HIMSS NYS Student Informatics Conference

The New York State Chapter of HIMSS is sponsoring the first-ever New York State Student Informatics Conference on November 19, 2010, at the New York Academy of Medicine in Manhattan.

It's estimated the nation will need 51,000 new healthcare I.T. professionals to implement ARRA/HITECH. This conference seeks to nurture and develop tomorrow's HIT professionals locally in New York State.

The event will be focused on work force development with panels comprised of employers (e.g. health care organizations, consulting, EHR vendors), former students now working in HIT, and recruiters.

Registration link

You are invited to participate in one or more of the following opportunities:
• Event sponsor
• Information table
• Recruiter panel (which will discuss what types of job opportunities available and how interested students can best prepare for them)
• Attendee ($40 for non-HIMSS members, $30 for non-HIMSS NYS members; $10 for HIMSS NYS members)

If you are a student, interested in presenting a poster, please contact Devon Dyett (ddyett1@health.nyc.gov)

If you're interested in being an event sponsor, please contact Christopher Harris (chriharris@deloitte.com).

If you're interested in reserving an information table, please contact Pat Bennett
(pbennett@molloy.edu)

If you'd like to participate in the recruiter panel itself, please contact Ken Ong, MD, MPH (kennethrong@gmail.com).

Community Based Information Health Exchange

Mark R. Anderson has written an excellent article on the topic discussing the different levels and participants. SV

HIMSS

NJ REC NJ HITEC Web site launch

Good luck on a noble cause. SV

New Jersey – Health Information Technology Extension Center (NJ-HITEC) is a federally recognized Regional Extension Center located on the campus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The sole purpose of NJ-HITEC is to assist New Jersey primary care providers in the successful adoption, implementation and use of electronic health records systems and to become meaningful users of those healthcare technologies, in order to deliver quality care improvements to New Jersey residents throughout the state.

NJ REC

eHealth Initiative Posts New Positions

Experienced Applicants Encouraged to Apply

The eHealth Initiative (eHI) is growing! We encourage you to take a look at our new job openings and spread the news amongst your colleagues and friends. eHI is a Washington, D.C.-based independent, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare through information technology.
Director of New Business Development
Senior Level Director of Programs
Manager Public Policy
As with all positions at the eHealth Initiative, applicants must have the ability to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. The eHealth Initiative offers an excellent employer paid benefits package (health care, 401K, generous vacation time, flex time) and is an equal opportunity employer.
To view job descriptions or find out more go to http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/careers.html

Geisinger PCMH study



Take away points:

• Decreased Admissions: 18%
  
• Decreased Re-Admissions: 36%
  
• Decreased Costs (not statistically significant, but no increase in costs)
  

American Journal of Managed Care Vol 6, No. 8

North Carolina NCHEX HIE is born

The State Medical Society and others have partnered to assist in this project. SV

The North Carolina Healthcare Exchange (NCHEX) is a voluntary health information exchange (HIE) of hospitals and physician practices sponsored by the North Carolina Hospital Association (NCHA) and the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) to enable healthcare providers across North Carolina to share clinical data with each other to meet Meaningful Use exchange requirements, improve quality and reduce costs. NCHEX builds on the experience and technology of the North Carolina Hospital Surveillance System (NCHESS), created in 2004 as a public-private partnership between NCHA and the North Carolina Division of Public Health (NCDPH) to provide critical data from 114 emergency departments to enable the state to recognize and respond to acts of bioterrorism, disease outbreaks, emerging infections, and other public health emergencies. To date, North Carolina hospitals have exchanged over 115 million records regarding 19 million ED visits using the NCHESS system. NCHEX also uses the proven technology from CareEvolution, who provides HIE services in Indiana and for the South Carolina Health Information Exchange (SCHIEx) to link episodes of care across providers using an easy-to-use interface for caregivers.

CareEvolution is a leading provider of secure health interoperability solutions. HIEBus™ is an award winning health information exchange technology platform that provides links to existing laboratory, pharmacy, EMR, PMIS, and claims management systems to “share” information in a secure, reliable, and incremental manner. HIEBus™ has been used by states and municipalities to leverage existing administrative datasets (Medicaid, UB92, HCFA1500 among others) which are largely electronic to construct a core patient history for entire populations. A web based portal supports authentication, authorization, visualization, and audit of the patient history for Medicaid providers, first responders, emergency and disaster management solution, and non EMR enabled providers.

NYC DOH PCIP August 2010 Bulletin



NYC DOH PCIP August 2010 Bulletin is now available for reading.
Excellent types on Meaningful Use, PCMH and more. SV

Think Cultural Health: Bridging Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health

This a great resource site. Doctors and Nurses can also earn educational credits as they use the material provided. SV

With growing concerns about racial and ethnic disparities in health and the need for health care systems to accommodate increasingly diverse patient populations, cultural competence has become more and more a matter of national concern and attention.

