healthsystemcio.com » HITECH

Blumenthal Done at ONC

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:10:49 +0000

David Blumenthal, M.D., has resigned as the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, according to a report from Kaiser Health News. He will leave this spring and return to Harvard University. No word of a successor has been announced.

Source: Blumenthal Done at ONC on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Dancing to the HITECH Tune

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:59:25 +0000

I like my independence, which is perhaps why I started my own company earlier this year. Sure, in a sense, I work for my customers, and they essentially take the role of my former bosses, but it really is quite different. When you have a boss, you don’t get to say no (without usually suffering [...]

Source: Dancing to the HITECH Tune on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Barriers to Meaningful Use with Modular Certification

Brian Ahier — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:16:04 +0000

The ONC has given guidance which is adding more roadblocks for hospitals and health systems working to become meaningful users of EHRs. As I posted on the ONC blog, they have published on the ONC website an FAQ stating that hospitals must have EHRs that have been certified against all 24 objectives of meaningful use, not just [...]

Source: Barriers to Meaningful Use with Modular Certification on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

A Physics Lesson for Healthcare

dmmorreale — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:26:48 +0000

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” Martin Luther King once said. The Healthcare delivery system is on the verge of change. It will take hard work from all of us to us to make it happen. I like to look at it terms of structure and change. Structure being the underlying construct of the healthcare system and change the process by which we struggle to manifest a new delivery model. The federal Government has outlined a structure.

Source: A Physics Lesson for Healthcare on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One-w/HealthEast Care System VP & CIO Mac McClurkan, Chapter 4

Anthony Guerra — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:14:20 +0000

For Mac McClurkan, managing vendor relationships isn’t all that complicated — set clear expectations and then hold everyone involved to the highest levels of accountability. With such clarity going in, it’s hard for either party to feel wronged. Well along on his CPOE journey at HealthEast, McClurkan has other fish to fry, such as attaining [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One-w/HealthEast Care System VP & CIO Mac McClurkan, Chapter 4 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Quality Workgroup Cautioned to Tread Lightly

Anthony Guerra — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:26:48 +0000

The HIT Policy Committee's Quality Workgroup should take a less-is-more approach to developing Meaningful Use Stage 2 and 3 reporting requirements, according to committee member and Epic Systems Corporation CEO Judy Faulkner. "I am nervous that the government is going to get into the EHR design business," said Faulkner, who spoke following the workgroup's presentation to the full committee. "In many cases, Group A likes something, but Group B doesn’t, and perhaps Group C doesn’t like it either — I worry that we are becoming Group A and expecting Groups B, C and D to like what we did."

Source: Quality Workgroup Cautioned to Tread Lightly on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CHIME: Bigger Are Better Positioned for MU

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:10:36 +0000

Expectations for achieving Meaningful Use and qualifying for incentive payments vary depending on the type of healthcare organization and its size, according to a recent CHIME survey. For example, 38 percent of CIO respondents from academic medical centers expect to qualify for stimulus funding within the first six months, compared with only 22 percent of CIOs at community hospitals.

Source: CHIME: Bigger Are Better Positioned for MU on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Do Integration Technologies Need to be Certified?

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:15:36 +0000

Dear HISPros: I’m very confused about ONC’s certification requirements – if my EMR is certified, but the data goes through an interfacing technology or data warehouse before reaching a third party or CMS, am I still qualified to receive Meaningful Use dollars? This is a very interesting question and I am sure we will hear more on this as there are so many possible permutations of vendors and systems in a “best of breed” hospital IT shop.

Source: Do Integration Technologies Need to be Certified? on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One-w/HealthEast Care System VP & CIO Mac McClurkan, Chapter 1

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:45:36 +0000

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One-w/HealthEast Care System VP & CIO Mac McClurkan, Chapter 1 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Ministry Health Care & Affinity Health System CIO Will Weider, Chapter 2

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:05:34 +0000

Outside healthcare IT, Wisconsin is known for cheese, cows and the Green Bay Packers; inside, it’s known as Epic country. And while the vendor calls most of Wisconsin’s health systems its clients, Affinity Health System and Ministry Health Care (now part of the same organization) are not one of them. That leaves the system’s CIO, [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Ministry Health Care & Affinity Health System CIO Will Weider, Chapter 2 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One on One w/WellSpan Health VP & CIO Hal Baker, M.D., Chapter 2

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:39:21 +0000

Hal Baker doesn’t boast the typical CIO resume, one with a deep background in applications and infrastructure management. But what he does posses might be even more crucial for success in today’s HITECH word, with its focus on the implementation of advanced clinical systems. That’s because Baker is an M.D. — and one who has [...]

