference). I still enjoy those types of visits, but I really enjoy meeting with people like Valerie and Karin who can share with me some other EMR perspectives. In fact, they often show me new ways that I hadn’t looked at something before. Turns out Val and Karin recently did a presentation a... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159279 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:43:18 +0100 5159279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159864&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fepic-as-a-victim-of-its-own-success.html Katherine Rourke, who blogs over at Hospital EMR and EHR picked up on one of my recent notes about Epic (see: The Feasibility of Using the Epic EMR as a "Platform" to Extend Its Functionality) and posted the following note: Could Epic End Up The Victim Of Its Own EMR Success? Here is a copy of her commentary with a few minor edits. Boldface emphasis is mine: In essence, the [recent Lab Soft News] post makes three key points: Epic is implemented, or soon will be, in virtually every large U.S. hospital Epic keeps very close control of how its system is implemented and developed in an effort to control performance Given this desire for control, Epic isn’t likely to let other vendors create software to interoperate with its EMR If the Lab Soft News author has his facts right, Epi... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159864 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:46:33 +0100 5159864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159280&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FTRWtDdOJM_4%2F Lynn Scheps is Vice President, Government Affairs at EHR vendor SRSsoft. In this role, Lynn has been a Voice of Physicians and SRSsoft users in Washington during the formulation of the meaningful use criteria. Lynn is currently working to assist SRSsoft users interested in showing meaningful use and receiving the EHR incentive money. Check out Lynn’s previous Meaningful Use Monday posts. In addition to the Meaningful Use Stage 2 recommendations discussed in last week’s Meaningful Use Monday, the HIT Policy Committee proposed a new framework for the reporting of clinical quality measures that was designed by its specifically-tasked Quality Measure Workgroup. The recommended concept is depicted in the graphic below—the intention is to broaden the scope of reporting to address a wid... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159280 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:19:08 +0100 5159280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159865&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fsix-major-disruptions-still-to-come-in-halthcare.html Predictions about strategic shifts in healthcare intrigue me. There is always the question in one's mind about whether you agree with the list. A recent article was labeled as a list of healthcare "disruptions" but otherwise caught my attention (see: 6 Major Disruptions Still To Come In Healthcare). Here's the list stripped of the accompanying brief explanations: Conversion of physicians to electronic health records. Removing the responsibility of records-sharing from the patient. The rise of the genomic signature as part of the medical record. Moving the responsibility [for] care and outcomes from the provider location to the consumer location. The rise of health avatars. The change in physician compensation from fee-for-service to fee-for-outcomes. What interested me... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159865 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:15:33 +0100 5159865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159281&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F_az5UonSHQ4%2F Discussion About EMR Study by Accenture One of the first people I talked with when I... Google Health Co-op (Making Google Health Portal Possible) This is a little late to be posting, but I’ve... (Source: EMR and HIPAA) EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159281 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:11:50 +0100 5159281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159282&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FU4K02LkFYNc%2F LinuxMedNews just posted the announcement that OpenEMR is now a certified EHR. Here’s the quote from their announcement: It’s official! OpenEMR has passed all ONC certification tests as a fully qualified emr that can be used to attest for incentive moneys. The official posting: http://onc-chpl.force.com/ehrcert/EHRProductDetail?id=a0X30000003mNwTEAU&retURL= appeared on the website 2011/08/19. Congratulations to all involved! OpenEMR 4.1 should be ready for download in a few weeks. This is a really big announcement for the open source ambulatory EHR community. A number of other open source EHR are certified, but they’re mostly for the hospital EHR space. So, it’s a great thing for OpenEMR to provide an open source EHR to the ambulatory space. Plus, I have to adm... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159282 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 05:32:11 +0100 5159282 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159283&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F42OlfYrK2Vg%2F This is the start of a new series of posts that I plan to do over the next week or two. I’ll probably try and space them out so that they don’t overwhelm anyone. However, it’s going to be a series of common EMR implementation issues that I hear over and over again. This series was prompted by a post on HIStalk by Inga where she talked about her visit to the doctor and his complaints about his EHR implementation. As I read through the list of complaints, I realized that they were all complaints that I’d heard before. If I’ve heard them all before, then they must be pretty common and worth talking about more. Ideally the discussions in this EMR implementation series will help practices and doctors that are implementing an EMR to avoid these issues. I also know t... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159283 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:45:47 +0100 5159283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139951&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fannouncing-metadata-pilots-realize-pcast-vision Those of you keeping a close eye on the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and its activities might have noticed the advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) that was published on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, requesting public input on a set of proposed metadata standards recommended to ONC by the HIT Standards Committee. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139951 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:25:30 +0100 5139951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139937&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FIJjkpBY92iI%2F Every couple months I like to take a bit of an inventory on EMR and HIPAA along with recognizing new advertisers to the EMR and HIPAA family along. Not to mention send out a big thanks to all those advertisers who have renewed during that time period as well. EMR and HIPAA is still doing more amazing than I ever thought it could. During the slow summer months we’re still averaging about 4500 pageviews per day. In fact, we’re inching ever closer to 5 million pageviews since we first started tracking the stats. I think I might have to celebrate the day we reach that landmark. This will be the 1,139th post on EMR and HIPAA and we’ve had 5,590 comments made. That’s roughly 5 comments per post. So thank you to all those who contribute to the amazing community that exists... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139937 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:49:39 +0100 5139937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140317&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-most-important-iphone-app-for-pathologists.html In response to a blog note about iPhone ecosystems (see: The iPhone Effect: Smartphones and Their App Ecosystems Have Changed Everything), a reader, Christopher Metts, asked the following question as a comment: If [you] wanted to create an app for a practicing pathologist, what do you think it should do? It's an interesting question and, for me, the answer seems to be obvious.  However, I need to qualify my answer. First, it will encompass all smart phones and not just the iPhone as well as tablets such as the iPad. Secondly. my response will include two broad functions rather than specific app products. Various apps with these functionalities do exist but I don't want to single out any of them. The two functional categories that come to mind for smartphone/tablets that will ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140317 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:42:01 +0100 5140317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139938&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FYKYYdrcHm4s%2F I recently came across this really interesting Wall Street Journal blog post. In it a recent college graduate gives a nice rendition of the challenge of changing from student to employee. Turns out, this newly minted graduate has found work at the popular healthcare IT software company: Epic. Of course, the fact that Epic is hiring a recent college graduate should come as no surprise to anyone in the EMR and healthcare IT field. Epic has long been a haven for new graduates since their hiring practices seem to favor training new blood as opposed to hiring experienced EMR practitioners. However, reading the above post made me think back to when I first got hired for a job working with an electronic medical record. This part of the blog post really hit home (emphasis mine): Starting Aug 1, I ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139938 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:12:04 +0100 5139938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130856&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F7izZd7JZcgo%2F Lynn Scheps is Vice President, Government Affairs at EHR vendor SRSsoft. In this role, Lynn has been a Voice of Physicians and SRSsoft users in Washington during the formulation of the meaningful use criteria. Lynn is currently working to assist SRSsoft users interested in showing meaningful use and receiving the EHR incentive money. Check out Lynn’s previous Meaningful Use Monday posts. A few weeks ago, the HIT Policy Committee forwarded its Stage 2 meaningful use recommendations to CMS. CMS is expected to issue a Proposed Rule in early 2012 and the Final Rule in mid-2012.  The first recommendation—intensely debated, but overwhelmingly supported in the end—is to delay the start of Stage 2 until 2014, recognizing the unrealistic time pressure that vendors and providers would fac... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130856 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:43:35 +0100 5130856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130746&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fphysician-enjoys-the-ease-of-a-new-emr%2F2011.08.15 Seven months into 2011, things look very different than they did this time last year at my office. Not only have I been using an electronic medical record for nine months now, but I’ve also been submitting claims electronically (through a free clearinghouse) using an online practice management system. I’ve also begun scanning patients’ insurance cards into the computer, as well as converting all the paper insurance Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) into digital form. I’ve even scanned all my office bills and business paperwork and tossed all the actual paper into one big box. As of the first of the year I even stopped generating “daysheets” at the end of work each day. After all, with my new system I can always call up the information I want whenever I need it. How did such a comm... