Wednesday, July 27, 2011

HIT Symposium in Northern CO - Aims Community College

As part of the Workforce Development program, Aims Community College is hosting an HIT training symposium for physicians and staff on August 12th.

The symposium is a one-day instructional seminar presented by physicians and practitioners for physicians, practice managers and clinicians about the impact of the HITECH act and the shift to Electronic Health Records.

For more information, click here.

National Health IT Coordinator Mostashari Discusses the Future

Upon assuming the helm of the Office of the National Coordinator for health IT in April, Farzad Mostashari, MD, discussed his vision for how IT adoption will transform health care.

In an interview with InformationWeek, Mostashari said, “We're in the deep part of implementation now, and all our programs are hitting on all cylinders. Health care providers are in full swing and I think we have to really focus like a laser beam on excellence in execution.”

To read the full article, click here.

Health IT Boosts Bottom Line For Hospitals

According to a report from Fitch Ratings, hospitals with advanced health IT systems and a high quality of care achieve greater revenue growth, attend to more patients, enjoy a superior reputation for excellence, and are better able to contain costs. The study finds, in part:

"Health care providers are beginning to be able to more accurately measure the benefits of their investment in clinical IT and quality improvement programs on clinical outcomes and operating efficiencies and costs. Properly structured incentive systems, greater accountability, and increased transparency within the health care system have the potential to harness the power of advancements in IT and quality reporting to achieve the goals of health care reform."

To read the article, click here.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

THE Consortium July Webinar: Ongoing Meaningful Use Notes from the Field

Join us for the July Consortium webinar on Thursday, July 21st from 12:00-1:15 pm MT where we will share our on-going notes from the field regarding EHR selection, implementation and general meaningful use best practices.

To register for this webinar, click here.

HRSA Webinar: Tips For Generating and Utilizing Quality Data Reports Using Health IT

Friday , July 22, 2011
12pm to 1:30pm MDT

This webinar focuses on how safety net providers such as healthcenters and rural providers can generate quality reports and utilize this data for improving healthcare outcomes. This webinar’s presenters will demonstrate how they use health IT and/or electronic health records systems as a tool for generating quality reports. Furthermore, these safety net providers will demonstrate how they use their healthcenter or critical access hospital clinical data for successfully coordinating care among provider teams, informing and engaging patients on care decisions, and for improving health quality and outcomes.

The presenters include:
• Kwame Kitson, M.D. Director of Quality Institute of Family Health, New York State
• Margaret Flinter, APRN, PhD, Vice President and Clinical Director, Community Health Center, Connecticut
• Bob DeMarco, RN, MA, BSN, Chief of Quality and Systems Improvement, Springfield Medical Care Systems, Vermont

Registration Link:
http://webcast.streamlogics.com/audience/index.asp?eventid=49799745

Monday, July 18, 2011

Physicians with electronic health records are better able to sort patients by care needs

One of the perks of electronic health records is that they make patient information sortable. All the bits of the information entered into separate boxes on a patient chart can be categorized and filtered.

That gives physicians the power to easily and quickly create lists of patients who, for example, had an abnormal lab test or have complained of nausea after starting on a new prescription.

To read the entire article, click here.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Free Webinar: Release of the 2011 Report on Health Information Exchange

Wednesday, July 20th 1:00pm -2:00pm MDT

eHealth Initiative is hosting a free webinar to present the key findings of the 2011 Report on HIE: The Changing Landscape. The webinar will include discussion about the progress made in the field of health information exchange over the past year and reactions from leading experts in the field of health information exchange.

Featuring:
• Camilla Hull-Brown, Principal and Founder, Strategies for Tomorrow
• Laura Kolkman, President, Mosaica Partners
• And more…

To register, click here.

New FAQs posted to the CMS EHR Website

CMS wants to keep you updated with the latest information about the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. New FAQs on meaningful use, payment information for eligible hospitals, eligibility, and additional information for eligible hospitals have been added to our website. Take a minute and review these new FAQs.

Payment Information for Critical Access Hospitals
• What cost report data elements are used in the EHR incentive payment calculation for Medicare Subsection (d) Hospitals? Read the answer.
• How are Medicare EHR Incentive Payments Calculated for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs)? Read the answer.
• What costs can be included in the CAH's Medicare EHR incentive payment? Read the answer.

Meaningful Use
• If my certified EHR technology is capable of submitting batch files to an immunization registry using the standards adopted by the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (HL7 2.3.1 or 2.5.1, and CVX), is that sufficient to meet the Meaningful Use objective "submit electronic data to immunization registries" for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs? Read the answer.
• If my certified EHR technology only includes the capability to submit information to an immunization registry using the HL7 2.3.1 standard but the immunization registry only accepts information formatted in the HL7 2.5.1 or some other standard, will I qualify for an exclusion because the immunization registry does not have the capacity to receive the information electronically? What if the immunization registry has a waiting list or is unable to test for other reasons but can accept information formatted in HL7 2.3.1, is that still a valid exclusion? Read the answer.