Source: PODCAST: One on One w/WellSpan Health VP & CIO Hal Baker, M.D., Chapter 2 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Fremont Area Medical Center Director of Hospital IS (CIO) Richard Beran, Chapter 3

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:24:23 +0000

Almost overnight, it seems, the qualifications for being considered a top CIO have changed. No longer do you get a pat on the back for successfully implementing a hospital information system, supporting EMR installations in affiliated practices or even achieving high levels of CPOE and clinician engagement. Now, that’s all stakes to play. Today, you’ve [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Fremont Area Medical Center Director of Hospital IS (CIO) Richard Beran, Chapter 3 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CCHIT/Drummond Become First ONC-ATCBs

Anthony Guerra — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:54:17 +0000

CCHIT has been recognized by ONC as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) for EHRs. It is authorized to offer HHS certification for complete EHRs that meet all of the Stage 1, 2011/2012 HHS/ONC criteria, as well as certification for modular EHR products that meet one or more – but not all – of [...]

Source: CCHIT/Drummond Become First ONC-ATCBs on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

healthsystemCIO.com SnapSurvey: CIOs Feeling the HITECH Heat

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:42:58 +0000

While almost all CIOs think the effect of HITECH on their careers will be positive, more than 65 percent say fulfilling its mandates will have the opposite effect on their personal lives and health. And an almost equal percentage feel that overwork brought on by the government-driven mandates will damage their family relationships. In what [...]

Source: healthsystemCIO.com SnapSurvey: CIOs Feeling the HITECH Heat on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

The Great Attestation Temptation

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:45:58 +0000

“For you it will be $7 and, well, there’s no charge for children under one,” said the gate attendant at the town pool my sister belongs to. “Well, the young tike is almost there, but not quite,” I replied, almost reflexively grasping for the bargain, though my son is almost 13 months. I then spent [...]

Source: The Great Attestation Temptation on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CHIME Issues EHR Implementation Guide for CIOs

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:32:01 +0000

CHIME has released a detailed guide on the implementation of EHRs, which covers all steps from initial planning through the final documentation of results. On Wednesday, August 25 at 1 p.m. EST, CHIME will conduct a public webinar, highlighting some of the guide's key findings. The webinar will feature insights from guide contributor Edward Marx, CIO of Texas Health Resources, who will be on hand to discuss key premises and answer questions. To register now, click here.

Source: CHIME Issues EHR Implementation Guide for CIOs on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Providence Health & Services (Washington Region) CIO Curt Kwak, Chapter 3

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:23:28 +0000

Integrity-based leadership may be something talked up in executive training sessions, but it’s put into practice by Curt Kwak, CIO of the Washington Region at Providence Health & Services. And the qualities of transparency, honesty and fairness which are so close to Kwak’s heart have come in handy as he says goodbye to incumbent vendors [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Providence Health & Services (Washington Region) CIO Curt Kwak, Chapter 3 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CMS MU Seminar Answers (and Raises) Questions

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:38:29 +0000

As part of an effort to clear up lingering questions about its program to financially reward Meaningful Users of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) held a session of its Education Series for Providers, specifically, this time, for hospitals. But while the session provided much detail around many aspects of the program, the Q&A after it resulted in a few "we'll have to get back to you" answers from CMS representatives.

Source: CMS MU Seminar Answers (and Raises) Questions on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Concord Hospital CIO Deane Morrison, Chapter 2

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:21:29 +0000

With the government piling on its Meaningful Use regulations, healthcare CIOs are under a lot of pressure to bring home the incentive bacon. For some, relaxation takes on traditional forms such as vacationing, biking or running. But Deane Morrison is no regular CIO. When he wants to decompress, it’s time to scale a mountain, perhaps [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Concord Hospital CIO Deane Morrison, Chapter 2 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Concord Hospital CIO Deane Morrison, Chapter 1

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:30:57 +0000

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Concord Hospital CIO Deane Morrison, Chapter 1 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

DARPA for Healthcare: An EMR Shootout

Dale Sanders — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:40:04 +0000

Building on a recent post about Peter Orszag's resignation, and stimulus funding for healthcare IT...As long as we're throwing money around by the billions... If I were Dr. Blumenthal, I’d dangle $500M ala DARPA in front of Amazon, Google, Nintendo, Facebook, salesforce, eBay– or any other capable body– and sponsor a shoot out: Build an inpatient/outpatient EMR and financial management system that will rock our world.