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130746 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:00:48 +0100 5130746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130857&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FOwSQ9eBjmd0%2F This was a great piece of advice that was given at my Health Tech Next Generation EMR 101 panel. @2healthguru – Gregg Masters We run from EMR vendors w/products that offer lots of free hours of training. Means EMR UI not Intuitive @brandrew0 #HTng11 I’d only clarify that unlimited free support is good, but it’s when they suggest you use a week of that free support that you run. Related posts:Advice for EMR Selection Consultants A recent comment asked me what I thought about this... Advice to Karen Bell, CCHIT Head I previously posted about the new head of CCHIT, Karen... Best Advice for Those Implementing an EMR Since it’s the weekend, I like to open it up... (Source: EMR and HIPAA) EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130857 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:41:41 +0100 5130857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125825&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FU55DsRRCd6E%2F I was hit by this comment made by Ciro on a LinkedIn group that I’m apart of (You can find the HealthcareScene.com blog network on LinkedIn if you want to join). My patients are discharged from hospitals and are seen in different offices. I have no clue what changes have been made when I open the patient’s record in my emr. We have to call to have notes faxed to us all the time. Then we scan the documents into the emr and attach it to the patient record as a tif file. If a patient has a reaction to a medication and is seen at urgent care facility, I will not know about it unless the patient tells me. There is no integrity in my emr data since changes are made all the time. Our hospital recently spent millions on a emr that does not integrate with any outpatient emr. Where is th... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125825 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:47:51 +0100 5125825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118746&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FQcpbBa3mVII%2F This is the next in a series of EMR and EHR interviews that will be done on EMR and HIPAA and EMR and EHR. The full EMR interview with Dr. Ho can be found on the new EHR and EMR interviews website. The following is a summary of that interview written by Kathy Bongiovi. After completing a family practice residency at the University of Rochester in 1989, Dr. Ho worked in a variety of settings before making her decision to open her no-staff “micropractice” in 2004. Ho defines micropractice as being “a small, low overhead, no staff, hightech-high touch practice.” Because Ho believes the current financing model of delivering primary care by cranking up the volume of visits in order to meet overhead and salary is broken she wanted to move to a model that would be better for patients and ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118746 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:18:04 +0100 5118746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118761&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhealthcare-different I'm often asked why healthcare has been slow to automate its processes compared to other industries such as the airlines, shipping/logistics, or the financial services industry. Many clinicians say that healthcare is different. I'm going to be a bit controversial in this post and agree that healthcare has unique challenges that make it more difficult to automate than other industries. Here's an inventory of the issues: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118761 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:00:16 +0100 5118761 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5119007&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fethical-questions-posed-by-office-emr-by-epocrates.html Epocrates is a very successful smartphone app for physicians. The company recently announced the availability of an electronic health record (EHR) (see: Epocrates electronic health record raises new possibilities and ethical questions). Below is an excerpt from an article about this new product that may raise some ethical concerns: ...Targeted to small and solo physician practices, the [Epocrates EHR product] is a web-based software-as-a-service platform which will be offered on a monthly-subscription basis. At launch , it includes a native iPhone app that appears to include access to patient records as well as e-prescribing functionality, with iPad support reportedly in the works. Epocrates EHR will also include support for billing/coding, data analysis and reporting, and an interesting t... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5119007 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5119007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118747&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F-wzekic95sE%2F Patient Doctor Relationship It seems like this topic keeps coming up in my online and social media reading. Basically, the discussion usually centers around the role the patient plays in healthcare. Many people like to discuss what has been called the ePatient. I instead want to talk about the motivations of patients and their ability to influence the healthcare system. Patients in healthcare are unlike “customers” in many other industries. I can’t think of a single patient that wants to go and see a doctor. Ok, maybe they like the doctor and they want to get whatever’s ailing them fixed, but to a person I’m sure we’d say that going to the doctor is the last place we want to be. It’s not like going shopping for a new pair of shoes. There’s no... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118747 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:12:45 +0100 5118747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107664&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fabcs-123s-and-healthcare-it My oldest daughter started kindergarten this week – a big day for our entire family. A few tears were shed as she hung up her school bag and told us goodbye, and she seemed a bit shell shocked by the whole experience once back home. Her only negative comment was that “there are so many rules!” read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107664 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:13:20 +0100 5107664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118748&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FjLM8hRYzQbY%2F Lynn Scheps is Vice President, Government Affairs at EHR vendor SRSsoft. In this role, Lynn has been a Voice of Physicians and SRSsoft users in Washington during the formulation of the meaningful use criteria. Lynn is currently working to assist SRSsoft users interested in showing meaningful use and receiving the EHR incentive money. Check out Lynn’s previous Meaningful Use Monday posts. At last week’s HIT Policy Committee meeting, Robert Tagalicod, (the new director of the Office of E-Health Standards & Services), presented an analysis of the attestation experience to-date [See John's previous Meaningful Use Details post for the slides and report]. The results lend themselves to some interesting observations—admittedly preliminary findings, but revealing nonetheless:  The ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118748 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:58:10 +0100 5118748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118749&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FJZhjPfrltFs%2F Great counsel and advice for those still looking at various EHR software (especially specialists) @EMRAnswers Linda Lia Customizable content “offered”, doesn’t mean your specialty is available. Big difference. Ask for a “live” demo. #EMR #HITsm #healthIT EMR implementation in 6 weeks. Hospital EMR people will balk at this. However, it’s possible in the ambulatory setting. I wouldn’t recommend it, but one time I had to do it. @PediatricInc Brandon Betancourt New Post – Going from paper charts to EMR in 6 weeks; a summary http://bit.ly/npmSEH #EMR Everyone hates redundant work. So, this tweet caught my eye: @TheNerdyNurse The Nerdy Nurse In Case You Missed it: : Teetering Between EMR and Paper Charting: Frustration and Duplication – What ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118749 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:21:27 +0100 5118749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107458&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fwhy-ehrs-are-mission-hostile.html From "Revisiting E&M Visit Guidelines — A Missing Piece of Payment Reform" (free PDF as of this writing), Robert A. Berenson, M.D., Peter Basch, M.D, and Amanda Sussex, M.P.H., N Engl J Med 364;20 nejm.org May 19, 2011. Excerpt: ... Numerous problems have resulted. [From the CPT codes, Current Procedural Terminology codes used by physicians in billing, covering evaluation and management (E&M) services - ed.] The detailed guidelines often cause clinicians to overdocument, making the medical record an ineffective source of communication. ... A fundamental concern is that the office-visit descriptors and interpretive guidelines emphasize often-irrelevant elements of patients’ clinical histories and examinations, rather than decisionmaking and care-management activities. This is... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107458 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 02:35:00 +0100 5107458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107647&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F08%2F05%2Fpreliminary-meaningful-use-details-out%2F Brian Ahier has a great post up that had the presentation and report (embedded below) that CMS provided to the HIT Policy Committee. It has a lot of great information worth talking about. I’m going to embed the presentation and report below and pull out some of the key points in a post later. Let me know what catches your eye. The CMS Meaningful Use Presentation The CMS Meaningful Use Report Related posts:Meaningful Use Mondays – More 90 Day Reporting Period Details As a follow-up to last week’s Meaningful Use Monday, the... Meaningful Use Measures: Electronic Copy of Health Information – Meaningful Use Monday Meaningful Use Core Measure: More than 50% of all patients... Helpful Meaningful Use Resources – Meaningful Use Monday I spend a lot of my day answering questio... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107647 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:38:20 +0100 5107647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107648&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Fneil%2F2011%2F08%2F04%2Frandom-thoughts-emr-projects-decentralized-problems-persist-despite-solutions%2F Once in a while, I run out of Big Ideas to share and resort to a rundown of short items. This is one of those times. Often, though, that approach turns out to be more interesting than a well-thought-out commentary. (Thus, the popularity of Twitter, right?) Speaking of Big Ideas, I’m thinking that the age of the massive EMR project may be coming to an end. You may have seen my piece in InformationWeek today about the reported end of the national EMR in England. London’s The Independent reported earlier this week that the Cameron government will announce next month that it will scrap the national strategy in favor of allowing local hospitals and trusts to make independent EMR purchasing and implementation decisions. This news comes on the heels of a decision by the government of ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107648 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 22:22:35 +0100 5107648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096205&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwill-patients-accept-the-patient-portal-as-the-next-big-thing%2F2011.08.04 There seems to be an inverse relationship between the amount of spin one hears about “the next big thing”…and reality.    First it was EMRs and virtual e-visits, then social media, and now patient portals seem poised to be next big thing.  