Posts Tagged Interoperability
Interoperability designated major component of “meaningful use”
Posted by Jim Denny in ARRA/Stimulus, Interoperability on January 5th, 2010
We now have our first look at the official shape “meaningful use” of electronic health record (EHR) technology will likely take – in the near future, at least. As many had anticipated, one of the principal underlying themes is interoperability.
The long-anticipated proposed rule defining meaningful use finally was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Dec. 30. On the same day, we also received the interim final rule setting initial EHR technology standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). You can view draft copies of both rules at www.federalregister.gov/inspection.aspx.
As it turns out, CMS will define meaningful use objectives in three distinct stages. Providers who meet the criteria in each of the three stages may be eligible for thousands of dollars in incentive bonuses through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In this proposal, however, CMS has only defined the requirements for Stage 1, which focuses on:
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 »
Real and reasonable progress towards healthcare reform
Posted by Jim Denny in ARRA/Stimulus, EMR, Healthcare Reform, Interoperability on August 31st, 2009
The summer of 2009 will no doubt go down as one of the most stimulating in the history of healthcare. The specter of reform, technological interoperability and incentive/penalty programs generated lively – to say the least – debate.
But in the midst of the confusion and hyperbole (e.g., “death panels,” special-interest strangleholds, socialized medicine) real and reasonable progress has been seen in the areas of meaningful use and electronic health record (EHR) certification.
Significant strides were made in finalizing the definition of “meaningful use,” an ambiguous concept that had left the industry wondering how it could be applied as a benchmark to measure EMR effectiveness, as required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). By mid-summer the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), after a period of public comment, zeroed in on a definition: that meaningful use “enable significant and measurable improvements in population health through a transformed health care delivery system.” It likewise set goals for providers to accomplish by 2011:
- Allowing patients to access their health records in a timely manner;
- Developing capabilities to exchange health information where possible;
- Implementing at least one clinical decision support rule for a specialty or clinical priority;
- Providing patients with electronic copies of discharge instructions and procedures;
- Submitting insurance claims electronically; and
- Verifying insurance eligibility electronically when possible. Read the rest of this entry »
Getting your hands on critical business intelligence
Posted by Ken Bradley in ARRA/Stimulus, Business Intelligence, EMR, Revenue Cycle Management on August 19th, 2009
The ARRA’s focus on physician adoption of EMR technology, with its emphasis on implementation deadlines and reimbursement incentives, has dominated headlines to date.
But just as important – if not more – is the legislation’s directive that healthcare providers select systems that promote clinical interoperability and data transfer.
Most physicians and practice managers who have made the transition to EMR will tell you their systems capture plenty of information – overwhelming amounts, in some cases. The problem lies not in collecting data, but in how effectively it is shared and ultimately used. Read the rest of this entry »
Beyond EHR: Select open systems that promote interoperability
Posted by Jim Denny in EMR, Health Information Exchange, Health Information Technology, Infrastructure, Interoperability on August 11th, 2009
Besides electronic health records, the information technology components of the 2009 federal stimulus bill emphasize interoperability and infrastructure. The intent is to nudge the country in the direction of a National Health Information Network (NHIN).
The logic is simple. Paper patient medical records limit access to information: Only the person with the chart in hand can review or augment the contents. Likewise, a stand-alone EHR delivers information to only those providers affiliated with the independent medical group. The information may be digitized, but it is still housed in a data silo. Patient information – whether it is medical history, allergies, demographics or insurance coverage – increases in value exponentially when it is appropriately made available to clinical staff and practice managers across the care continuum.
This is an important factor to keep in mind when selecting an EHR or other information technology such as lab reporting software, practice management systems or human resource management applications. To achieve optimal performance, practices must have the freedom to adopt “best-of-class” core applications and complementary software that meet their unique needs. At the same time, practices are best served when the technology they adopt promotes connectivity among a wide range of applications and software packages. The benefits of doing so are wide-ranging:
- Comprehensive access to multiple applications allows users to exchange information easily for increased efficiency;
- Connectivity ensures that data vital to patient care and clinical operations are available as needed; and
- Automatic data exchange eliminates the need for information to be re-entered into disparate applications – a labor-intensive process that increases the risk of error. Read the rest of this entry »