Tom Sullivan
With its second annual meetup around the corner, the open source custodial agent has been undertaking some massive projects, such as unifying the VistA code base. CEO Seong Mun discusses that effort, VistA at the state level, and more.
At least one major vendor disputes the fear that software won't be ready. But it's still too early to tell whether smaller computer-assisted coding, EHR, practice management and revenue cycle software makers will arrive at ICD-10 on time -- and what will happen if they don't.
Farzad Mostashari, MD has said he intends to step down from the national coordinator post this fall. Mostashari spent four years with ONC, first as a deputy national coordinator, then taking over as the national coordinator in 2011. Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made the announcement in a letter to HHS staff.
HHS Secretary Sebelius, in an internal memo to staff, highlighted the ONC chief's accomplishments during the last four years.
They get one year to solve complex problems. And then, whether they fail or succeed wildly, the HHSentrepreneurs such as Zac Jiwa and his brethren are cut loose. Jiwa discusses the obstacles and opportunities.
In our Q&A, we ask Sivak, CTO at the Department of Human Services, about disrupting the traditional model of getting things done -- or not -- inside the federal government.
Sivak is working on innovations that will be applicable to many departments of the federal government, including lean methodologies, hackable hardware, and a veritable treasure chest of data.
Averill discusses the surprising resistance to ICD-10, widespread misperceptions, how another delay could enter the legislative discourse, and reasons that physicians are not dying to their hands on the coming code set's more granular data.
Following last week's call from Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to pause the meaningful use program and determine whether "the bar is too low," a federal hearing Wednesday included testimony from providers and a tech vendor who recommended expanding the timeline because the next phase is overly-prescriptive and threatens to hinder hospitals.
Richard Averill of 3M Health Information Systems counters the jokes about macaws, lampposts, and subsequent encounters by explaining that even the seemingly senseless codes exist for a reason.