Do We Need More or Less Healthcare IT Regulation and Legislation?
Just as I clarified last week in my post about Certification, the answer to the question “do we need more or less healthcare IT regulation and legislation” is that we need the right amount of the right regulations/legislation.Sometimes when clinicians prescribe medication, although it does therapeutic good, it creates side effects which need to be addressed by changing a dose or by adding additional medications.Such is the case with HITECH. It was generally good medicine, but now that we’ve seen the side effects on workflow, clinician burden, and efficiency, there needs to be a dose adjustment.I was recently a...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - July 13, 2016 Category: Information Technology Source Type: blogs
CMS Receives Hundreds of Comments to include CME in MACRA
With the nearly 4,000 comments now in for the proposed MACRA rule, we are taking a look at what organizations had to say about including Continuing Medical Education (CME) as a Clinical Practice Improvement Activity (CPIA) under the new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Across the board, medical organizations and physicians were extremely supportive of including CME as a CPIA and strongly encouraged CMS to include CME-related language in the final rule. For example, an article by MeetingsNet highlights the hundreds of comments submitted describing the value of CME. As suggested by the CME Coalition's comments, ...
Source: Policy and Medicine - July 12, 2016 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
Physicians go flatline on EHR enthusiasm
In a new study, physicians' enthusiasm levels for EHR's seem to resemble this EKG:Do physicians really experience a satisfaction 'J-curve' with EHRs? Max Green July 6, 2016 http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/do-physicians-really-experience-a-satisfaction-j-curve-with-ehrs.html There's a school of thought about EHR adoption that suggests physicians experience an initial decrease in their positive perceptions of the technology, but over time those levels creep back up and ultimately surpass their pre-implementation perceptions. But does that J-curve actually exists f...
Source: Health Care Renewal - July 8, 2016 Category: Health Management Tags: Becker ' s Hospital Review EPIC healthcare IT dissatisfaction JAMIA Max Green Source Type: blogs
Focusing on Primary Care for Better Health
By ANDY SLAVITT
In the United States, we have historically invested far more in treating sickness than we do in maintaining health. The result of this imbalance is not only poorer health, but more money spent in institutions, hospitals, and nursing homes.
The road to a better health care system means correcting this imbalance. We should reinvest in what we value — primary care — as a practice, as a profession, and as an abundant resource for patients. In recent years, we have begun taking a number of meaningful steps to begin this reinvestment process. Today, we are proposing significant actions to improve how we pay p...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 7, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Applying Minecraft Lessons to Healthcare
Isaac S. Kohane has a great article on STAT which talks about what the healthcare system can learn from Minecraft. As my 3 children addictively play with Minecraft behind me, I was particularly intrigued by what healthcare could learn from Minecraft. Isaac does a great job creating the comparison:
From outside the door to their command and control center, I discreetly observed the team, taking care not to disturb them. They stared intently at the moonlit landscape littered with hidden traps and vertiginous fjords displayed on the large console in front of them, tracking their own progress and that of 10 other far-flung t...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - July 7, 2016 Category: Information Technology Authors: John Lynn Tags: Digital Health EHR Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR HealthCare IT Figure 1 Isaac S. Kohane Minecraft Source Type: blogs
E-Patient Update: Don’t Give Patients Needless Paperwork
Recently, I had an initial appointment with a primary care practice. As I expected, I had a lot of paperwork to fill out, including not only routine administrative items like consent to bill my insurer and HIPAA policies, but also several pages of medical history.
While nobody likes filling out forms, I have no problem with doing so, as I realize that these documents are very important to building a relationship with a medical practice. However, I was very annoyed by what happened later, when I was ushered back into the clinical suite.
Despite my having filled out the extensive checklist of medical history items, I was as...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - July 6, 2016 Category: Information Technology Authors: Anne Zieger Tags: EHR Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR Healthcare Healthcare Business Healthcare Communication HealthCare IT Patients e-Patient Medical Groups Medication Lists Patient Forms Practice Management Primary Care Source Type: blogs
An Alternative Proposal on Certification
By JOHN HALAMKA, MD
Some have suggested that my comments over the past few months about the Meaningful Use program, MACRA/MIPS, and Certification imply that we should just give up – throw out the baby with the bath water.
That’s not what I’ve written.
Here’s a clarification.
I believe MACRA/MIPS is the right trajectory – create a set of desirable policy outcomes, then enable clinicians to choose technology, quality measures, and process improvements that are relevant to their practice.
Although the current MACRA formula is overly complex, it’s the right idea and I’m confident that CMS will revise the ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 6, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
An Alternative Proposal For Certification
By JOHN HALAMKA, MD
Some have suggested that my comments over the past few months about the Meaningful Use program, MACRA/MIPS, and Certification imply that we should just give up – throw out the baby with the bath water.
That’s not what I’ve written.