Providers can take the first step to improve the quality of health care services given to diverse populations. By learning to be more aware of their own cultural beliefs and more responsive to those of their patients, providers can think in ways they might not have before. That can lead to self-awareness, and over time, changed beliefs and attitudes that will translate into better health care.

This site, sponsored by the Office of Minority Health, offers the latest resources and tools to promote cultural competency in health care. You may access free online courses accredited for continuing education credit as well as supplementary tools to help you and your organization promote respectful, understandable, and effective care to your increasingly diverse patients.

Think Cultural Health

UHC Ingenix acquires Axolotl

More consolidation in the market crossing several industries.
Will Aetna/Activehealth buy Medicity, InterSystems etc? SV

Eden Prairie, Minn. and San Jose, Calif., August 16, 2010 - Ingenix, a leading health information technology and services company, today announced it is acquiring Axolotl, a leading provider of health information exchange (HIE) services. The combined company will enable health information to be shared effectively and securely for the benefit of patients and health care professionals. The Axolotl management team will remain in place and will lead Ingenix's efforts in health care community connectivity.

HIEs are a critical component of realizing the promise of health care modernization and reform. Currently, exchanging health records, data and information is often paper-based and lags behind the 21st century technologies routinely used in other industries. HIEs allow health information and clinical expertise to be shared as directed by patients in a secure environment among physicians, hospitals, labs and radiology centers at the local, regional and state level. HIEs also enhance clinical decision-making to enable more effective and efficient care for patients.

"HIEs are bringing us closer to the point where all the health care professionals patients select to oversee their care can connect to share information and optimize outcomes," said Andy Slavitt, chief executive officer of Ingenix. "We will work with Axolotl to continue to meet the needs of multiple HIE stakeholders and to expand its technologies that serve health care communities."

Ingenix is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, founded in 1996 to develop, acquire and integrate the world’s best-in-class health care information technology capabilities

AHRQ: Meaningful Use: Patient perspective video

The healthcare reform law calls for the use of technology to reduce costs and improve care. So how will my experience change? The Health IT Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality talks about what healthcare technology upgrades patients should expect to see within the next few years. Jon White also talks about the technology tools that every patient should be using now.

Video link (icyou)

AHRQ

NY eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) REC EHR Summit Series

Fall 2010 EHR SUMMIT

Join physicians, industry leaders, local, state and federal representatives and regional health information exchange organizations for this informative one-day program designed to answer your questions, create dialogue and help you use EHR to grow your practice.

Click Here to go directly to the registration page for the Fall 2010 EHR Summit nearest you.

Who Should Attend:

Whether you’re interested in adopting an EHR for the first time, or are an existing user looking to achieve the federally defined “meaningful use”—the New York eHealth Collaborative can help.

Summit Topic Highlights:

• How and why EHRs are great for your patients and your practice
• How to qualify for up to $63,750 in government incentives
• Hands-on demonstrations of EHR programs
• Question and answer sessions
• Comprehensive examinations of “meaningful use” and how to measure it
• All about the resources available to help you succeed

Day at a Glance:

The event runs from 8am to 3pm – breakfast and lunch will be served. The main morning educational sessions will be broken into two tracks:

For New EHR Adopters:

9:30 – 10:15 am Regional Extension Centers: A Comprehensive EHR Adoption Resource
Guidance for vendor selection, implementation, troubleshooting and beyond

10:15 – 11:00 am EHRs 101
How adopting an EHR impacts your practice

For Advanced EHR Users:

9:30 – 10:15 am Regional Health Information Organizations and the REC
Advanced health information exchange and connecting your EHR to others

10:15 – 11:00 am Advanced Meaningful Use Requirements
A detailed breakdown of meaningful use incentives, objectives and measures

Additional sessions for all attendees during the day include: Patient Privacy, Security and Consent in an Electronic World; vendor exhibits, a panel discussion, patient medication tutorial and EHR product demonstrations.

Locations and Dates:

September 15 Western New York—Adams Mark Hotel, Buffalo
September 16 Finger Lakes North—RIT Inn, Rochester
September 17 Central New York—Doubletree Hotel, Syracuse
September 21 Capital District—Hilton Garden Inn, Troy
September 22 Southern Tier—Traditions at the Glen Resort, Johnson City
September 28 Hudson Valley—Westchester Marriott, Tarrytown
September 30 Long Island—Melville Marriott, Melville

Registration Fees:

Providers and Practice Staff: The registration fee is $20 in advance, $25 for on-site registration

***EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Register at least one month in advance of the summit and pay only $15 per registrant!***

Vendors: The registration fee for non-supporting vendors is $100

Click Here to register for the Fall 2010 EHR Summit nearest you.

CMS EHR Tip Sheets:For Professionals and Hospitals

Get up-to-date and accurate information about the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs from CMS at http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentiveprograms/. Visit the website to get specifics about the program and download our new tip sheets.

Tip Sheet : Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Payments for Eligible Professionals

This tip sheet describes which types of individual practitioners can participate in the Medicaid EHR incentive program. It provides information about Medicaid patient volume requirements and incentive payments.

