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 'hitech act'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:43:32 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450367&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=39278&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogsite.mdbuyline.com%2F%3Fp%3D169 If hospitals meet the “meaningful use” requirements of The HITECH Act, they will receive payments estimated to range from $9.7 billion to $27.4 billion (over eight years).  The goal of the bill is to help offset EHR technology startup costs that can begin at $2 million (based on a 200 bed facility).  Payments will start as early as May 2011, so understanding and delivering on meaningful use is time sensitive.  With so much at stake, users have asked CMS to expand on the definition of meaningful use. I asked Farrokh Alemi, PhD, professor of Health Systems Administration, Georgetown University, College of Nursing and Health Studies, in Washington DC and a well-published, peer-reviewed author on healthcare quality and IT, about the impact of meaningful use.  Alemi said, “The adoptio... MD Buyline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450367 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:04:48 +0100 4450367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3039826&cid=t_229307_105_f&fid=38964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrwes.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Ftext-paging-health-information.html I saw this in a recent nursing note:Urine noted to be bloody without clots.Text message sent to 2290 (trauma pager) about hematuria.Patient denies any pain at this time.No doubt patient identification or their room number, was sent to identify the patient (I'm not sure which). I suppose a record of the physician covering the trauma service that night is discoverable.But I wonder, in the world of cyberspace with electronic communication carrying such an important role in health care delivery lately, is HIPAA really enforceable or will it just be used to extract huge fines from care providers now that the new HITECH policy expands HIPAA's reach.Since text pages are neither encoded nor retained as an official audit trail of care delivered, it seems to me care providers are vulnerable, even wh... Dr. Wes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3039826 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:45:00 +0100 3039826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441899&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FC5SqP1c13pM%2F Yes, I’ve compared EMR to Marriage and it talks about it being a huge deal to “divorce” your EMR. Yes, I’ve compared EMR Implementation to Pregnancy. Now I bring you what may be my most important comparison of all: Don’t marry an EMR because of money! Sure, the allure of $18 billion of EMR stimulus money is attractive, but don’t choose an EMR because you can get that money. You shouldn’t choose someone to marry because of money and you shouldn’t choose an EMR for the EMR stimulus money as well. Certainly you want to make sure your mate EMR company is financially sound, can provide for your needs, and is going to be around even if times get tough. However, more important than all of that is you want your EMR company to be willing to make you (... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441899 Thu, 28 May 2009 17:11:18 +0100 2441899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441904&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FMHn6nG0BNBg%2F I posted an EHR stimulus poll a week ago and I thought it would be interesting to post some preliminary results. I really wish a few more people would have participated in the poll. It’s only 2 clicks to add your opinion. I expect over time I’ll get some more responses. Take a look at the current results for the question: How will your clinic be approaching the EMR Stimulus money made available in the HITECH Act (ARRA)? What’s surprising to me from the results so far is that such a large percentage of people are either waiting to hear about the EHR stimulus money or are planning on the EHR stimulus money. This poll is a little bit biased since so many of the people visiting EMR and HIPAA these days are coming here to learn about the EHR stimulus money. Like I’ve sa... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441904 Fri, 22 May 2009 15:45:48 +0100 2441904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441905&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FmiGBboBIo-E%2F I was just reading through Jamie’s post on EMR and EHR talking about showing EMR “meaningful use” and EMR reporting. She provides some really interesting examples about the challenges of reporting out of an EMR that wasn’t designed to report those various data elements. This discussion caused me to think about the impact that having to report on meaningful use will have on an EMR implementation. An EMR implementation is hard enough as it is now. Now, not only will an EMR user have to focus on learning all the new EMR functionality and translating their various clinical workflows into an EMR workflow, but they’ll also have to take into consideration the reporting requirements that will be necessary to get access to the EMR stimulus money and show meaningful use... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441905 Thu, 21 May 2009 20:28:08 +0100 2441905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414918&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fb10v0pE071c%2F I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of doctors looking at the pile of $18 billion and have a strong internal debate about implementing an EMR or not. They’ll feel like they should implement an EMR by utilizing the EMR stimulus money from the HITECH Act (ARRA). However, deep down in the pit of their stomachs, they’ll have huge misgivings about it all. Many will end up regretting it later. That’s why I keep hammering home the idea that you should implement an EMR on its own merits and not worry so much about EMR stimulus money. There is a huge list of potential EMR benefits that don’t include government money. Kind of reminds me of the feeling you get when you hear someone peddling some get rich quick scheme. You kind of have that feeling that if you pass... