Wednesday, March 31, 2010

ICD-10 is coming in 2013!! Will you be ready?

Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010 1:00p - 2:00p
Location: Webinar (Details TBD)

Hear two industry experts discuss the challenges and opportunities of the mandated ICD-10 implementation.

Topics to be discussed:


Why it’s important to begin your planning NOW
Lessons Learned from the Canadian experience
Implementation Strategies and Tactics
Initial Activities to get started
Click here for more information...or click here to register.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Surviving 2 010: Practice Management Tips You Need to Know

MSSNY is hosting a free half-day, afternoon program at the Westchester Marriott on Thursday, April 15 from 12 noon- 4 pm for physicians and their staff.

Key practice issues and current trends featured are:

Patient-Centered Medical Home: Getting Paid for Loving Medicine (Again)
The Transition to ICD-10
Legal Issues That Could Ruin Your Practice
Eight Essential Steps to Keeping Your Practice Viable in Bad Economic Times
HIT-Where to Get the Help You Need to Get Your Info Systems Up and Running

Pre-registration is required. Call 516-488-6100 ext 403; or go to mssny.org. For a flyer, click here:

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Healthcare Informatics 100 issue:Most interesting vendor survey

Here's the link to vote.

Make it count.SV

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

eHealth Initiative Regional Extension Center Webinar Series

Getting Started: Developing a Business Model and Strategy Wednesday, April 7. 2010


REGISTER NOW

Join the eHealth Initiative on Wednesday, April 7th from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. ET for the first in a series of FREE webinars on the Regional Extension Centers which were created through the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support widespread health IT adoption. The series will focus on the challenges and issues facing the Regional Extension Centers and provider communities. During the webinars, a variety of Regional Extension Centers will share insights and lessons learned.

The series will kick off with a level-setting session, Getting Started: Developing a Business Model and Strategy and will feature a presentation from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and from first round REC awardees. This session will offer an overview of the program and discuss strategies for implementation.

Featuring:

An Overview of Regional Extension Center Program Mission, Goals, and Milestones

Mat Kendall, Acting Director, Office of Provider Adoption Support, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)


Reactor Panel - Moderated by Derek Schoonover, Vice President of Government & Strategy, McKesson Corporation

Sharon Donnelly, Vice President of Development, Health Insight
Jonathan Fuchs, Chief Operating Officer, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care
Roger Holloway, Executive Director, Rural Health Resources Services, Northern Illinois University Regional Development Institute
Fred Rachman, Executive Director, Chicago Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center
Micky Tripathi, President and CEO, Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative


This webinar is sponsored by McKesson and RelayHealth.

Please contact Jennifer Knowles (jennifer.knowles@ehealthinitiative.org) with any questions about this event.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Quest Diagnostics and Surescripts to Pioneer Integrated Service Combining Lab and Prescription Information to Improve Patient Safety and Clinical Outcomes

We've experienced the benefits of Surescripts for several years both with standalone e-Prescribing software and with an EHR. The ability to potentially have greater access to lab results will improve efficiency and quality of services provided. Another step closer to interoperability between systems. SV


SureScripts
HHS State Health Information Exchange Awards:$162 Million

HHS Announces Additional $162 Million in Recovery Act Investment to Advance Widespread Meaningful Use of Health IT
Final awards of state health information exchange cooperative agreement program work to build health information exchange infrastructure throughout the states

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced awards to help states facilitate health information exchange and advance health information technology (health IT). Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, today’s awards are part of the $2 billion effort to achieve widespread meaningful use of health IT and provide use of an electronic health record by every citizen by the year 2014. Every state and eligible territory has now been awarded funds under this program.

“These critical investments will help unleash the power of health information technology to cut costs, eliminate paperwork, and help doctors deliver high-quality, coordinated care to patients,” said Secretary Sebelius. “States are important partners in improving and expanding our electronic health records system. By improving the secure exchange of electronic health records between providers and hospitals within and across states, these awards mark a significant step in bringing our health system into the 21st century.”

The health information exchange HIE awards announced today provide approximately $162 million to 16 states and qualified state designated entities (SDEs) to facilitate non-proprietary health information exchange that adheres to national standards. Health information exchange is critical to enabling care coordination and improving the quality and efficiency of health care.

“Today’s announcement of awards to 16 states and SDEs marks a significant milestone with all states now empowered to start their journey towards identifying innovative ways to break down theses barriers that prevent the seamless exchange of information, so that we can give patients the access to care they deserve and expect,” stated Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health information technology. “States play a critical leadership role in advancing the development of the exchange capacity of healthcare providers and hospitals within their states and across the nation. Health information exchange will enable eligible healthcare providers to be deemed meaningful users of health IT and receive incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive program.”

