Benjamin Harris

More and more providers understand the key role social determinants play in delivering better health outcomes. AI and predictive analytics can help harness that data for better care and higher reimbursement.

Black Book survey shows that some were wooed by brand names, instead of seeking core functionalities that give ROI – and wish they'd gotten more bang for their buck.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says shedding the legacy paper-based devices will improve privacy and security concerns, and enable better data sharing.  

Three winners and one honorable mention have been announced in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's Certified Health IT Product List Data Challenge. The competitors were tasked to find ways for users of the Certified Health IT Product List to make better use of the granular data it keeps on every technology product that has been approved by ONC. The winners include: ResearchAE. First place winners ResearchAE took their background in developing health IT dataset search engines to map out many of the different realms of data CHPL contains, enabling users to analyze how ONC certified health IT is being used and by whom. The prize was $20,000 Shiro Labs. Shiro Labs claimed runner-up for an application enabling providers to cross-analyze their Medicare Quality Payment Program and CHPL data, helping them see how they are meeting their reporting requirements. The prize was $10,000. Darena Solutions. Darena Solutions also won runner-up for CheckEHR, a program that lets users view which certified criteria different certified health IT modules meet, allowing them to better reach goals like patient engagement or care coordination. The prize was $10,000. Tom Nguyen. Nguyen won an honorable mention for a Google Chrome extension that helps users more easily navigate the CHPL listings. WHY IT MATTERS The CHPL contains a massive amount of very granular data which has only recently been made available in a structured and actionable way. Providers already have to abide by a wide range of standards and regulations, so having easier access to the CHPL data and finding ways to make more efficient use of it will help enable organizations to better use their health IT. Webinar: The EHR App Store Is Open - What Is on the Shelf? THE LARGER TREND As the healthcare technology marketplace evolves, new to health IT start to take bigger roles in the space, providers will continue to roll out new IT services to meet those demands and remain competitive. Being able to make intelligent searches of CHPL data means providers can chart a more informed course though the array of technology options available. ON THE RECORD "This challenge shows that there is more to the CHPL data than meets the eye. It is great to the see the creativity and ingenuity each participant put into their submissions," said Steve Posnack, executive director, office of technology, ONC. Benjamin Harris is a Maine-based freelance writer and and former new media producer for HIMSS Media. Twitter: @BenzoHarris.

Their automated identity proofing process helps providers to adhere to looming government-mandated EPCS verification standards, enabling them to approve or deny prescriptions remotely.

A new Black Book report spotlights emerging trends reshaping IT support, exploring the skills vendors will need and the tools they'll use to meet new demands.

Its Elastic Inference and SageMaker platforms provide health systems with scalable and powerful ways to process large datasets, while the new Comprehend Medical tool delves into unstructured data.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced the winners of a new challenge to develop software for identifying and reporting safety and usability issues in EHRs in a way that doesn’t disrupt clinical workflow. The winning tools aim to make it easy to report IT issues within the healthcare workflow: giving feedback to developers and guiding the formation of best practices. The hope is to targeting usability challenges before they become major problems. Three winners were announced: The James Madison Advisory Group came in first, with a hotkey that allows a clinician to document an issue without leaving their EHR and which simplifies the process of reporting issues. Pegwin, in second place, developed an intuitive reporting system that allows a user to document an issue “in as few as three clicks.” Jared Schwartz and team came in third with a Google Chrome plugin which integrates with common IT ticketing platforms, making it easy to work into existing systems. The winners received $45,000, $25,000, and $10,000 respectively. WHY IT MATTERS Like any software, EHRs sometimes have flaws or malfunctions. An already busy clinician who is trying to manage a full patient load, perform diagnostic work and enter data usually doesn’t have time to document and report safety or usability issues to his or her IT department. Webinar: Improving Patient Matching in your EHR: A Case Study Finding a way to work tools into the care workflow that allow practitioners to capture and share potential safety and usage concerns results in greater efficiency without disrupting a clinical workflow. "Improving the safety of health IT remains an important priority," said Dr. Andy Gettinger, ONC chief clinical officer. "We believe that making it easier for end users to report will help in that goal." THE LARGER TREND EHRs have the potential to be the first point of data capture in a new landscape of precision care. First, though, they need to win over physicians who see them as cumbersome and byzantine replacements to the old pen and paper methods. Some healthcare systems are focusing on identifying those problems and addressing them to enhance the value of their EHR systems. Practitioners are experiencing EHR burnout – something ONC has also recently been working to help combat – where poor usability or other IT safety concerns can have a detrimental impact on effective patient care. ON THE RECORD "Helping reduce the burden of health IT continues to be a key area of focus at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and we anticipate the winning submissions to the Easy EHR Issue Reporting Challenge will help with those efforts," said ONC chief Dr. Don Rucker. Benjamin Harris is a Maine-based freelance writer and and former new media producer for HIMSS Media. Twitter: @BenzoHarris.

The draft plan addresses physician concerns around usability, regulation and note bloat, and aims to help vendors improve their designs to improve productivity and user satisfaction.

The marketplace will enable imaging centers to monetize their data while providing a centralized place for radiologists to browse for specific AI algorithms.