The drumbeat of vendors and pundits is unmistakable….physicians that don’t adapt will be toast.   It can all sound pretty convincing until you ask to see the evidence.  What do patients think? Take the physician patient portal.   If you read between the lines, patient portals are frequently being positioned as the new “front door” to physician practices.   By signing on to a secure website patients will have real time access to the electronic health record and will be able to communicate with their physicians by e-mail.   Addit... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096205 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:00:59 +0100 5096205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096465&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhealth-information-exchange-current-projects-inspiring-future-pathways There’s been a lot of talk lately about the future of health information exchange (HIE)—what it will mean 10, 15 or even 20 years down the road. There is no question that providers recognize the importance of HIE, and realize in combination with electronic health records (EHRs) that it will transform the practice of medicine. The question is whether providers are fully aware of the many HIE projects on the ground right now that already are beginning to impact patient care. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096465 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:07:33 +0100 5096465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107649&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F08%2F03%2Feprescribing-controlled-substances%2F Back on September 13, 2009 I wrote a post titled, “FDA Approves Pilot Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances.” I’d link to the post, but unfortunately the news got sent to me prematurely and so I had to take the post down. It was unfortunate, since there was and still is a lot of interest in being able to ePrescribe controlled substances. In fact, I’d say that not being able to prescribe controlled substances electronically is the current Achilles heal of ePrescribing. Fast forward to the recent announcement that DrFirst’s announcement of the Nationwide Launch of their ePrescribing Controlled Substances product. Their latest ePrescribing product for controlled substances is called EPCS Gold and is fully certified to meet the prescription processing re... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107649 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:33:22 +0100 5107649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107650&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F08%2F02%2Fan-opposing-view-of-carecloud-ehr%2F Turns out David, who manages the Smart Phone Healthcare, EMR Videos, EMR Screenshots and EMR News websites, didn’t agree with some of the devil’s advocate positions I took in my Carecloud EHR post. He said that after reading Dr. Blackledge’s post, I missed a number of things. So, the following is his commentary on what I missed in my previous Carecloud post. Pretty much every company out there has some good and bad about it.  There are a few that are completely useless, and a few that think they are perfect, but for the most part every company has some worthwhile traits and some things they need to work on. Last week, John wrote about a new EHR, Carecloud that has been talked about for months, but finally was released last week.  He referenced a post that was written... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107650 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:48:52 +0100 5107650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107651&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Flynn%2F2011%2F08%2F01%2Fpublic-health-measures-meet-exclude-or-defer-%25e2%2580%2593-meaningful-use-monday%2F Lynn Scheps is Vice President, Government Affairs at EHR vendor SRSsoft. In this role, Lynn has been a Voice of Physicians and SRSsoft users in Washington during the formulation of the meaningful use criteria. Lynn is currently working to assist SRSsoft users interested in showing meaningful use and receiving the EHR incentive money. Check out Lynn’s previous Meaningful Use Monday posts. Last week’s Meaningful Use Monday identified the two meaningful use public health measures—electronic reporting of immunizations and electronic reporting of syndromic surveillance data—at least one of which EPs must include among their 5 menu measures. So, what do you do if you can’t meet one or both of the public health measures?  The requirement: EPs must accomplish at least one of these m... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107651 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:15:34 +0100 5107651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107652&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F31%2Fweekend-twitter-roundup%2F A quick look at some interesting EMR and healthcare IT related tweets I saw this weekend. This was timely after my recent posts about backup and disaster recovery. #bbpBox_96998476478558208 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0000ff; }#bbpBox_96998476478558208 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; } Don’t know how computer (EMR) dependent you are until the office power goes out for 2 hrs. Sheesh! (we’re back on now)…. July 29, 2011 10:40 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite @drmikesevilla Mike Sevilla, MD Interesting comparison for sure. #bbpBox_97644147334320128 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0084B4; }#bbpBox_97644147334320128 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; } Parallels w/paper vs EMR?? Fascinating MT @KentBottles: http://ow.ly/5Rrgi Paper calendar vs. electronic ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107652 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:10:59 +0100 5107652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086165&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=38805&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denisesilber.com%2Fehealth%2F2011%2F07%2Finfographic-doctors.html ++ Click to Enlarge Image ++Image Source: Spina Bifida Info.com (Source: Denise Silber's eHealth) Denise Silber's eHealth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086165 Sat, 30 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5086165 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107653&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F30%2Fhealth-tech-next-generation-conference-see-you-in-san-francisco%2F I haven’t been to a healthcare IT conference in a little while. Mostly, because I hadn’t seen one that I really wanted to attend. So, I’m excited that August 12th I’m going to the Health Tech: Next Generation Conference in San Franscisco, CA. I’m actually going to be there the whole weekend since there’s a WordPress conference happening that weekend as well. Plus, there are a number of people I’m planning to meet with while I’m there. If you’re in San Francisco that weekend, let me know so we can get together. I always love meeting readers of this site. I’m really excited for this healthcare IT conference. They have the amazing Guy Kawasaki as one of the keynote speakers. He’s a dynamic person and I can’t wait to see ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107653 Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:29:28 +0100 5107653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077868&cid=t_99892_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FbVs7OP1xH_I%2F In recent years, we have witnessed the beginnings of a revolution in education.  Technology has fundamentally altered the way we do many things in daily life, but it is just starting to make headway in changing the way we teach.  Just as television shows like Sesame Street enhanced the passive learning of information for kids by teaching in a fun format, electronic games offer to greatly enhance the way kids and adults are taught by actively engaging them in the process. The Entertainment Software Association estimates that sixty-seven percent of American households play video or computer games [1].  They are especially popular among young males, with a recent study of teenagers by researchers at Yale reporting that 76.3% of male (and 29.2% of female) teens play video games [2].  These... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077868 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:36:31 +0100 5077868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086318&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F-7lsbU-z0_s%2F I’ve just turned in a story for InformationWeek Healthcare about the new “Essentials of the U.S. Hospital IT Market, 6th Edition” report from HIMSS Analytics. That report details the progress hospitals and integrated delivery networks have made in IT over the past year and gives an update on how far along providers are according to the HIMSS Analytics EMR Adoption Model. That’s the seven-level scale (eight if you count Stage Zero) that measures adoption of various EMR components. At the top of the scale, 1 percent of nonfederal hospitals in the U.S. attained Stage 7 in 2010, meaning that the EMR served as the legal medical record for all departments, was capable of exporting patient records as Continuity of Care Documents and had data warehousing and mining in place... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086318 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:18:20 +0100 5086318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077816&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F27%2Femr-and-meaningful-use-books%2F I must admit that I’m not much of a book guy. Especially since there’s so much free information available on the internet about just about any subject you could want. However, I’ve been quite intrigued by the number of healthcare IT related books that I’ve seen coming out of late. Here’s a quick roundup of some of the ones I’ve seen. Getting to Meaningful Use and Beyond: A Guide for IT Staff in Health Care by Fred Trotter and David Uhlman – I’ve been a big fan of Fred Trotter for a while. So, I’m glad he’s working on this book. Turns out the book isn’t even published, but in Fred Trotter open source style fashion, the book is available for free online right now. Of course, they’re hoping you’ll provide feedback. ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077816 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:46:01 +0100 5077816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069474&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fimgs.xkcd.com%2Fcomics%2Fstandards.png Many people ask why the United States, unlike other countries, has no national system of electronic medical records. Here’s why: Insert the number 576 instead of 14, by the way. Each of which (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Dinosaur* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069474 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:00:36 +0100 5069474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077817&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F26%2Fnew-ehr-company-ready-to-launch-carecloud%2F Aaron Blackledge M.D., founder of Care Practice clinic in San Francisco, sent me a link to a post he did back in April about a new EMR company called Carecloud. The irony of this is that Carecloud had just reached out to me for information about advertising their EMR on my sites since they are getting ready to launch their product. Their impending launch was why Aaron decided to share his post with me. I think Dr. Blackledge’s post about Carecloud is summarized in his final paragraph: My recommendation is if you are about to give up and lay down some hard earned cash on an EMR that is just good enough I would urge you to wait a few more months and compare CareCloud’s first iteration with other emerging platforms now gaining a foothold in the marketplace. Since Carecloud is about to... