Interoperability
Most accountable care organizations have health information technology in place to improve quality and lower costs, but many say difficulties with data exchange are keeping them from reaching their potential.
The 86th AHIMA Convention & Exhibit, Sept. 27-Oct. 2 in San Diego, promises to offer its biggest technology splash yet. IT will be featured in ways big and small throughout the event.
"Just by having an app on your device, (a cybercriminal) can determine your call history, take your contact list info, if they choose to." That's how vulnerable smartphones, tablets and their mobile ilk actually are, Jim Routh said, and it's not just the devices that chief information security officers like him have to worry about.
National Health IT Week kicked off in Washington, D.C., last week mobilizing throngs of industry health IT leaders, who brought their concerns and recommendations to Capitol Hill. Among their requests? Interoperability standards and Stage 2 reporting flexibility.
The exodus from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT continued on Monday when it announced that Doug Fridsma, MD, is stepping down from his post as chief scientist.
It is a simple question: "Why doesn't electronic health information flow after the nation spent $26 billion on electronic health records?" Suggesting a 10-year timeframe or arguing that there is progress if you look hard enough just doesn't answer it.
"Freshness" is a word you often hear in the food business. But given the amount of change underway in healthcare, and given how pressure can take a toll on staff members, you could say it's a concern for health IT managers, too.
HIMSS delegates from states across the country are heading up to Capitol Hill Thursday with three "asks" for health IT. They've discussed in several private committee meetings how they would approach the lawmakers or -- in several cases -- the lawmakers' staffers.
Texas Health is hardly the only hospital or health network that struggles to convince the CEO, CFO or other board members just how critical funding security initiatives and technologies really is, but it did use a unique approach to get their attention.
You might say the CIO and IT team at Harrisburg Medical Center are hands on. When it came to tackling the toughest piece of meaningful use Stage 2, they added a staff member to connect with patients at home.