Revenue Cycle

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.

The problem was the web of multiple EMRs that complicated the process and created dramatic variances in the way referrals were processed.

About two-thirds of millennials in revenue cycle jobs are satisfied with their roles, though many said they'd consider other career opportunities.

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.

Recently the first digital currency – redeemable for U.S. dollars – was deposited in physicians’ wallets for improving care and patient satisfaction.

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.

Staff immediately noticed the impact of the systems. They receive significantly fewer mailed checks, which has reduced the time spent to process payments. They also send fewer statements.

A recent article from China Daily stated that IT investment in the country’s hospital system will reach 65.7 billion yuan ($9.47 billion) in 2022, surging 53.5 percent from 2017 and boosting the digitalisation of the Chinese medical system, based on a forecast report by Analysys. The Beijing-based research consultancy’s report also noted that the Hospital Information System has almost achieved full coverage in China’s tertiary hospitals, which is the largest in the country’s three-tier system. Coverage in primary and secondary hospitals, the lowest two tiers, is currently at 80 percent. Statistics from the Chinese Hospital Association indicated that in 2017, hardware investment accounted for 44 percent of total hospital digitalisation investment, while spending on software and services represented 56 percent. Chen Qiaoshan, a medical analyst at Analysys said that software and services as the core of hospital digitalisation will a have higher growth potential than compared to hardware. From 2017 to 2018, 17.43 percent of the country’s hospitals greatly expanded their investment in hospital digitisation, and 29.78 percent slightly increased their investment, showing that in the future, the overall investment into hospital digitisation will continue to rise, according to the same report by Analysys. Webinar: The EHR App Store Is Open - What Is on the Shelf? Based on the latest statistics from HIMSS Analytics, China has 36 EMRAM Stage 6 validated hospitals and 10 EMRAM Stage 7 validated hospitals. EMRAM is the acronym for Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model by HIMSS Analytics, which incorporates methodology and algorithms to automatically score hospitals around the world relative to their Electronic Medical Records (EMR) capabilities. This eight-stage (0-7) model measures the adoption and utilisation of electronic medical record (EMR) functions and Stage 7 represents a remarkable achievement in which paper charts are no longer used.   Huangshi General Hospital in Hubei province and Children’s Hospital of Shanghai are two such hospitals to achieve EMRAM Stage 7 validation in the first quarter of 2018. In the same China Daily article, Qu Jing, another medical analyst at Analysys, said, “Although most hospitals attach great importance to information gathering, they do not have a clear development strategy. Statistics from the Chinese Hospital Association showed that while 97.25 percent of China’s hospitals have a specialised information and technology department, 56.29 percent of them lack thorough digitalization development planning.” Qu also added that hospitals lack regional connectivity, which is important for the development of hospital information platforms, with only 49 percent having a regional information platform.

From the research lab to the bedside to the back office, AI and machine learning are transforming the ways we think about care and how we develop treatments.

Advice for hospitals: Making inroads on blockchain now, with smaller projects that don't involve patient data, can help prepare them for larger opportunities ahead.