These cooperative agreements were awarded under the authority of Title XIII of ARRA, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act which amends Title XXX of the Public Health Service Act by adding Section 3013, State Grants to Promote Health Information Technology. Section 3013 provides for the awarding of competitive grants to promote health information technology. On February 12, 2010, HHS awarded $385 million to 40 states and SDEs. The awards announced today complete the awarding of cooperative agreements funded by this program.

HHS

Saturday, March 06, 2010

AMA platform to include one-stop shop for EMR, information exchange for physicians


These types of collaborations help bring extra value to the organizational membership and reflects the their negotiating power. SV

The AMA and Dell are collaborating to help physicians adopt useful health information technology such as electronic medical records (EMR), ePrescribing and laboratory services through the AMA’s new health information solutions platform for physicians, which will launch nationally later this year.

The new AMA platform is aimed at helping practicing physicians assess and meet their clinical and practice needs and will provide them with access to information, products, services and resources to help facilitate medical practice and ease adoption of health information technology.

The AMA selected Ingenix CareTracker™ as the first electronic health records system offered through the platform, which is being beta tested in Michigan in collaboration with the Michigan State Medical Society. Read more about the Ingenix CareTracker™.

Dell Contact:
Cathie Hargett
512-728-7347
Cathie_Hargett@dell.com

AMA Contact:
Leah Dudowicz
AMA Media Relations
312-464-4813
Leah.dudowicz@ama-assn.org

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

NHIN:Veterans Affairs and Kaiser Permanente Share Electronic Health Information to Improve Care for Veterans

At this year's HIMSS 2010, we had the opportunity to see NHIN demonstrations. Many used the open source CONNECT NHIN gateway.
The VA/Kaiser Permanente project will serve as guide for others attempting to do the same. SV


The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Kaiser Permanente recently launched a pilot medical data exchange program in San Diego using the Nationwide Health Information Network. This innovative pilot enables clinicians from VA and Kaiser Permanente to obtain a more comprehensive view of a patient’s health using electronic health record information, including information about health issues, medications, and allergies.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs and the entire administration are encouraged by the opportunities that electronic health record interoperability provides for veterans, service members and their dependents,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We are proud to join in this effort with Kaiser Permanente and to achieve the benefits of health data exchange, including improved quality, patient safety, and efficiency.”

The new pilot program connects VA’s VistA (Veterans Affairs Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) and Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®. VA beneficiaries and Kaiser Permanente members in the San Diego area were the first to be offered the opportunity to sign up for the pilot, with the understanding that their information would not be shared without their consent. The program’s next phase will add authorized data from the U.S. Department of Defense’s health care system to this exchange in early 2010. Ultimately, this program is planned to be made available to all veterans and service members.

Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente Completes Electronic Health Record Implementation:largest private sector electronic health record in the world.

At HIMSS 2010, I attend KP's presentation on their Patient Portal. The data that will be available from this implementation will provide powerful arguments to proceed with EHR deployment. SV

HIMSS Analytics Awards Another 12 Kaiser Permanente Hospitals Highest Recognition: Stage 7 Awards

431 Medical Offices and 36 Hospitals Are Now Equipped with Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente announced today that every medical facility within the health system is now equipped with Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®, the largest private sector electronic health record in the world. Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Oakland, Richmond and Vallejo in Northern California are the most recent facilities to complete the final phase of electronic health record implementation, which includes bedside documentation, clinical decision support and bar-coding for medication administration.
Kaiser Permanente Completes Electronic Health Record Implementation

KP HealthConnect provides care teams with access to patient information and the latest best practices all in one place to further enhance patient safety and quality care while increasing convenience and coordination. The comprehensive health information system securely connects more than 8.6 million people to their physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, personal information, and the latest medical knowledge. Combined with Kaiser Permanente’s integrated approach to health care, KP HealthConnect helps facilitate collaboration among both primary and specialty care teams.

Kaiser Permanente
ONC:NPRM proposing the establishment of certification programs


On March 2, 2010, an NPRM proposing the establishment of certification programs for purposes of testing and certifying health information technology was posted.

Certification of Health IT will provide assurance to purchasers and other users that an EHR system, or other relevant technology, offers the necessary technological capability, functionality, and security to help them meet the meaningful use criteria established for a given phase. Providers and patients must also be confident that the electronic health IT products and systems they use are secure, can maintain data confidentially, and can work with other systems to share information. Confidence in health IT systems is an important part of advancing health IT system adoption and allowing for the realization of the benefits of improved patient care.

Eligible professionals and eligible hospitals who seek to qualify for incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs are required by statute to use Certified EHR Technology. Once certified, Complete EHRs and EHR Modules would be able to be used by eligible professionals and eligible hospitals, or be combined, to meet the statutory requirement for Certified EHR Technology.