Now available on the CMS EHR Incentive Programs website http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms. Select the Medicaid Eligible Professional tab on the left, and then scroll to “Downloads.”

Tip Sheet: Medicaid Hospital Incentive Payment Calculations

Learn which hospitals are eligible for Medicaid incentive payments. This sheet provides user friendly information about the factors which impact incentive payment amounts and contains sample payment calculations.

Now available on the CMS EHR Incentive Programs website http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms. Select the Hospitals tab on the left, and then scroll to “Downloads.”

ActiveHealth (Aetna) and IBM Pioneer Cloud Computing Approach to Help Doctors Deliver High Quality, Cost Effective Patient Care


ARMONK - 05 Aug 2010: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and ActiveHealth Management, an Aetna (NYSE: AET) subsidiary, today unveiled a new cloud computing and clinical decision support solution that will enable medical practices, hospitals and states to change the way they deliver healthcare, providing better quality care at a lower cost.
IBM and ActiveHealth Management worked together to create the Collaborative Care Solution that gives physicians and patients access to the information they need to improve the overall quality of care, without the need to invest in new infrastructure.
Patients often have to carry their health history information with them from visit to visit. Doctors don't always have the information they need when they need to quickly make patient care decisions. The Collaborative Care Solution addresses these issues by gathering patients' health data from multiple sources to create a detailed patient record.
The solution employs advanced analytics software to provide an innovative approach to patient care in which physicians can easily access and automatically analyze a patient's condition. By combining information from electronic medical records, claims, medication and lab data with ActiveHealth's evidence-based clinical decision support CareEngine® and delivering it through an IBM cloud computing platform, doctors will be able to deliver more complete and accurate decisions about patient care. This should reduce medical mistakes and unnecessary, costly treatments.

Using Collaborative Care, hospitals and medical practices can achieve the following:

• Connect, analyze and share a wide range of clinical and administrative data from disparate systems and sources via a health information exchange or "health Internet" to reduce errors and inefficiency
• Automate the measurement, tracking and reporting of clinical quality performance at the patient and practice level using the Active CareTeam(SM)
• Improve patient care through the use of evidence-based, clinical decision support powered by the ActiveHealth CareEngine®
• Transform practices and assist them in achieving NCQA Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home status and becoming Accountable Care Organizations
• Engage patients in their care through the use of the MyActiveHealth(SM) patient portal that provides for secure electronic communications between the health team and their patients

ActiveHealth

CDPHP invests one million dollars in Primary Care Medical Homes

Upstate physicians and residents will benefit from this sound investment. SV

ALBANY, N.Y. — In a continued commitment to promote the exchange and use of information within the health care industry while enhancing the quality of care, CDPHP announces a $1M investment in 21 area primary care and pediatric practices to participate in the second phase of the Plan’s medical home initiative. The practices which were chosen by the plan will use this aid to transform their deliver of care and work towards achieving meaningful use criteria.

The pledge comes on the heels of the Health and Human Services (HHS) announcement specifying what physicians and hospitals will have to do to receive a share of up to $27 billion in Medicare incentives for the adoption of electronic health records and other IT initiatives over the next ten years.

CDPHP

HIMSS Blog Launched

CHICAGO (August 2, 2010) – Continuing its focus on improving healthcare delivery through technology, HIMSS launched its new blog. The HIMSS Blog, at http://blog.himss.org/, went live today with a post from HIMSS CEO/President H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, who commented on “Certified EHRs…from Complete to Commodity.” HIMSS staff will provide daily updates to the blog with their personal insight and analysis. Visit the HIMSS Blog at http://blog.himss.org/ to learn more.

HIMSS NYS: Meaningful Use Webinar

Date: 8/19/2010
12:00:00 PM-1:15:00 PM

Registration Information

Description:
Join the New York State Chapter for their upcoming webinar on Meaningful Use!
Webinar Presenters: Nadine Nikas, RN and Dana Stephenson, MPH
Nadine Nikas, RN (Quality Improvement Specialist)Ms. Nikas helps physicians use EHRs to improve the health outcomes of patients and prepares the practices for potential rewards programs. She is a Registered Nurse and holds a BA in Health Sciences from Brooklyn College.
Dana Stephenson, MPH (Quality Improvement Specialist)Ms. Stephenson works with physicians and their staff to implement process and systems improvements that lead to improved quality of care delivery and health outcomes. She has an MPH from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Florida International University

To register for this important webinar, please click on the following link:https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/933774288
Access Code: 933-774-288 Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting Meeting Password: himss123

Consumer PCMH video in Spanish

Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) has made available an educational video in Spanish created by Emmi Solutions. SV

Spanish Video link

CMS Medicare Meaningful Use Payments May begin in May 2011

Since the evidence requires consecutive 90 days of data, you would need to be ready by February 2011. If you have an EHR, call your vendor now to get them to update their systems. If you do not have an EHR, call your local Regional Extensions Centers and get in the queue. SV

CMS