Posts Tagged Healthcare IT
The difference between interoperability and integration
Posted by Ken Bradley in Health Information Technology, Integration, Interoperability on November 23rd, 2009
“What’s so hard about interoperability, anyway? Lots of hospitals and physician practices already have integrated practice management (PM) and electronic medical record (EMR) systems…” That’s the kind of comment heard quite often in this business, from all manner of intelligent, informed professionals.
Unfortunately, an important matter of semantics sometimes unwittingly leads us to heated debate or a dismissive, “They don’t know what they’re talking about!” attitude. It’s imperative to be aware that discussions of “interoperability” and “integration” can easily leave people talking apples and oranges without ever knowing it.
Here’s the reason: People from so many disparate backgrounds – technological, clinical, business, regulatory, governmental – all play a role in the current push to better automate healthcare. Everyone understands the generalities behind the idea of one HIT system “talking” to another, but most folks have no need to delve into nitty-gritty technical specifics. As a result, “interoperability” and “integration” have become broad-brush terms many of us use synonymously as a way to express the general concept of data connectivity. Read the rest of this entry »
Evaluating an EMR? Use the opportunity to assess your overarching technology solution
Posted by Jim Denny in EMR, Infrastructure, Practice Management System on November 20th, 2009
The prospect of obtaining stimulus funding has, not surprisingly, created an environment of intense focus on EMRs. While that’s OK, I see a distinct limitation in looking at EMRs, practice management systems (PMS) and other applications as isolated pieces of hardware/software. Instead, I think the current atmosphere provides many practices the opportunity to step into completely new systems, with a completely new way of viewing the components.
Rather than contemplating an EMR purchase or PMS evaluation in the context of “what’s available,” consider how well these technologies will serve as your platform from which to custom-build, taking into account future needs as well as current.
It is similar to when, as a teenager, I went to buy my first stereo system. I saved up, went to the store, and there they helped me design my own system to suit my listening style. Two speakers or four? Turntable or tape player? Headphones? The stereo store catered to my taste, my music, my needs – and I ended up with a system that was perfect for me. Read the rest of this entry »
Collaborative partnerships vital for smooth conversion of HIPAA standards
Posted by Ken Bradley in ICD-10 on October 26th, 2009
A seamless transition. That’s the goal we all seek in the colossal dual conversion of our HIPAA 4010 X12 files to the new 5010 standard, and the ICD-9 to ICD-10 code sets. Somehow, with a tight timeline and crunched budgets, we must simultaneously pull off two technically challenging migrations – and do it all with minimal disruption to business operations. The task, at times, feels overwhelming.
As you research your options, however, I’d suggest that one important place to begin is with a candid assessment of your organizational partnerships. The Herculean effort needed to successfully transition these two critical data sets at the same time will require close collaboration with trustworthy and responsive partners, each working within a well-defined area of expertise.
Consider the ways you can leverage current business relationships to accomplish the task at hand. Obviously, you best understand your business processes. HIT vendors, by contrast, may be better suited to navigate the technological waters. We don’t each need to reinvent the wheel; we need to work together.
The changeover to the HIPAA 5010 electronic transaction standard must be completed by January 2012. The move to the ICD-10 code set must be accomplished by October 2013. With precious little room for waste – of time or resources – practices must augment their internal strengths with the strengths outside vendors can provide. Read the rest of this entry »
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Work begins on national e-health record network
Posted by Jim Denny in Interoperability on October 2nd, 2009
Here’s an article that will be of great interest to providers ramping up their healthcare IT efforts. While more and more practices and healthcare organizations are implementing various technologies like electronic medical records and billing systems, they often overlook the importance of interoperability. For reliance on technology to achieve optimal value, you must have enterprise-wide (and beyond) access to information that impacts both clinical and administrative operations. Take a look at the article that appeared recently in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as commentary added by the electronic health publication iHealthBeat entitled “Interoperability Issues Could Threaten Access to Health IT Incentives.”
Medical automation benefits practice operations and revenue management, as well as care delivery
Posted by Fred Christian in Medical Automation, Revenue Cycle Management on September 23rd, 2009
Human beings continually search for better, easier ways to get things done – in the field of healthcare and elsewhere. We’ve been advancing the concept of medical technology since the first x-ray was recognized as a useful diagnostic tool. From the simple electronic blood pressure cuffs now found in almost any grocery store to complex robotic arms used by skilled surgeons, we continue to see an explosion in medical automation.
And the upsurge isn’t limited to clinically-focused technology. It also encompasses software and systems that streamline front- and back-end operations, improving both patient flow and revenue cycle management.
A recent article in Healthcare Finance News, in fact, drove home the importance technology plays throughout the value chain. The report states that the medical automation technology market – today worth $13.1 billion – is forecast to grow 77% to $23.2 billion in just five short years. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t discount the value or importance of SLAs
There is a recent survey of nearly 300 IT professionals that I think every health information executive should carefully consider. In brief, it reveals that a high percentage of IT departments take little or no advantage of service-level agreements (SLAs).
For those who are unfamiliar, an SLA is a contract that quantifiably identifies vendor obligations – such as technical performance, customer service responsiveness, impact on the customer operations, customer business outcomes, or other mutually agreed upon benchmarks and results. Especially now, in the era of Web-based applications, an SLA can vitally enhance the value of vendor relationships. It requires both client and vendor to agree upon specific operational outcomes, while also building a framework to remove impediments to those outcomes.
Yet 46% of the survey participants said they never review SLAs; another 11% don’t know if they do. Fewer than half – 43% – said they regularly review SLAs. Read the rest of this entry »