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077817 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:11:03 +0100 5077817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069442&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fce8sbIDKoeA%2F By Julian SanchezBack in May, during the debates over reauthorization of the Patriot Act, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Udall (D-CO) began raising a fuss about a secret interpretation of the law’s so-called “business records” authority, known to wonks as Section 215, arguing that intelligence agencies had twisted the statute to give themselves domestic surveillance powers Congress had not anticipated or intended. At the time, I marshaled a fair amount of circumstantial evidence that, I thought, suggested that the “secret authority” involved location tracking of cell phones. Wyden backed off after being promised a secret hearing to address his concerns—but indicated he’d be returning to the issue if he remained unsatisfied. The hearing occurred early ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069442 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:36:26 +0100 5069442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069407&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fchilling-effects-to-blog-or-not-under.html On the travails of being a citizen journalist and medical watchdog:I must admit I almost gave up blogging recently.First, the death of my mother June 6, 2011 from an EHR-related medication continuity error has strained me severely. I took care of her at home since Sept. 2010 in a hospital bed rented for the living room, having promised her (and my father before he passed in 2000) that I would never put her in a nursing home. I kept my promise, but at great psychical cost. It was seriously distressing to watch her suffer and decline, cry, call out for her own long-deceased parents, and to have to administer hospice-supplied medications such as large doses of benzodiazepines, haldol (a major tranquilizer), and morphine in her final weeks to ensure she was as comfortable as possible.The effec... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069407 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:46:00 +0100 5069407 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062240&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhich-generation-of-physicians-uses-the-most-mobile-technology%2F2011.07.25 Smartphones and tablets have reached 80% of physicians across all practice types, locations and years in practice, and 25% of users are “Super Mobile” physicians who use both types of mobile devices. This is far beyond the general population’s 50% adoption of smartphones and 5% adoption of tablets. QuantiaMd, a free, online learning collaborative, released survey results that showed 44% of physicians who do not yet have a mobile device intend to buy one this year. While younger physicians have higher adoption rates than older ones, current use of mobile devices by physicians longest in practice is above 60%, the survey showed. Among physicians with 30 years or more of practice, almost 20% already use a tablet device for work, and another 25% say they are extremely likely ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062240 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5062240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069569&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fb5hGRxrAh3o%2F Lynn Scheps is Vice President, Government Affairs at EHR vendor SRSsoft. In this role, Lynn has been a Voice of Physicians and SRSsoft users in Washington during the formulation of the meaningful use criteria. Lynn is currently working to assist SRSsoft users interested in showing meaningful use and receiving the EHR incentive money. Check out Lynn’s previous Meaningful Use Monday posts. When selecting the 5 meaningful use menu measures on which to report—from the list of 10 possibilities—the only constraint is that the EP must include at least one of the two measures from the “public health” category: Perform a test of the EHR’s capacity to submit electronic data to immunization registries Perform a test of the EHR’s capacity to report electronic syndromic surveillance ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069569 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:46:09 +0100 5069569 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057721&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fone-physician-learns-to-efficiently-manage-her-electronic-medical-records%2F2011.07.23 My practice has been using the EPIC electronic medical record for 5 years now, and it’s taken about that long for me to figure out how to tweak the system to make myself more efficient, and for the system to evolve to a place where I could tweak it myself. Case in point – Quick Actions. EPIC’s most recent upgrade includes little self-made macros called “quick actions” that turn repetitive tasks into a mouse click. I’m using quick actions to manage my results in basket in much the same way you may be using Rules in Outlook to manage your email. Some of my macros are actually little work-arounds for a system that is not yet entirely integrated and a patient population that has not yet embraced online results communication. About half of my patients sign up for online results – ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057721 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 19:00:03 +0100 5057721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062324&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F22%2Ftop-5-ehr-contract-pitfalls-identified-guest-post%2F The decisions don’t end after deciding on an EHR system for your medical practice. An EHR contract is an important and legally binding document, and it’s absolutely essential to consider every line of fine print before accepting the terms. O’Toole Law Group founder William O’Toole strongly believes that contract terms should be one of the top criteria in the EHR selection process. Consulting with a lawyer before you sign is the best way to avoid difficult and expensive problems in the future. The following five issues arise frequently in EMR/EHR contracts, which are being rushed to execution by many practices that are aiming to qualify for federal funding under ARRA/HITECH. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it aims to shed light on a few of the most frequent contract issu... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062324 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:21:58 +0100 5062324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050817&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fmeaningful-use-clinical-summaries One of the most mis-understood Meaningful Use core measures for EPs is the objective to: “Provide clinical summaries for patients for each office visit" The required measure threshold for this objective is that: “Clinical summaries provided to patients for more than 50 percent of all office visits within 3 business days."  EPs have the option to exclude this core measure if they “have no office visits during the EHR reporting period”. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050817 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:02:47 +0100 5050817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050820&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fsurvey-finds-patients-wary-ehr-security Amid the move by physicians and hospitals to adopt EHRs, patients remain concerned about the security of their personal health information. That's the high-level finding of an online survey conducted in early May among more than 2,700 U.S. adults by Harris Interactive on behalf of Xerox Corporation. Xerox, a $22 billion business process and document management firm, released a summary of the survey findings on July 20. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050820 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:05:14 +0100 5050820 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062326&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F20%2Fwhat-if-they-get-hit-by-a-bus%2F A little while back I asked my wife what she would do with all my blogs if I was hit by the proverbial “bus.” Her answer made me laugh. She said, she’d log into my blogs and post that I had passed away and that if readers of the site would like to support my wife and kids they could do so using the PayPal button below. I guess it’s a good thing I taught my wife how to blog. I hope she never has to post that PayPal button. However, I’ve always loved the question of “what are you going to do if they get hit by a bus?” The “they” can be replaced by all sorts of things. Each organization will have a different set of “they’s”. Remember that the buses can come in all sorts of ways: re-location, new job, injury, illness, chan... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062326 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:32:37 +0100 5062326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051262&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Forchard-integrated-diagnostics.html Integrated diagnostics can be achieved by breaking down the sub-specialty silos in the diagnostic specialties like pathology, laboratory medicine, and radiology. The current standard of practice is to present the procedure and test-ordering clinicians with individualized reports from the various specialty labs (e.g., surgical pathology, immunology, microbiology) and radiology units like MRI and CT. This approach results from the super-specialization and subdivision of the diagnostics specialties. Under the integrated diagnostics mantra, the goal of integrating the diverse diagnostic reports is moved upstream and becomes the responsibility of the diagnosticians themselves rather than the clinicians. In my mind, the first major movement toward integrated diagnostics on the manufacturing side... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051262 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:38:01 +0100 5051262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062327&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F19%2Fipo-window-open-for-ehr-vendors%2F I’m pretty sure that many readers of this site haven’t found my new EMR related website called EMR and EHR Thoughts and so you might have missed the post I did about Greenway Medical filing to go public. This is obviously big news for Greenway, but I also think it’s a sign of things to come. I believe that Greenway is likely the first of many EHR companies that we’ll see go public over the next year or so. I’m sure that many of you haven’t followed the trends of tech company IPO’s and I’m far from an expert on this. However, the IPO window which was generally closed for tech companies now seems to be open after a number of successful public offerings from tech companies. I’m not sure why it took me so long to realize this, but I believe... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062327 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:31:27 +0100 5062327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062328&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Flynn%2F2011%2F07%2F18%2Fmeaningful-use-measures-timely-electronic-access-to-health-information-%25e2%2580%2593-meaningful-use-monday%2F Meaningful Use Menu Measure: At least 10% of all unique patients seen by the eligible professional (EP) are provided timely (available to the patient within 4 business days) electronic access to their health information. This is a third meaningful use measure related to providing patients with access to their health information. Meaningful Use Mondays has already addressed the two core measures—clinical summary and electronic copy of health information—“timely access” is a menu measure.  The requirements are as follows: The measure includes a provision for EPs to claim an exclusion, but I don’t believe that many will qualify for this exclusion. They would have to attest that they “neither order nor create lab tests or information that would be contained in the problem list, m... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062328 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:31:41 +0100 5062328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051263&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fa-different-paradigm-for-analyzing-the-competition-between-cerner-and-epic.html In a recent note, I discussed the competition between the Cerner and Epic EMRs and quoted another blog, Chilmark Research, to the effect that Cerner was moving in new strategic direction, emphasizing a network of services to provide communities of care (see: Cerner Fights Back in the EMR Market: A Community Network of Services + PHR). Such an approach is sometimes referred to as the development of a care coordination platform. I concluded that Epic's approach closely coincided with the business model currently favored by hospital executives and would probably continue to succeed in the market. Vince Kuraitis responded to my note with a comment that included a link to a lecture he had recently delivered titled Platform Wars (see: Platform Wars). The presentation can also be accessed at ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051263 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:43:40 +0100 5051263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036229&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-real-world-of-medicine-today%2F2011.07.17 The old joke in medicine goes, ‘don’t get sick on July 1st.’ That’s because it’s the day when new resident physicians, freshly graduated from medical schools across the land, begin their training programs. Although they have spent four years in undergraduate school and four years in medical school, it’s residency where physicians are made from the raw material of knowledge-rich, experience poor high achievers. However, even in residency physicians are seldom told the entire story of how the practice of medicine, and their lives, will look and feel as their careers evolve and they enter the medical work-force. Since our profession changes from year to year and administration to administration, it seems a good time to mention some of the things upcoming young physicians will face... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036229 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:00:50 +0100 5036229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062330&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F15%2Fehr-readiness-questions%2F In my interest of highlighting more EHR bloggers, I found this post by Ron Sterling on EHR Outlook quite interesting. In his post, Ron highlights a number of questions a clinic should ask itself to know if it’s ready for an EHR implementation. Here are the questions he lists: * Does your EHR effort have physician support? * Are you prepared to address ongoing problems? * Is your budget practical? * Does your EHR support your current workflow and operations? * Will your existing computer Infrastructure support an EHR? * Have you gotten your paper records ready? Check out the original post for Ron’s thoughts on each question and why that question is important. I think it’s a pretty good list to consider. I especially like the second question that addresses whether you&#8217... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062330 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:14:37 +0100 5062330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029239&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Ffemr-based-order-sets-as-a-locus-of-control-of-hospital-based-physicians.html In a recent note, I discussed the evidence-based physician order sets that were being deployed at the University of Kansas Hospital (see: Evidence-Based Order Sets Deployed at the University of Kansas Hospital). At the end of the piece, I commented on the very large number of them and speculated that many of them would probably never be used as a practical matter. Here is the specific quote: Here's what I don't understand about the deployment of standardized order sets. Why develop 240 when most physicians will use only a small number of them? In the current case, I am sure that Zynx Health wants to prove the worth of its product to the University of Kansas Hospital and it provides bragging rights to have 240 of them. Even differentiating them by type of patient, my guess is that p... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029239 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:06:50 +0100 5029239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062331&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Fneil%2F2011%2F07%2F14%2Fmostashari-plays-good-cop-unintentionally-making-cms-look-inflexible%2F Probably unintentionally, it seems like various HHS branches are playing good cop-bad cop right now. I’m in Ojai, Calif., right now (please don’t hate me because of it) for the annual Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems (AMDIS) Physician-Computer Connection meeting, a gathering of chief medical information officers and others in the field of what AMDIS likes to call applied medical informatics. That contrasts with the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), which tends to draw more from the academic side. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) apparently is the good cop. National health IT coordinator Dr. Farzad Mostashari was unable to make it out here from Washington, but he addressed the gathering by teleph... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062331 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:53:25 +0100 5062331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028214&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcould-our-health-system-function-without-power-in-the-digital-age%2F2011.07.14 * Bzzzzzaaaaapp * Suddenly, the light went out. There was complete and utter darkness. Then, about 3 seconds later, the lights returned. My computer with its flat screen poised before me, remained dark. I hesitated a moment, then pushed the power button. Within a few more moments, the computer restarted. All seemed intact. But what if it wasn’t? Today with our myriad of computer systems, electronic medical records, e-mail messages, paging systems, digital xray machines, blood chemistry analyzers, automated blood pressure cuffs, etc., etc., etc., what would happen if we had no power or functional electronic medical record, just for a week? Could our health system function? We have entered the era when our medical students and residents have never entered a written order and “fl... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028214 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5028214 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029240&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fcerner-fights-back-in-the-emr-market-network-of-services-for-a-community-of-care.html In my opinion, Cerner is facing a formidable competitor, Epic, in the high-end, larger hospital EMR space (see: Why Does Epic Keep Hammering Cerner? Mr. HIStalk's Opinion; Is Cerner Modifying Its EMR Business Model?). John Moore who blogs over at Chilmark Research recently posted a long piece suggesting that Cerner is crafting a new strategy in order to compete more effectively with Epic. He suggests, first, that It emphasizes support for "communities of care" (i.e, city, region, state, employer). Cerner also intends to provide a "PHR with an ecosystem of third party apps." This will serve as a replacement for the now departed Google Health product (see: Google Health Calls It Quits; Lessons Learned about PHRs or Not). Here is a link to John's note (see: Steppin... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029240 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:02:53 +0100 5029240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028564&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fstarting-new-religion I spent some time recently on a call regarding yet another government agency's interest in interoperability in Healthcare IT. It seems, with the advent of meaningful use, interconnected healthcare IT applications and devices, that Interoperability has become the new religion. As with any new "fad", a lot of previously uninvolved organizations are trying to see how they can capitalize upon it and the existing stakeholders are looking at how they should do so also. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028564 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:10:53 +0100 5028564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062332&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F07%2F13%2Findependent-thinking-of-doctors-limits-ehr-vendor-consolidation%2F I’m not sure all the details of why this is the case (but I’m sure some will tell me why in the comments), but doctors are some of the most independent thinkers that I know. I’m not saying whether this is a good or a bad thing. It’s just an observation based on thousands of interactions with doctors from all specialties. This independence is shown in a plethora of areas from charting to treating to diagnosing to the business of medicine. Turns out, this independence is part of why I’ve heard doctors say hundreds of times that they basically want their own EHR and not a mainstream one. Doctors want an EHR that fits their unique practice style. Thus they have an expectation that whatever EHR they choose should understand that each doctor is different and natural... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062332 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:08:26 +0100 5062332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028567&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fpersonal-health-information-and-rupert-murdoch-effect Personal health information and the lack of security surrounding it has caused quite a bit of buzz lately. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028567 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:26:32 +0100 5028567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028542&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FU5Yy6DMMSVE%2F I recently was asked by Deanna from Mighty Oak to check out a demo of their Chart Talk EHR software (previously called DC talk). It’s always a challenge for me since there are only so many hours in a day to be demoing the more than 300 EHR companies out there. So, instead of doing a full demo, I asked Deanna to highlight a feature of Chart Talk that set them apart from other EHR software companies. She told me that Chart Talk’s killer feature was its integration with Dragon Naturally Speaking’s voice recognition software. I was very familiar with DNS and other voice recognition software, so I was interested to see if they really could create a deep integration of Dragon Medical over the other EHR software I’d seen that integrated it as well. I have to admit that I w... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028542 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:08:17 +0100 5028542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028543&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FHhgUwFu7e1U%2F Meaningful Use Core Measure: More than 50% of all patients who request an electronic copy of their health information are provided it within 3 business days. Exclusion: Any EP who receives no requests for this information in electronic format.  This measure is distinguished from  the clinical summary measure, (discussed in the previous Meaningful Use Monday post), in two major ways: 1)      “Electronic copy of health information” covers all health information that the provider has regarding the patient, whereas the “clinical summary” is a snapshot of a particular visit. 