To this end, an NPRM proposing the establishment of certification programs for purposes of testing and certifying health information technology was issued in March 2010 with a request for comments. The NPRM proposes:

* A temporary certification program to assure the availability of Certified EHR Technology prior to the date on which health care providers seeking the incentive payments would begin to report demonstrable meaningful use of Certified EHR Technology.

* A permanent certification program to replace the temporary certification program.

Learn more about the NPRM

* Certification NPRM [PDF - 1.14 MB]
Please note: This PDF file is the version submitted to the Federal Register. The link will be replaced with an official version once it is published in the Federal Register. Persons with disabilities having problems accessing the above pdf file may call 202-690-7151 for assistance.

* Facts-at-a-Glance

* Frequently Asked Questions
Northeast eClinicalWorks (eCW) Users Conference Update


The Group Meeting is now less than a month away, and the schedule of events is nearly finalized. eClinicalWorks, with help from PCIP staff, has planned a day and a half of informative sessions to help you get the most out of your EHR. Keep checking back at the conference page for updates and to register.

The sessions will be jointly presented by experts from both eClinicalWorks and NYD DOH PCIP.
Schedule of Events
Friday, March 26
Keynote Speakers -- 9:00am - 10:30am
Conference Opening Keynote
Girish Kumar Navani
CEO, eClinicalWorks

Welcome Address
Amanda Parsons, MD, MBA
Assistant Commissioner, PCIP
Conference Opening Keynote
Thomas Farley, MD, MPH
NYC Health Commissioner
Session 1 - 10:40am-11:30am
Patient Centered Medical Home Incentive Programs

Patient Portal Version 3.0 Best Practice/Advanced Training Sharing information w/patients while protecting it (policy and compliant) -

The Big Picture: managing labs, diagnostics and procedures in eCW

Set up of CDSS, Structured Data and Order Sets
Session 2 - 11:40am-12:30pm

A look at how service and technology come together with Gateway EDI
Tips, Tricks and way to save clicks

NYC Extension Center and how it can help your practice

Reframing the Healthcare Reform Debate: US Healthcare efficiency index
Lunch - 12:30pm - 2:00pm - Meaningful Use Lunchtime Plenary with Amanda Parsons, PCIP Assistant Commissioner
Session 3 - 2:10pm-3:10pm: Skill Building Sessions
Billing: Little things mean a lot

CDSS - how does it help with Meaningful Use
Ask the experts: Try to stump the eCW Billing Gurus

Physicians can achieve Meaningful Use by using eCW products, attend this session to learn how !
Session 4 - 3:25pm-4:30pm
Investigating ICD-10, What to come in 20??

Planning and Optimizing your practice workflow, and e-Prescribing best practices

CHC Session
Patient Centered Medical Home Incentive Programs
Saturday, March 27
8:00am 9:00am - Breakfast with Exhibitors
Session 1a - 10:00am-11:00am
Provider Panel: Hear the experiences of providers who have successfully implemented eCW
What's New at eCW Since Last Year
Session 1b - 10:00am-12:00pm
eBO: The Financial Reports and Dashboards You Can't Live Without
eCW Demonstration of complete EMR & PM module for prospective clients
Session 2 - 11:00am-12:00pm
Tips, Tricks and way to save clicks
NYC Extension Center and how it can help your practice
12:00pm - Conference Adjourns
REGISTRATION FEES
$100 per attendee
Register Now
QUESTIONS?
Contact Lynne Haglund
lynneh@eclinicalworks.com
eClinicalWorks, LLC
Tel: 508-475-0450 X 206
Brooklyn Bridge Marriott
333 Adams Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 246-7000
Rate: $159/night
Friday, March 26, 2010: 8 am - 5:30 pm
Saturday, March 27, 2010: 9 am - 12 pm

eClinicalWorks

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Panasonic:World’s Lightest 12.1” Convertible Tablet PC

This could turn out to be my next work/play pc. It may be pricer than some, but I think the physical durability will be worth it. Share your experience with it here. SV

The 3.2 lb. Panasonic Toughbook C1. It features an array of industry-leading advancements, such as being the first rugged convertible to offer hot-swappable twin batteries for continuous use. The Toughbook C1 is available with a multi-touch + digitizer screen for finger and gesture computing and an electronic stylus. The ergonomic strap and dome cradle the hand for comfortable long-term use. The Toughbook C1 features a unique, durable triple hinge design-- two hinges for opening and closing the screen, and another hinge for rotating the screen into tablet mode.

Panasonic

Monday, March 01, 2010

ONC:popHealth open source tool that automates population health reporting

In addition,to ARRA funds and the recent of the NHIN open source gateway CONNECT, effective open source solutions should help accelerate the use of HIT to improve health care. SV

popHealth is a prototype open source tool that automates population health reporting. popHealth integrates with a provider’s electronic health record (EHR) system to produce summary quality measures on the provider’s patient population and streamlines the reporting of these measures.

Screen Shots

Video