Here’s a clarification.
I believe MACRA/MIPS is the right trajectory – create a set of desirable policy outcomes, then enable clinicians to choose technology, quality measures, and process improvements that are relevant to their practice.
Although the current MACRA formula is overly complex, it’s the right idea and I’m confident that CMS will revise the ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 6, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
An Alternative Proposal for Certification
Some have suggested that my comments over the past few months about the Meaningful Use program, MACRA/MIPS, and Certification imply that we should just give up - throw out the baby with the bath water.That’s not what I’ve written.Here’s a clarification.I believe MACRA/MIPS is the right trajectory - create a set of desirable policy outcomes, then enable clinicians to choose technology, quality measures, and process improvements that are relevant to their practice.Although the current MACRA formula is overly complex, it’s the right idea and I’m confident that CMS will revise the notice of proposed rulemaking approp...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - July 6, 2016 Category: Information Technology Source Type: blogs
CMS + MIPS/APM = Death of the Private Practice Physician
By NIRAN AL-AGBA
Small, independent private practices are closing, increasing numbers of physicians are retiring early, and fewer medical school graduates are choosing primary care. The old-fashioned practice my father and I have built is a dying entity. Parents say coming to see us for an appointment feels more like a visit with a friend than a medical encounter. I am fighting for the subsistence of rural primary care practices. Most will not survive MACRA proposed changes to the reimbursement structure.
Seven days ago, I attended an “informational listening session,” sponsored by the Center for Medicare and...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 5, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized CMS MACRA Reporting Small Practice Source Type: blogs
MACRA Comment: CMS + MIPS/APM = Death of the Private Practice Physician
By NIRAN AL-AGBA
Small, independent private practices are closing, increasing numbers of physicians are retiring early, and fewer medical school graduates are choosing primary care. The old-fashioned practice my father and I have built is a dying entity. Parents say coming to see us for an appointment feels more like a visit with a friend than a medical encounter. I am fighting for the subsistence of rural primary care practices. Most will not survive MACRA proposed changes to the reimbursement structure.
Seven days ago, I attended an “informational listening session,” sponsored by the Center for Medicare and...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 5, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized CMS MACRA Reporting Small Practice Source Type: blogs
How to End MACRA, Meaningful Use and ONC Certified EHRs Programs/Mandates
By HAYWARD ZWERLING, MD
While the Federal Government’s promotion of EHRs via the HITECH act has been successful at increasing the prevalence of EHRs, their continued advocacy of Certified EHRs, Meaningful Use (MU) mandates and MACRA seriously impedes innovation in health information technology realms. For this reason, I think it is time for our Federal politicians to alter provisions of the HITECH ACT so as to end all legal mandates resulting in Certified EHRs, MU and MACRA.
Unfortunately most medical societies have been complicit with the Federal Government / ONC by making encouraging public statements about the evoluti...
Source: The Health Care Blog - July 2, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: OP-ED Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
The Physician’s Case For Trump
By ANISH KOKA, MD
Brexit has been hailed as a turning point in the history of Western Democracy by a collection of liberal and conservative elites that decry the vote of a disenchanted and ignorant populace. The greatest threat to democracy in the modern age turn out to be the very same people that make up the democracy. We are told these are the same forces that propel Donald Trump forward. It is a convenient narrative that extinguishes any real debate on policy. If you support Brexit or Donald Trump you are an uninformed, xenophobic bigot. Yet here I am – an Indian immigrant, a physician, and a lifelong d...
Source: The Health Care Blog - June 30, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Anish Koka newtag Source Type: blogs
Despite reluctance, technology can make physicians better
Tue, 6/28/2016 - 11:06amCorepoint Health0 Comments var addthis_config = {ui_click: true,data_track_clickback: true,data_ga_social: true,data_ga_property: "UA-317164-6"}; Originally from: http://www.nytimes.com/
"'People confuse information automation with creating the kind of work environment where productivity and creativity can flourish,' said Dr. David J. Brailer... 'And so little has gone into changing work so far.'"
As technology and EMR usage grows in healthcare practices, many doubt the financial reward and increase in patient quality. Common to most physician situations, technology was forced...
Source: NeoTool Healthcare IT Blog - June 28, 2016 Category: Information Technology Authors: corepointhealth Source Type: blogs
Where will health IT innovation come from?
When my father died three years ago, my comments at his funeral noted that the greatest aspiration any of us can have is to make a difference in the world. My father’s life made a difference.
I’m always self-critical and analyzing my own life. I moved to Boston 20 years ago this month. In those 20 years of service to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard, numerous federal organizations, international governments, and industry, I’m hopeful that I’ve laid a foundation for 20 more years of trying to make a difference. It’s hard to forecast the best path to have an impact on the health ca...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 24, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: John Halamka, MD Tags: Tech Health IT Source Type: blogs