2)      This measure is driven by requests made by patients or their agents—electronic access must be provided in response to at least 50% of the specific requests received by a provider. By contrast, ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028543 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:18:26 +0100 5028543 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028545&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fx2jHPP4ONKE%2F I can’t remember exactly where I saw someone talk about the “WIIFM” (What’s in it for Me) principle, but it really is an important principle that when understood can have an amazing impact for good. This post isn’t about whether you should live a life asking WIIFM. I’ll leave that question to people much smarter than me. Instead, I want to look at how applying the WIIFM principle to others can help those working on a successful EHR implementation. In most cases I’m talking about, the WIIFM should be changed to “What’s in it for Them?” Understanding the answer to this question can help you as an EMR consultant, an EMR vendor or even a practice manager or doctor that’s trying to work through an EMR implementation. One of the f... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028545 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:48:02 +0100 5028545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008378&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fdo-ehrs-leave-out-your-personal-story-social-media-response The idea of a nationwide electronic health record system is brilliant. Patients could use their own personal health record to request prescription refills, schedule future appointments and evaluate their own test results. The record could live on thumb drives, mobile devices, personal computers, or in the cloud. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008378 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:42:45 +0100 5008378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008681&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fthe-epic-emr-as-a-platform-extending-its-functionality-with-other-products.html For a number of reasons, Epic has achieved a near monopoly of the EMRs installed in the largest U.S. hospitals (see: ShandsHealth Goes Live with Epic; Company Penetration of the Hospital Market; Why Does Epic Keep Hammering Cerner? Mr. HIStalk's Opinion). In my opinion, this trend poses a significant challenge for healthcare in general. Here's a quote from the first of these two notes describing the nature of this challenge: Epic...has a reputation of closely controlling the installation and development of its EMR software products. This is the basis for its record of successful system installations and part of the appeal of the product to hospital CEOs and CIOs. Furthermore, the evolution of clinical hospital systems (e.g., EMRs, LISs, RISs, etc.) is a critical element in the over... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008681 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:31:58 +0100 5008681 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008380&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fcoding-rest-us-why-everyone-your-practice-needs-basic-knowledge-coding There is no one, and I do mean no one, in your medical practice who does not need to know the basics of coding. Here is why: read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008380 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:15:51 +0100 5008380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008364&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FxQq6eLbUOGU%2F When I learned that HITECH included funds setting up the regional extension center system to support small medical practices in implementing EHRs, I thought, well, that sounds OK. I wasn’t thrilled, mind you, as I wasn’t optimistic that a government-sponsored organization would produce the quick EHR adoption process HITECH demands, but it wasn’t a bad thing. Since then, I’ve gone from mildly interested to downright irritated.  While I wasn’t expecting the RECs to blaze a path to glory, I thought it would be nice if they produced great educational materials and sessions, made themselves highly accessible to physicians and offered clear guidance on vendor selection. As far as I can tell, we’re largely zero for three. Yes, as a recent a recent study notes,... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008364 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 02:59:47 +0100 5008364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008365&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FbrEuvSpFHdM%2F I think it’s quite easy to predict that 3-5 years from now, one of the top topics on this blog and in the EHR world as a whole is going to be around EHR data extraction or if you prefer EMR data conversion. I’ve previously predicted that by the end of the EHR stimulus money we’re be lucky to achieve 50% EHR adoption. So, you’d think that in 3-5 years we’d still be talking about EHR selection and implementation. Certainly, that will still be a topic of discussion. Not to mention, which EHR vendor they should go to for their second EHR. However, I am certain that 3-5 years from now we’re going to see a mass of doctors switching EHR vendors. As part of my EHR blog week challenge (if you’re a blogger, you should participate too), today I’m going ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008365 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:31:57 +0100 5008365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008684&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fa-very-bad-idea-health-insurer-to-purchase-troubled-health-system.html We are rapidly transitioning to an era of Big Medicine characterized by most significant decisions being made in concert by Big Payers (insurance companies and the federal government), Big Insurance Companies, and Big Pharma (see: Physician Private Practice Declines; the Last Barrier to Emergence of "Big Medicine"). This trend is accelerating due to the fact that more than half of young doctors are taking salaried positions with health systems (see: Hospitals Use Their Medical Schools, Residencies for Later Physician Recruitment). Small private physician practices will no longer be part of this mix. Now comes the news that, at least in the Pittsburgh area, there are plans for an insurance company to purchase a large health system (see: Health care in the balance: Highmark to buy ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008684 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:42:33 +0100 5008684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997645&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FcStNIo4rV5g%2F I hope that everyone is enjoying this wonderful Fourth of July. I know I’ve had a great day so far and we’re gearing up to head to KFC and enjoy some fireworks with friends. Should be a great evening if the kids don’t get too cranky along the way. It has been a great day for me to remember how lucky I am to live in this wonderful country. There are plenty of things that are messed up in this country, but over all the freedoms we enjoy and benefits of living in America far outweigh the down sides. As I typed in the title of this post, I wondered what other things do I wish had their freedom when it came to the EMR world. First thing that came to mind was data independence. How beautiful would it be if our healthcare data was independent. I’m sure the ePatients out t... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997645 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:04:08 +0100 4997645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997646&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FAN87yAQ7xgw%2F I remember when I first started blogging about EMR and health care IT about 5.5 years ago, I searched out whatever EMR and healthcare IT blogs I could find. The first three blogs that I can remember finding (and loving) were Neil Versel’s blog, Shahid’s Healthcare IT blog and Will Weider’s Candid CIO blog. I loved reading Neil Versel’s blog because he was actually a professional journalist in the healthcare IT arena. I learned a lot by watching what he did. In fact, I think some of my writing style came from reading his blog. Along with his blog, Shahid provided HITsphere where I could see the posts from other bloggers. Plus, in the early days the traffic from HITsphere to my blog was really great. It’s hard to have a blog that no one reads. I loved the Candid... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997646 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:13:23 +0100 4997646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984533&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fdeath-google-health-twitter-reactions By now, the news coverage of the loss of Google Health has probably hit an all-time high. The opt-in service will be deactivated by January 2012, and Google officials say any data that remains in the database after that point will be permanently deleted. Introduced in 2008, the endorsed reasoning behind the demise of the PHR tool is that it was unsuccessful in drawing in users beyond those who are exceptionally tech-savvy, therefore leaving out a majority population. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984533 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:32:23 +0100 4984533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997648&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fq_tng8IQnxo%2F HITECH Answers has just released the 3rd edition of Jim Tate’s The Incentive Roadmap® The Meaningful Use of Certified Technology: Stage 1 A Manual for Medical Practices. Version 3.0 of the manual that has been helping practices, consultants and vendors across the country understand the step-by-step process of achieving meaningful use is now available. Written by Jim Tate, a nationally recognized expert on the CMS EHR Incentive Program, certified technology and Meaningful Use objectives,The Incentive Roadmap® looks at what steps are needed to get ready for meaningful use and is downloaded immediately upon purchase. I consider Jim Tate one of the foremost experts on meaningful use and certified EHR. So, I was excited when he decided to publish a resource on the details of the EHR in... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997648 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:59:38 +0100 4997648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984705&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fwupmc-patient-portal.html In a recent post, I speculated about some of the reasons why I thought that Google Health was exiting the personal health record (PHR) business (see: Google Health Calls It Quits; Lessons Learned about PHRs or Not). Shortly after posting this note, an article came across my desk discussing the success of UPMC's patient portal and the fact that it was now going mobile (see: UPMC's patient portal goes mobile). Below is an excerpt from the article: A health portal used by patients and doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is now accessible on iPhones and iPads, thanks to the new mobile HealthTrak application. With its innovative approach to managing patient health - through technology like eVisits and tethered records - easy access to the portal is becoming mor... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984705 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:11:10 +0100 4984705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975983&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FGtKVYCOyv1U%2F I know I’ve written about ERP and EMR before, but the more I think about the EMR selection and implementation process, the more I see the same issues that are experienced with an ERP implementation. The one issue that is a bit different about EMR versus ERP is that there are only a small handful of ERP vendors to choose from. However, we have 300-600 to choose from in the EMR world. That’s an important and challenging difference. However, the similarities to ERP are many. One of the most striking is how the EMR like the ERP is something that’s going to be used and have an effect on the entire organization. As such, the need to manage the participation of multiple stakeholders is so key. The key to a successful ERP implementation is to have a great project leader.  Some... