Tom Sullivan
A softly-whispered rumor may soon be coming true: Evidence is mounting that the VA and DoD are gearing up to use 3M’s Health Data Dictionary as a cornerstone of the joint iEHR and, in turn, make it freely available to the industry.
Every week, it seems, the Department of Health and Human Services or a related federal agency kicks off a new developer contest or publicly declares another winner – largely in the spirit of engaging the American people by asking for their help in finding innovative new technologies.
Heather Haugen, vice president of research at the Breakaway Group, a Xerox subsidiary, discusses some opportunities created by the ICD-10 delay in terms of clinical documentation and alignment with EHRs, controlling coders' learning curves and addressing anticipated productivity loss following the compliance deadline.
Heather Haugen, the Breakaway Group's vice president of research, explains how the healthcare industry has to change for ICD-10.
HL7 – not just for IT anymore. That thinking is the catalyst behind a triptych of recent moves designed to open the standards process to more health professionals, notably caregivers.
No longer a pilot in any regard but name, the Nationwide Health Information Exchange is ready to enter a new phase as a non-federal, nonprofit entity enabling public-private interoperability and data exchange.
Kaveh Safavi, managing director of Accenture's North America health industry unit, discusses what the ICD-10 delay means to healthcare entities, just how far behind the industry really is and whether 2014 will really be the final deadline.
With some federal agency either launching or crowning the winner of a new developer contest seemingly every week these days, Wil Yu, HHS special assistant of innovations and research and director of ONC's SHARP program, discusses the challenges' true value -- and explains what happens after the winners collect their prizes.
The America Competes Act enabled HHS and its offices -- ONC, CMS, the Surgeon general -- to hold developer contests that essentially crowdsource health IT. Now that these events are rolling out regularly, federal agencies are working to pave pathways more valuable than any check that winner's collect.
As the Supreme Court hearings are getting under way, John Graham discusses why the individual mandate does not work in Massachusetts, and some inherent contradictions in the health reform law.