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414918 Fri, 15 May 2009 13:37:06 +0100 2414918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405561&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2009%2F05%2F14%2Femr-stimulus-money-poll%2F I decided to try out a few polls on EMR and HIPAA. I have a feeling they’ll be pretty popular and could provide some interesting insight into the world of EMR and EHR. If you have a poll, you’d like me to run, let me know in the comments and I’ll consider adding it. I don’t want to overrun this place with polls, but hopefully my readers will find them interesting as will I. Here’s the first poll about people’s interesting in the ARRA/HITECH act EMR stimulus money: View Poll I’m sure this poll could be improved, and it’s far from scientific. Nonetheless, I think the results could be really interesting. Related posts:Many Doctors Won’t See EHR Stimulus Money One of my biggest fears about the carrot and stick...CCHIT As The HITECH Certi... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405561 Thu, 14 May 2009 14:36:16 +0100 2405561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398888&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fe6lj6saTGJ0%2F Discussions, a moderated discussion forum that will feature discussions on health information technology.” When someone suggested that it was a discussion forum about EHR that was hosted by an EMR company I was really interested. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed by what I found. There was almost no discussion on the website and it was really hard to even figure out how someone could comment. Basically, it’s just a real simple blog implementation. They do allow comments, but they require you to register before you comment. If you’re trying to create discussions about EMR, then that’s the very worst thing you could do. At the end of the day, it all goes back to expectations. I was hoping for a killer forum for people to really discuss important EMR topics. Tha... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398888 Fri, 08 May 2009 06:54:56 +0100 2398888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2390012&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FpAJNIKAMM6A%2F This is a concept I’ve been thinking about for a while (or at least since I wrote about the definition of meaningful use). It seems like we can often get confused when we talk about how a hospital system might use an EMR and how a solo or small doctors office might use an EMR. I hadn’t seen anyone articulate that until I saw this news on the HIMSS website about HIMSS publishing it’s definitions of “Meaningful Use.” The broke it down into two definitions which they called “meaningful use of technology in hospitals” and “meaningful users of EHR technology.” I should mention I don’t agree with all of HIMSS recommendations, but I think that this differentiation is important and I’m really glad that HIMSS made the distinction. I&... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2390012 Thu, 07 May 2009 05:26:17 +0100 2390012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2390017&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FebtR8OO3CsE%2F Turns out the fish are starting to feed. Check out this website that talks about the “EHR Stimulus Tour: Educating the Nation.” Ok, I don’t really want you to check out the website, since I think it’s kind of sad. At the bottom it lists the “EHR Stimulus Alliance.” The following companies are listed in this EHR alliance: Allscripts Cisco Citrix Dell intel intuit Microsoft Nuance What a group of large companies trying to sell a bunch of product. I guess we should have expected something like this, but maybe I’m just a little surprised that they made a website for an EHR stimulus tour and everything. Interestingly the twitter link on the site goes to an Allscripts twitter account. I think we can clearly see who’s behind this website. Honestly, ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2390017 Mon, 04 May 2009 22:54:02 +0100 2390017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2387030&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FpO91XPAtk-U%2F About a month ago I read an interesting post by Will Weider, CIO of Ministry Health Care and Affinity Health System, where Will is the first to announce delays in the HITECH Act (ARRA) EHR stimulus money. To make his case he gives two reasons for his belief: In my experience, government mandates delays are the rule This EHR deadlines are completely unreasonable HHS finally has Kathleen Sebelius in as secretary and so that should help move things along. However, I have to agree with Will that the EHR stimulus money will be delayed. I’m not really blaming HHS or ONC or any other government organization for this. The HITECH Act (ARRA) guidelines are so vague that they should take their time and make sure the $18 billion is spent wisely. Luckily, I feel like David Blumenthal seems to u... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2387030 Sun, 03 May 2009 15:12:10 +0100 2387030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382593&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FX2ItRyp8LkA%2F Marc Probst, CIO at Intermountain Healthcare and member of the new Health Information Technology Policy Committee, gave a really interesting interview to Healthcare Informatics. I really don’t know Marc Probst other than what I read in this interview, but I do know something about Intermountain Healthcare (or IHC as it’s known in Utah). When I was in high school I actually worked for IHC spending one hour a day cleaning a local doctors office. I’m glad those days are over and I don’t think I did a very good job at it either. However, from that experience and also my high school friend’s dad being the CEO of IHC I got to know the company pretty well. I was really impressed with how the company was run. From the above interview I think that Marc Probst probably ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382593 Sat, 02 May 2009 23:11:05 +0100 2382593 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382595&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FYMW93L7l7J0%2F I’ve had on my list to do a nice post talking about all the people suggesting how meaningful use should be defined. Unfortunately, I’ve been sidetracked by a number of projects in my life. Not the least of which is a website about EMR and EHR that I’ll announce officially on this website shortly. Hopefully I’ll have the time to do a full fledge post on defining meaningful use very soon. I’ve been collecting a lot of perspectives on meaningful use and so it just takes a lot of energy to sort through them all. The other thing that has really taken my time was this presentation about EMR that I did today at a local medical school. You may remember that I asked for some help in preparing a quality EMR presentation and so I wanted to thank all those who contributed... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382595 Fri, 01 May 2009 07:06:01 +0100 2382595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2381360&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FYMW93L7l7J0%2F I’ve had on my list to do a nice post talking about all the people suggesting how meaningful use should be defined. Unfortunately, I’ve been sidetracked by a number of projects in my life. Not the least of which is a website about EMR and EHR that I’ll announce officially on this website shortly. The other thing that has really taken my time was this presentation about EMR that I did today at a local medical school. You may remember that I asked for some help in preparing a quality EMR presentation and so I wanted to thank all those who contributed to my presentation. It’s really amazing how much better the readers of this website can make me look in a presentation or article that I’m doing. I must admit that I really enjoy doing presentations and I love talki... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2381360 Fri, 01 May 2009 07:06:01 +0100 2381360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2381361&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fh_A_3byeLUM%2F I’m sure that most of you in healthcare saw that Kathleen Sebelius was finally sworn in as the new HHS secretary. You can read the reuters report on the confirmation and swearing in of Kathleen Sebelius. From the report, there’s no doubt that a lot of Kathleen Sebelius’s first job will be to work on this swine flu. No doubt a very important thing for her to keep an eye on and do what she can to protect us from having a major outbreak. However, I must admit that I get the feeling that were going to hear very little from this new HHS secretary about EMR and EHR. I could be wrong, but I just don’t see her getting really involved in all the discussions of EHR implementation and the $18 billion of EHR stimulus money as part of the HITECH Act (ARRA). Certainly she’l... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2381361 Fri, 01 May 2009 06:43:36 +0100 2381361 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365203&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2009%2F04%2F22%2Fmyth-ehr-stimulus-bill-requires-doctors-to-use-ehr-and-be-interoperable%2F There are a bunch of myths being perpetuated right now around ARRA and the HITECH act. I’ve been on a number of conference calls and read a number of people perpetuating these myths. Some might call it poor communication and others might call it downright unethical talk. I’ll leave any judgment to someone else, but I believe these myths could lead to major problems in HIT. Here’s the first myth I’d like to debunk here and now: Myth: The EHR Stimulus bill (often referred to as ARRA or the HITECH Act) REQUIRES doctors to use EHR and be interoperable. Reality: The government has no ability to actually require the use on an EHR. ARRA and the HITECH act do require you to use a certified EHR and show “meaningful use” IF (that’s a big IF) you want to rece... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365203 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:55:29 +0100 2365203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2314667&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FiUJZiOBbYvU%2F I’m sad to say I’m back again with another rant on terminology. You may remember my previous EMR versus EHR rant. Yes, I’m sorry to say that once again we have two terms which in practice mean the same thing. Take a look at the following 2 terms: HITECH - Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health ARRA - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Since the HITECH Act was passed, everyone I interacted with called the $18 billion in EHR stimulus money the HITECH Act. Now, it seems like most of the people at HIMSS are calling it the ARRA. In the end, they both mean the same thing. Just sad that we still can’t standardize the most trivial of things. I’ll continue to use HITECH act since it sounds better than ARRA (how do you even say that?). Altho... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2314667 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:57:34 +0100 2314667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2240507&cid=t_229307_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fdoes-hitech-have-teeth-google-may-not.html I was astounded today to read in Modern Healthcare (the fact that I apparently was blacklisted from writing there for reasons never explained to me makes me reluctant to link to the story) that Google says the new privacy and security rules won't change its PHR plans. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted last month as Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, strengthens much of the privacy and security language of HIPAA. Some of the language effectively gives business associates the same responsibilities as covered entities when it comes to protecting patient data. Section 13408 specifically includes personal health records.Reporter Joe Conn, my former boss and an all-round good guy (rare at MHC these days), quote... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2240507 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:39:00 +0100 2240507