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975983 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:00:50 +0100 4975983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975993&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fgoogle-health-too-early-market Few are surprised by this NY Times headline – Google to End Health Records Service After It Fails to Attract Users. Rumors and expectations of this announcement have been in the market for several months now. Reality has struck. Google Health evaporates. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975993 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:29:15 +0100 4975993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976215&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fevidence-based-order-sets.html I am generally unenthusiastic about the term "evidence-based-medicine" (EBM) because it's often used synonymously with high-quality care. For the most part, however, I do see value for what are called "evidence-based order sets." The University of Kansas Hospital has recently gone live with 240 such order sets developed by Zynx Health’s clinical decision support unit. Here is an excerpt from the press release (see: The University of Kansas Hospital Goes Live with ZynxOrder and ZynxCare Integrated into EHR): ...The University of Kansas Hospital has gone live with 240 evidence-based order sets deployed via computerized provider order entry (CPOE)....The implementation of evidence-based order sets and plans of care within an EHR will enable The University of Kansas H... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976215 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:12:07 +0100 4976215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976117&cid=t_99892_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2011%2F06%2F27%2Fgoogle-health-its-over%2F I guess you’ve heard the news: Google is giving up on its vision of helping people live healthier lives with online personal health records. When Google Health was introduced in 2008, Marissa Mayer, a Google executive, said it would be a “large ongoing initiative” that the company hoped would attract millions of regular users. But Google Health never really caught on. Well, I know it’s easy to say now, but I wasn’t that surprised. After the first steps, and after years of hard work, Google Health failed to make a real impact on healthcare. When I read the news, an old blog entry of mine came to my mind: Expecting Google Health to change healthcare is something like expecting Wikipedia to substitute all encyclopaedias in the world… Some great pieces on this issue: ... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976117 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:09:38 +0100 4976117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975984&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FjneuVa-B1fM%2F Meaningful Use Core Measure: Provide clinical summaries to patients for more than 50% of all office visits within 3 business days. Exclusion: Any EP who has no office visits during the reporting period. The clinical summary provides clinical information associated with a specific recent visit. (It does not encompass the entire patient chart.) This measure may appear daunting upon first reading of the requirements, but the guidance below should make it achievable.  The clinical summary can be delivered by one of two means: electronic media, (e.g., patient portal, secure e-mail, CD or USB fob), or a printed copy. According to advice received from CMS, the easiest way for a physician to meet this measure is to employ a patient portal as the default option. Following each office visit, the EP... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975984 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:21:40 +0100 4975984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976216&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fon-the-demise-of-google-health.html I am an unabashed fan of Google. However, if the company suffers from anything, it's a corporate sense of hubris. The founders think that almost any problem can be solved by their engineering mentality and their "search" business model. It turns out that launching a personal health record product was not that easy a nut to crack so the company is now withdrawing from the business (see: Google Shuts Down Medical Records And Health Data Platform). Here's Mr. HIStalk's take on the demise of Google Health (see: Monday Morning Update 6/27/11): Google predictably did what its know-it-all technology company predecessors have done over the years: dipped an arrogant and half-assed toe into the health IT waters; roused a loud rabble of shrieking fanboy bloggers and reporters...... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976216 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:33:50 +0100 4976216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968447&cid=t_99892_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FI9wJcJOzAYg%2F Google said it would wind down its Google Health personal health record after about three years of operation. It “didn’t catch on the way we’d hoped,” the company said. Nor did the non-health related Google Power Meter, which will also be unplugged. The company said it will retire Google Health on Jan. 1, 2012. Its (apparently too few) users will have another year after that to download their data. When Google Health launched in May of 2008, we wrote that personal health records might be a tough sell for many consumers until more medical practices got their own electronic medical record systems up and running. Whatever the reason, the company says Google Health has had a limited impact: There has been adoption among certain groups of users like tech-savvy patients a... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968447 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 20:34:47 +0100 4968447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968646&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-much-would-you-pay-your-medical-record I recently had to request my medical records from former physicians and have them sent to a new specialist I’m seeing. It is incredibly important for me that my new physician has a comprehensive perspective of my health. I truly believe that if he doesn’t have a complete picture, his decisions may not consider the context of my condition, and my lifestyle and personal will as a part of the solution. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968646 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:31:27 +0100 4968646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960144&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FFICtFi3luZE%2F For those of you that are relatively new to EMR and HIPAA, you might not appreciate this post as much as long time readers of EMR and HIPAA. A few years back, I admit that I was pretty harsh on CCHIT and their EHR certification. I remember one guy stopping me at a conference and after realizing who I was asked, “so what’s your issue with CCHIT?” I was happy to answer that I thought they misled the industry (doctors in particular) by saying that the CCHIT certification provided an assurance that the EHR was a good EHR. They never came outright and said this, but that’s what EMR sales people would communicate during the sales process. In fact, EHR certification was incorrectly seen by many doctors and practice managers as the stamp of approval on an EHR being of highe... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960144 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:33:18 +0100 4960144 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968647&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat%25E2%2580%2599s-driving-your-ehr-adoption The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced it has paid out more than $75 million for the meaningful use of electronic health records under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  Is this really spurring adoption? read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968647 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:04:07 +0100 4968647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960179&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat%25E2%2580%2599s-driving-your-ehr-adoption The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced it has paid out more than $75 million for the meaningful use of electronic health records under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  Is this really spurring adoption? read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960179 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:04:07 +0100 4960179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960336&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fpfizer-integrating-telemedicine-into-clinical-trials.html I have a special interest in clinical trials dating back to my five-year stint on the IRB (Institutional Review Board) at my hospital. I therefore read with some interest the news that Pfizer was integrating telemedicine (i.e., remote subject participation) into one of its clinical trials (see: Pfizer Integrating Telemedicine into Clinical Trials). Here is an excerpt from the article Pfizer is starting enrollment of its first ever investigational drug trial with remote patient participation. The trial, aptly named Research on Electronic Monitoring of OAB Treatment Experience (REMOTE), is a study to assess the safety and efficacy of Detrol LA (tolterodine tartrate), a treatment for overactive bladder. The main goal is to determine whether the results of the pilot REMOTE “virtual trial” ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960336 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:59:22 +0100 4960336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960180&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fwho-owns-patient-data If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it. Its peculiar character, too, is that no one possesses the less, because every other possesses the whole of it. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960180 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:34:57 +0100 4960180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953042&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F4fJ7W88-ohk%2F I’ve had some interesting reactions to my post about the various characteristics of a Jabba the Hutt EHR Vendor. One of the more interesting conversations happened by email with a reader named Richard. Yes, I have lots of interesting back channel discussions. After a lengthy email exchange, I asked Richard if I could post our discussion on the blog so you could participate as well. He agreed and even commented, “I look forward to an expansion of our discussion.” So, here you go (or at least scroll to the bottom for a short summary of my feelings). The conversation started with this email that Richard sent me: I understand your reluctance to name names in your article, BUT… this is exactly what is needed. I’ve taken a few days to ruminate over what I was going... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953042 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:49:40 +0100 4953042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953060&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fready-meaningful-use-attestation When the clock struck midnight on April 18, 2011, Jennifer Brull, MD, was ready. She had already registered for the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program. She had her certified EHR system firmly in place, and working with the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, the Regional Extension Center for Kansas, she had confirmation that her practice met meaningful use criteria. Dr. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953060 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:27:59 +0100 4953060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953043&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FFmpmcaEqcC4%2F Smoking is a major and costly health problem. Because it is such a high priority for CMS, smoking is addressed in the Stage 1 meaningful use requirements by three distinct measures, which has caused a fair amount of confusion. I will try to clarify. The first is a core meaningful use measure. Therefore, every eligible professional (EP) must satisfy this requirement, unless they can attest to meeting the exclusion. Core Meaningful Use Measure: Record Smoking Status More than 50% of all unique patients 13 years old or older seen by the EP have smoking status recorded as structured data. Exclusion: Any EP who sees no patients 13 years or older. Description: Smoking status must be recorded as one of the following 6 categories: current every day smoker; current some day smoker; former smoker;... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953043 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:34:33 +0100 4953043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953380&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fshands-installs-epic-interesting-facts-about-epic-coverage-in-the-us.html ShandsHealth is a large health system located in Gainsville and Jacksonville, Florida. Like many of the high-end and academic health systems with 500 beds or more, it is converting to the Epic EMR (see: Shands' new records system should simplify things). Here is a brief listing of the new features of this EMR as listed in the press release: Shands patients will no longer have to fill out their medical history and prescription information every time they visit a Shands hospital, faculty clinic or emergency room.... All Shands patient records are instantly available to all Shands health-care providers. Patients will no longer have to fill out their medical history and prescription information every time they visit a Shands hospital, faculty clinic or emergency room. Prescriptions are se... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953380 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:32:33 +0100 4953380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953061&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fdoes-father-know-best-when-it-comes-pediatric-phrs My musings in a recent blog about my pie-in-the sky dream of an effective pediatric personal health record (PHR) for parents were turned on their head recently when I came across news about a California-based company creating just such a product. (I should know by now that I’ll always be at least three steps behind the development gurus of healthcare IT.) read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953061 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:16:54 +0100 4953061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953044&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FfDeOPTZnEYY%2F #bbpBox_82695997494530048 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0000ff; }#bbpBox_82695997494530048 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; } Looks like Estonia is the new model for system wide EHR http://bit.ly/liYLwe June 19, 2011 11:27 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite @boltyboy Matthew Holt I’m always fascinated by other countries EHR implementations. So many other countries are interesting to consider since they’re missing so many of the barriers that make EHR adoption and even more specifically health information exchange between EHR software so difficult. Nice to learn more about the success that Estonia has had adopting EHR software. I’d like to learn a lot more about what’s being done with international EHR implementations. #bbpBox_82462900882644992 a { t... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953044 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 07:02:57 +0100 4953044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953045&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FKaZsqQHRAoU%2F This is the second in a series of EMR and EHR interviews that will be done on EMR and HIPAA and EMR and EHR. The full EMR interview with Dr. Muir can be found on the new EHR and EMR interviews website. The following is a summary of that interview written by Kathy Bongiovi. If you’re a doctor, nurse, practice manager, EHR consultant, CEO or executive of an EHR vendor, etc with EMR experience that’s interested in being interviewed, let us know on our Contact Us page. Dr. Peter Muir of Springfield Center for Family Medicine was interviewed recently concerning his acquisition of the maximum Medicare Incentive for showing Meaningful Use of a Certified EHR. The Ohio based primary care practice has been using NextGen Ambulatory since 2003 and NextGen Management since 2006. Dr. Muir st... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953045 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:43:07 +0100 4953045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953277&cid=t_99892_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FaypTeX0VRCI%2F . Just the text, ma’am. Filed under: electronic life, writing Tagged: iA Writer (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953277 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:51:52 +0100 4953277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945219&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Foffice-emrs-as-a-risky-investment-for-physicians.html Although some may view physician office EMRs and hospital EMRs as first cousins, I view them in a much different light. In previous notes, I discussed how community-based physicians and the professional societies that represent them are complaining to governmental bodies about the inadequacies and cost of office EMRs, particularly those for small practices (see: Cost of Deployment of EMRs in Physician Offices;  Barriers to the Deployment of Physician Office EMRs; "Usability Failures" of EMRs Frustate Physician Users). Here's a quote from my most recent post regarding physician office EMRs: It's no surprise to me that the "usability of [physician office] EMRs doesn't appear to be the focus of the federal government when establishing meaningful use standards ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945219 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:08:48 +0100 4945219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953047&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FI5q0SctUFvw%2F Boy, back in the good old days, protecting patient data was comparatively easy. All you had to do was make sure that nobody got their hands on a patient’s paper chart who shouldn’t be looking at it. After all, simple stuff like locking file rooms and making sure charts never get left in a public place are pretty easy to understand. Sure, paper records get stolen or rifled through now and then — no system is perfect — but putting processes in place to prevent unauthorized chart access isn’t that complicated. On the other hand, introducing electronic medical records  – plus e-prescribing, digital sharing of lab results and more — is a completely different kettle of fish. For one thing, providers must control access to medical information stored in t... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953047 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 03:11:05 +0100 4953047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945221&cid=t_99892_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Falgorithms-as-the-next-generation-of-innovative-laboratory-and-clinical-tests.html I was somewhat surprised by a recent article suggesting that algorithms themselves will constitute a new type of medical test. The short article cited the work of Predictive Medical Technologies as a basis for this claim. The company software generates health predictions based on previous clinical data for ICU patients (see: Algorithms are the new medical tests; How data and algorithms help doctors make use of real-time data). Below is an excerpt from the article: Predictive Medical Technologies claims that it can use real-time, intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring data to predict clinical events like cardiac arrest up to 24 hours ahead of time. Effectively, the startup's algorithms are new types of medical tests that an ICU doctor can take into consideration when deciding on a course ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945221 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:05:24 +0100 4945221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953048&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FWutkdfC2Wvs%2F As much as I’d like to visit DC (I’ve never been), I wasn’t able to make it out there to attend the NIST workshop on EHR usability. However, Carl Bergman from EHR Selector did make it to the event and sent the following notes on EHR usability according to NIST.  Most of the speakers name link to their slides in PDF format. National Institute of Standard and Technology’s Workshop on EHR Usability This week I went to a NIST workshop examining the state of EHR usability. The workshop was at its administrative headquarters, a large 60s building on its sprawling Gaithersburg, MD campus about 20 miles outside Washington. You might wonder what NIST is doing in the EHR business? I certainly did. NIST’s mission is to promote commerce and technical innovation including method... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953048 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:34:11 +0100 4953048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934457&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fcouch-potato-quantified-self-journey-must-be-defined-and-encouraged I’ve been interested in the growing population of folks who self-track objective data for health purposes.  The phenomenon is referred to either as personal informatics or the Quantified Self.  Both concepts have a following and both are intimately tied into the value of connected health.  Connected Health adds value in two fundamental ways:  self–care and just-in-time care.  In both cases, objective, quantified data is a criti read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934457 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:38:22 +0100 4934457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945244&cid=t_99892_158_f&fid=38949&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAgingWithGraceCareconnection%2F%7E3%2FEHiqbCFucrg%2Felectronic-health-records-were-key-for.html In the days following last month's devastating tornado in Joplin, Mo., one of the reports widely shared locally was news of X-rays having been blown all the way to Springfield, some 70 miles away. The hospital that lost those X-rays, St. John's Regional Medical Center, was badly damaged by the storm and has been shut down. But it still has its patient records intact. The hospital had completed its conversion to electronic health records on May 1 — three weeks before the storm. A mobile field hospital has been set up in the St. John's parking lot, complete with CT scans and surgical theaters. And St. John's patients going to facilities elsewhere are finding that their prescriptions and treatment schedules are available to providers. "The bottom line is, if we didn't have the electronic... Aging with Grace CareConnection blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945244 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:46:00 +0100 4945244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953049&cid=t_99892_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F1TWLSkQ0aF0%2F CMS published a list (pdf) of the first providers who received incentive payments under the Medicare portion of the EHR program. What distinguishes these incentive recipients from those announced in early January—(See “Meaningful Use? Not Yet”)—is that these providers actually had to attest to earning these incentives by demonstrating meaningful use. The earlier recipients received their payments through the Medicaid program, which for the first year’s incentive only requires adoption, implementation, or upgrade of a certified EHR, not meaningful use. There are 320 providers on this first Medicare list. Here’s how the list breaks down: Approximately 40 are hospitals/health care centers. As anticipated, the vast majority of the physicians are primary-care providers—over two-t... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953049 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:23:04 +0100 4953049