Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Mayor Bloomberg visits office of physicians using eClinicalWorks

Both the doctor and the software (part of the NYC DOH MH PCIP) were a big hit.
Congratulations to Dr Sumir Sahgal of Essen Medical Associates 2015 Grand Concourse Bronx, NY. SV

NY Times


NYC PCIP

Saturday, February 16, 2008

NY HIMSS Conference: HIT Gets Personal - Consumer Centric Technology


Thursday, April 3, 2008; Digital Sandbox Conference Center

Click here to register online.


Program

8 - 9: Breakfast


9 - 9:15: President's Message

William Delaney, HIMSS NY President

9:15 - 9:30: Advocacy Update


Christopher Harris, HIMSS NY Advocay Liaison & President Elect

9:30 - 10:30: Keynote Speaker


Lori M. Evans, MPH, MPP, serves as a Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health leading a new Office of Health Information Technology Transformation (OHITT). OHITT, created by Governor Spitzer in 2007, is responsible for government and private sector efforts to support improvements in health care quality, affordability and outcomes for all New Yorkers through widespread deployment of health information technology.

11:00 - 12:00: Break Out Session 1: Personal Health Record


• Moderator: Ken Ong, MD, MPH
• Description: The personal health record is a core technology for the consumer. A plethora of offerings are now available from commercial vendors, health care systems, and payers. What is the level of adoption? What successes have been won? What challenges remain? Is there one ideal technology venue for the PHR? What are the drivers for the PHR? What use cases apply?
• Panelists: Adrian Gropper, MD, MedCommons; Abha Agrawal, MD, Kings County Hospital Center; Glen Martin, MD, Queens Health Network

11:00 - 12:00: Break Out Session 2: Legal Aspect of Privacy Issues


• Moderator: Chris Harris
• Description: As Personal Health Records become increasingly more available to the consumer, there a number of legal considerations that will affect consumer views of privacy and hence adoption. This panel will explore questions and implications for consumer privacy based on use and current state of law in terms of protection and governance. Topics will include: what are consumer rights to privacy exist when using a PHR? How do these rights or risks change as the sponsoring agency changes; health insurance company, pharmaceutical company, Search software company?
• Panelists: Paul F. Macielak, President and CEO, New York Health Plan Association; Al Mercado, NY Bar Association; Peter Poleto, Vice President and CIO, Hospital Association of New York State

1:45 - 2:45: Break Out Session 3: The Consumer and Health Information Exchange


• Moderator: Ken Ong, MD, MPH
• Description: Health information exchange is a hot topic for HIT nationally. The promise of improved coordination, efficiency, and cost savings has prompted the formation of more than a hundred RHIOs. Most of which are still in development but a notable few are no more. What stake does the consumer have in HIE? What role should the consumer have in RHIOs? What information should and should not be accessible to the consumer, provider, payer, or government? Who should pay for HIE? What future do you see for HIE? What association is there if any between HIE and health care reform more broadly?
• Panelists: Sally E. Findley, PhD, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University; Arthur Levin, MPH, Center for Medical Consumers; Rachael Block, New York eHealth Collaborative

1:45 - 2:45: Break Out Session 4: Government Initiatives in Consumer Health

• Moderator: Sal Volpe, MD
• Description: Since 2004, there have been an increasing number of Government initiatives related to health information technology. Some examples include grants and the formation of national, statewide and local government agencies. What more can government do to foster the creation and acceptance of standards related to interoperability and privacy? What partnerships are available or are being planned with private industry and personal health records? How are consumer groups represented in the planning process for government initiatives? What initiatives are being planned to bring HIT access to the poor and underserved?
• Panelists: Pat Hale, MD, PhD, Deputy Director of HIT Transformation, New York State Department of Health; Farzad Mostashari, MD, Assistant Commissioner and Chair of the Primary Care Information Taskforce, New York City DOMH; George Hickman, CIO, Albany Medical Center

3:00 - 4:00: Breakout Session 5: Patient Portal


• Moderator: Leanne Currie, DNSc
• Patient portals come in an assortment of variations. Health care providers, health plans, and patient education web sites offer different functionality. What value do these different offerings provide? What challenges do patient portal providers confront? What privacy and legal concerns exist for patient portals? What services do patient portals now provide? What new services might they provide in the future? What promise do patient portals have for public health?
• Panelists: David Kaufman, PhD, DBMI, Columbia University; Melinda Jenkins, PhD, Coordinator of Consumer Informatics, New York City DOMH; Noel C. Brown MD, MBA, Montefiore Medical Group

4:00 - 6:00: Vendor Exhibition & Cocktail Reception

Sponsoring health care organizations:


• American College of Physicians, NY Chapter
• CAIM/Columbia Center for Advanced Information Management
• Greater New York Hospital Association
• HANYS/Healthcare Association of NY State
• HFMA Metro NY/Healthcare Financial Management Association
• IPRO/Island Peer Review Organization
• LIHIMA/Long Island Health Information Management Association
• MSSNY/ Medical Society State of NY
• MINY/Medical Informatics of NY
• NJ HIMSS
• NY eHealth Collaborative
• NYHIMA/NY Health Information Management Association

Click here to register online.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Brooklyn Health Information Exchange Selects Initiate Systems to Achieve Single, Accurate View of Patients

BHIX's approach should be followed closely as Brooklyn has more people than many cities. SV

CHICAGO – 4 February 2008 – The Brooklyn Health Information Exchange (BHIX) – a not-for-profit regional health information organization (RHIO) – has selected Initiate Patient™ software from Initiate Systems, Inc., as the foundational technology for locating, linking and matching of patient records. Initiate Patient is the high-performing enterprise master person index (EMPI) software application from Initiate Systems, a leader in master data management solutions. BHIX, comprised of several healthcare provider and payer organizations in New York, will offer health information exchange services in Brooklyn, New York's most populated borough.