Eligibility
• How does CMS define pediatrician for purposes of the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program? Read the answer.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Hear the Experts Talk about the EHR Incentive Programs

Register Now : National Provider Call on Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program Basics for Eligible Professionals (EPs)

Date: Thursday, July 14
Time : 1:30-3:00pm ET

The call will cover the following topics:
• Are you eligible?
• How much are the incentives and how are they calculated?
• How do you get started?
• What are major milestones regarding participation and payment?
• How do you report on meeting meaningful use?
• Where can you find helpful resources?
• A question and answer session

Registration
To register for this informative session, go to: http://www.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/071411. Registration will close at 1:30 p.m. ET on July 13, 2011, or when available space has been filled. No exceptions will be made, so please be sure to register prior to this time.

Meaningful Use Stage 2 Delay Backed by National Health IT Coordinator Mostashari

Farzad Mostashari, MD, the national health IT coordinator, said he agreed with the suggestion of the Health IT Policy Committee to delay Stage 2 meaningful use until 2014, essentially signaling to the industry that federal policymakers will follow the advisory group's recommendation.

To read the entire article, click here.

Due Diligence When Selecting an EHR or Other HIT Webinar

Thursday, July 14, 12-1:30pm MDT

The Vendor Selection and Due Diligence Process: Electronic Health Record (EHR) acquisition requires a stringent due diligence plan – hear from successful Health Information Technology organizations about what to expect during the selection and contract negotiation process, and gain insights from lessons learned through successful EHR acquisition, adoption, and implementation. This webinar is hosted by National Association of Community Health Centers.

Register for Free Here

National Library of Medicine launches MedlinePlus Connect

The National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has formally launched MedlinePlus Connect. This free service allows health organizations and health information technology (HIT) providers to link patient portals and electronic health record (EHR) systems to MedlinePlus.gov, a trusted source of authoritative, up-to-date health information for patients, families and health care providers.

To read the entire article, click here.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Joint Commission safety goals should be part of EHR certification

The Joint Commission’s 2011 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) for hospitals should be included in electronic health record certification and criteria for meaningful use, say authors of a commentary that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Ideally, addressing the NPSGs should be incorporated into the EHR certification process, requiring each vendor to specifically engineer targeted solutions and each organization to carefully implement and use these systems to improve safety,” wrote Ryan P. Radecki, MD, and Dean D. Sittig, PhD, authors of a commentary that was published in JAMA on July 6.

To read the entire article, click here.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Medscape Modules Now Available on CMS EHR Incentive Programs

CMS is pleased to announce that through Medscape Education, providers now have the opportunity to earn CME credits by learning more about the Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs.

On Medscape's EHR Learning Center website, leading physician experts in medical informatics provide information, resources, and tools to help providers determine eligibility for the EHR Incentive Programs, understand the requirements for participating, take steps to participate, and recognize the immediate benefits of participation and future consequences of not participating.

By completing the module “From Meaningful Use to Meaningful Care,” providers can earn CME credit while gaining a better understanding about the purpose of the EHR Incentive Programs, the stages of meaningful use, a timeline of key dates, and, most importantly, how patients will benefit.

Providers can also use the Medscape Learning Center to determine their comprehension of the EHR Incentive Programs by taking the “Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentives: What Do You Know and Do You Know Enough?” participant self-assessment. By completing the assessment, providers can help to shape the content of future CME activities to best address the educational and clinical performance gaps identified.

The site also offers interviews, in which physician EHR experts explain why it's important to register for the programs and the significance of EHRs to healthcare overall. Expert interviews include:

Registering for the EHR Incentive Program – Ready, Set, Go: An Expert Interview With Jason M Mitchell, MD, and Richard Paula, MD
Are You an Eligible Professional Who Hasn't Registered for the EHR Incentive Program? What Are You Waiting For? – An Expert Interview With William F Bria II, MD

In the next few weeks, new CME modules on meaningful use will also be made available; look out for a message to announce these new learning resources. Membership on Medscape is free, but you must register to view content; you do not have to be a health professional.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Join the MUVment! Meaningful Use Vanguard Program

ONC has developed the Meaningful Use Vanguard EHR Champion Program and is asking for anyone interested to contact their REC partner.

MUVers (members of the MUV program) are champions of EHR adoption and meaningful use that serve as local leaders, advisors and role models in the move toward an electronically-enabled health care system.

MUVers are those that have made the transition to paperless systems, have had success using EHRs in patient care, experienced data exchange, are proficient in more advanced EHR applications and/or interested and willing to share experiences, help peers and educate patients on EHRs.

As a MUVer, you may be asked to share your experiences and best practices, provide case study material for education purposes, be a speaker or spokesperson as part of your REC’s efforts and provide feedback and counsel on topics, tools and materials such as identifying areas for education, evaluation EHR implementation and meaningful use tools, pilot test new EHR applications and advise on EHR gaps.

If you are interested and would like more information, please contact Tracy McDonald, HIT Program Coordinator.