Interoperability
Healthcare IT insiders regard interoperability as the key to effective health information exchange, and some might say, the hardest to pin down thus far. Industry leaders agree there can be no true exchange without interoperability. How can healthcare transformation occur unless doctor A's EHR can process the information received from doctor B's EHR?
Described by one participant as "the greatest assembly of engineering talent in one room," the IHE North American Connectathon strove hard to advance healthcare interoperability to new levels during demonstrations held in January.
Multiple models of health information exchange are at work, with varying degrees of success. At least one critic calls the nationwide network of HIEs an "unmitigated disaster," while proponents in the trenches say it will take time for the the systems and standards to mature, and also to work through some very complicated issues, policy and governance among them.
Anyone who understands the importance of continuity of care knows that health information exchange is essential. How are we supposed to cut waste and duplication from the healthcare system and truly focus on patient welfare if doctor B has no idea what tests doctor A conducted, or what the results were?
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) announced late Tuesday that its board has selected Colorado Health Medical Group's Russell P. Branzell to serve as its new president and chief executive officer.
The business value for providers and patients is what will drive health information exchange forward, even though most discussions typically center on the technology involved. And different uses for exchange will require different technologies.
Healthcare data breach numbers not only continue to trend upwards but they are also costing the industry a pretty penny, according to a recent report conducted by privacy research firm Ponemon Institute.
Watertown, Mass.-based athenahealth, a provider of cloud-based EMRs, announced recently it would acquire San Mateo, Calif.-based Epocrates, a mobile health company known for its point-of-care medical apps. athenahealth will pay about $293 million in cash. It's a match hailed by the executives of both companies, and also by industry analysts, as a smart move for athenahealth.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has begun listening sessions to identify and understand the experience and barriers of organizations as they prepare to scale up health information exchange.
The most eagerly awaited -- if not anxiety-laden -- set of regulations in the healthcare spectrum arrived January 17: HHS issued modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement and Breach Notification Rules. The man charged with enforcing the rules said they represent "sweeping changes."