health information

Federal HIT coordination office releases five-year plan

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:59:57 -0400

HHS's Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONCHIT) has released its five-year strategic plan, designed to help federal agencies synch up their health IT efforts. While the plan is broad, it does dig into two key goals: fostering patient-focused healthcare and population health.

To meet the "patient focused healthcare" goal, ONCHIT would like to see a transition to using electronic health records. Specifically, the agency wants to see private, secure, interoperable data sharing systems adopted, with a collective governance system in place to help guide the emergence of a shared health IT infrastructure. The population health goal, meanwhile, is to provide appropriate access to, and use of electronic health information to boost public health, biomedical research, quality improvement and emergency preparedness.

In addition to describing its broad goals, the ONCHIT report establishes timelines for achieving more than 40 milestones, in areas including adoption, interoperability, privacy and security. The report also provides a useful summary of electronic health information projects underway at agencies across the entire range of the federal government, from AHRQ to the Veterans' Administration.

To learn more about the plan:
- read ONCHIT's report (.pdf)
- read this iHealthBeat item

SPOTLIGHT: Exec argues that EMRs show quality commitment

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:59:52 -0400

Many of the biggest supporters of EMR adoption pitch them as a huge productivity improvement tool. But to Laura Adams, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Quality Institute, they're central to improving quality, too. Her organization, which hosts the state's RHIO, is built on the notion that not having having access to digital health information causes harm, not just delays or waste. Article

SPOTLIGHT: Balancing privacy, access to behavioral health info

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:59:52 -0400

When providers deal in mental health information, they face a particularly delicate balancing act. On one hand, it could prove important for a medical provider to know about mental health or substance abuse issues. However, sharing such information still comes with significant risk, according to the California Health Care Foundation. Article

$105M awarded for statewide EMR system in NY

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

For the state of New York, it looks like the future is now. The state's Department of Health recently awarded 19 healthcare information technology projects $105 million in grant money in order to create a statewide electronic medical record system. According to Modern Healthcare, some key initiatives of the projects will be "electronically linking Medicare patients' eligibility," and giving patients "access and control" over their records. Ninety-six hospitals throughout the state are slated to participate in the project.

For more:
- read the article in Modern Healthcare (reg. req.)

Trend: To push health concepts, use social media

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

It makes a lot of sense: To get people involved in a web-based product, sell them using a compelling web medium. That's why experts expect to see the federal government make a heavy push into social media, according to panelists who spoke at the consumer empowerment workgroup of the American Health Information Community last week. The CDC, for example, has been exploring social health campaigns, including use of newsgroups, IMs, blogs, podcasts, wikis, social networking and mobile messaging, said Jay Bernhardt, director of the National Center for Health Marketing at the agency. It's not that traditional media have lost their value, but more that it will take at least some emphasis on peer-to-peer information sharing to foster acceptance of new concepts, Bernhardt said. The CDC particularly is fond of using mobile technology to push out information, he noted.

To learn more about this trend:
- read this Healthcare IT News article

Related Article:
Google launches health service. Report

Trend: To push health concepts, use social media

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

Report: HIEs/RHIOs are states' top HIT priorities

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:59:54 -0500

States consider health information exchanges and RHIOs (pick your acronym) to be their top e-health priorities, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. When surveyed in 2007, 25 of 41 of states said that HIE adoption was one of their top two e-health priorities, and 12 said HIE policy development was a key initiative. Meanwhile, states cited the other usual suspects in third, fourth and fifth place as priorities, namely EMRs, e-prescribing and addressing health data privacy and security issues.

States said that the biggest obstacle to jump-starting HIE development efforts were getting together funding for implementation and long-term operations. (Reading between the lines, it appears that state policy-makers aren't too confident that HIEs or RHIOs can be self-financing, as some advocates seem to be.) Many said they had difficulty building a business case for HIEs, lacked adequate standards and shared terminology to use.

To learn more about the study's results:
- read this Government Health IT article

WI may change laws on health data sharing

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:59:57 -0500

The state of Wisconsin is considering changes to its health data privacy rules to make it easier for providers to form health data exchanges. The pending bill, which should be introduced shortly, would establish that all information other than that covered by HIPAA could be shared between providers without a patient's consent. This would allow providers to share information such as patient names, address, names of mental health providers, diagnoses and medication without specific patient consent. The bill comes with strong support from Gov. Jim Doyle (D), who's working to increase the use of health IT in the state. However, privacy advocates are challenging the bill, particularly the provisions which would allow sharing of mental health-related information, arguing that such sharing might drive people to avoid seeking care.

To learn more about the bill:
- read this Government Health IT piece

Related Articles:
More posturing on the HIE front. Editorial
Study: RHIOs/HIEs backed by states will win. Report
Firms say Net neutrality could harm HIEs. Report
HIEs may work best if starting small. Report

Watch out: Health IT is now a consumer buzzword

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:59:59 -0500

I don't know about you, but for me, the pre-HIMSS show excitement is building. I think this should be one of the most vibrant--and overwhelming--shows in the history of HIMSS itself. Why? Well, in part, it's because this has to be one of the first times in any of our professional lives when health IT went from the concern of group practice administrators and hospital leaders a topic that seems to interest everyone but my grandma. On the other hand, I'm not sure I like where this is going. Let me explain...

One of the most obvious indicators that health IT has gone public that there are bills and proposals directly affecting the industry mounting up daily. These days e-prescribing, PHRs, EMRs and health information exchanges are on the lips of elected officials who could barely use their own Blackberry otherwise. While President Bush has encouraged much of this, if the Democrats seize the White House, I don't think that's going to change. Health IT has moved from esoteric to a matter of mainstream discussion, and that's that.

This is something of a problem. After all, while legislators may be well-intentioned, they're usually not subject-matter experts, so they may not have a realistic picture of what problems you face. Besides, while they have to win some ill-defined popularity contest--if EMR is the flavor of the week in the mainstream press, well, then, everyone should have one--you just want to make sure your organization keeps delivering good care. We're talking a slight conflict of interests here.

I don't know about you, but when I'm at HIMSS, I'm usually more interested in talking with vendors who are solving non-trendy problems in a sensible way than listening to rah-rah new stuff. That's particularly true now that consumer interest has seeped into the industry and begun influencing how products are developed, sold and presented to you.

But hey, I don't want to be too cynical. Maybe there's some things that are both praised by the vox populi and worthy of being implemented. All I know is, when I'm at HIMSS, I'm planning to keep my trendiness quotient to a minimum. - Anne

Publisher's Note: For those of you attending HIMSS later this month, please join us for our second annual networking event "Opa!," on Monday, February 25. Along with our event partner Adobe, we'll be bringing you complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres as well as a chance to meet Editor Anne Zieger. This is a great opportunity to network with your fellow FierceHealthIT readers away from the hustle and bustle of the show floor. Click here to sign up for complimentary admission to the event. - Maurice Bakley, Publisher, FierceHealthIT