Initiate’s technology will help BHIX create the foundational master person index, enabling patient identity resolution and linking of patients across multiple sources of data. Once a patient is uniquely identified and linked, Initiate Patient will also facilitate a portal application and Record Locator Service’s ability to search and establish context on a patient. Care teams will thus share a single, accurate view of any patient participating in BHIX.

Initiate Systems
NYS SENATE BILL: NY SB 708 : promotes e-Prescribing of controlled substances

Please contact your representative. SV


Number: NY SB 708 Title: AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to authorizing the use of the electronic medical records system when issuing certain controlled substances
Abstract: Authorizes the use of an electronic medical records system when dispensing certain schedule II controlled substances; defines "electronic medical records system"; authorizes physicians with patients receiving Medicaid to dispense prescriptions through such electronic medical records system.

Introduced by Sen. NOZZOLIO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to authorizing the
use of the electronic medical records system when issuing certain
controlled substances

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section
2 3335 to read as follows:
3 S 3335. ISSUING UPON PRESCRIPTIONS VIA ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS
4 SYSTEM. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM "ELECTRONIC
5 MEDICAL RECORDS SYSTEM" SHALL MEAN AN ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS SYSTEM
6 WHICH ENABLES A PHYSICIAN TO CONSOLIDATE RECORD KEEPING.
7 2. A PHYSICIAN MAY DISPENSE DIRECTLY TO A PHARMACY ANY CONTROLLED
8 SUBSTANCE PRESCRIPTION PURSUANT TO AN ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS SYSTEM.
9 3. IF A PHYSICIAN OPTS TO ISSUE PRESCRIPTIONS PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION
10 TWO OF THIS SECTION, SUCH PHYSICIAN SHALL BE ELIGIBLE AND PERMITTED TO
11 ISSUE ANY AND ALL PRESCRIPTIONS THROUGH SUCH ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS
12 SYSTEM, INCLUDING PRESCRIPTIONS FOR PATIENTS RECEIVING MEDICAID.
13 S 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
14 have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the
15 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
16 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
17 and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.

NYS Assembly

Sunday, February 03, 2008

InfoWorld tries to extend the life of Windows XP


If you are willing to sign a petition that includes your email click on the link.
Windows XP shrink version sales currently expires June 2008. SV



InfoWorld

Saturday, February 02, 2008

NY HIMSS Seminar: “HIT Gets Personal: Consumer-Centric Technology” April 3, 2008

Save the Date -

As we all know, Health Information Technology can transform our health care system. Prepare for consumer-centric and information-rich health care, in which medical information follows the consumer and information tools guide medical decisions.

Save the date to attend this year’s NY HIMSS seminar which will be held on Thursday April 3, 2008 at the Digital Sandbox at 55 Broad Street in downtown Manhattan, we will host a full day conference, “HIT Gets Personal: Consumer-Centric Technology”.

Planning for our event is underway and we expect over 300 local healthcare information technology professionals to attend. We are in the process of securing some of our industry’s most knowledgeable speakers on HIT and Consumerism.

This year’s event is being co-sponsored by the following local healthcare organizations:

• American College of Physicians, NY Chapter
• CAIM/Columbia Center for Advanced Information Management
• HANYS/Healthcare Association of NY State
• HFMA Metro NY/Healthcare Financial Management Association
• IPRO/Island Peer Review Organization
• MSSNY/ Medical Society State of NY
• LIHIMA/Long Island Health Information Management Association
• MINY/Medical Informatics of NY
• NJ HIMSS
• NY eHealth Collaborative
• NYHIMA/NY Health Information Management Association

Please visit www.himssnys.org for further details. Further communications will be forthcoming.

We hope to see you April 3rd in downtown Manhattan.
Marriott hotels to offer ActiveHealth Management's PHR to 50,000 employees.

Yet another employer that realizes the value of the PHR.
No word yet on the ability to migrate the data from this PHR to another.
One of the system's goals is to look for "gaps" in care or potential drug/supplement/disease interactions and notify both the member and the physician. SV


ActiveHealth Management
UnitedHealth Group's Online Personal Health Messages Tied to Increased Likelihood of Individuals

Email reminders via a Patient or Physician Portal are an excellent way to remind patients to avail themselves of preventative medicine services. SV


For example, women who opened their messages were 68-percent more likely to get a mammogram and 63-percent more likely to get a cervical cancer screening. The study compares CDH plan participants who accessed their online health messages throughout 2006 with those who were sent messages but did not open them.


Also, enrollees approaching their 50th birthday received a special message reminding them of a series of recommended preventive tests for their age group. Data show that members who opened this message were:

82-percent more likely to get a cervical cancer screening;
31-percent more likely to get a cholesterol screening;
71-percent more likely to have an office visit in which their blood pressure is checked.


UHC