Source: DARPA for Healthcare: An EMR Shootout on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

SnapSurvey: CIOs OK With MU, But Concerned About Peers

Anthony Guerra — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:50:42 +0000

An overwhelming majority of CIOs are both pleased with how public comments impacted the final Meaningful Use regulation and optimistic about their ability to meet it, according to the July healthsystemCIO.com SnapSurvey; however a majority of those same CIOs thought it far less likely that the “average” hospital will make the grade. And the apparent [...]

Source: SnapSurvey: CIOs OK With MU, But Concerned About Peers on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Meaningful Use Training Targets Next Steps

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:13:50 +0000

After working for more than a year to develop its Meaningful Use and Certification rules, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) are focused on ensuring healthcare providers know how to enroll in the soon-to-be-launched incentive program. In a “free training” session held [...]

Source: Meaningful Use Training Targets Next Steps on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Can Today’s EMRs Handle MU Reporting?

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:30:24 +0000

Can current EMR systems produce the kinds of reports that will be required to demonstrate Meaningful Use? If not, where does that leave providers? HIS Pros Says: The temporary EHR certification rule released by ONC requires certified systems to be capable of reporting the numerator, denominator and percentage for each measure detailed by CMS in the final meaningful use rule. (See §170.302(n) in the certification rule). This requirement was not in the proposed rule and was added as a response to numerous comments urging ONC to include requirements that reduce the burden on provider organizations to evaluate and demonstrate compliance with the percentage measures, as well as increase the accuracy and reliability of provider reporting.

Source: Can Today’s EMRs Handle MU Reporting? on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Inova Health System SVP & CIO Geoff Brown, Chapter 3

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:49:08 +0000

Though HITECH may have some questioning their physician integration strategy — especially the part about underwriting EMRs using the Stark relaxations — it hasn’t deterred Inova Health and its CIO Geoff Brown one bit. In fact, Brown thinks strengthening those key relationships is more important than ever. Heartened by the industry’s move towards standards and [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Inova Health System SVP & CIO Geoff Brown, Chapter 3 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CMS on Meaningful Use: 1 Stage Down, 2 to Go

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:30:47 +0000

Much of what will become Meaningful Use Stage 2 can be found in the recently released Stage 1, according to comments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Tony Trenkle, who spoke during this month's HIT Policy Committee meeting. Meaningful Use Stage 2, he said, will expand on Stage 1 by making the current "menu" set part of future core requirements. Trenkle, director of the CMS Office of e-Health Standards and Services, said the organization also wanted to get certain administrative requirements — which were included in the NPRM but dropped from the final regulation— along higher CPOE levels, into Stage 2.

Source: CMS on Meaningful Use: 1 Stage Down, 2 to Go on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CHIME: MU Better, Not Perfect

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:44:25 +0000

While pleased with some aspects of the final Meaningful Use Stage 1 rule, CHIME still views it as "an aggressive target for the majority of the nation’s hospitals," according to an early analysis by the organization. Additionally, CHIME is predicting that many hospitals will have a difficult time qualifying for stimulus funding in subsequent stages of the incentive program, "as objectives increase in number and become harder to meet, and as other aspects of the stimulus program become more challenging."

Source: CHIME: MU Better, Not Perfect on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Lost in the Meaningful Use Forest

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:01:36 +0000

All good managers know the key to getting optimal performance is not issuing prescriptive directives but communicating high-level goals, allowing the magical properties of ownership to foster a positive outcome. When people are told what needs to be done (treated like adults) they act like adults, think creatively, go beyond the minimum and often produce [...]

Source: Lost in the Meaningful Use Forest on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Flexibility Embraced in Final MU Regs

Anthony Guerra — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:59:59 +0000

The final Meaningful Use regulations issued today by the Department of Health and Human Services jettison a proposed all-or-nothing program in favor of a more flexible approach. According to the HITECH Act — part of the massive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — healthcare providers and hospitals are eligible for stimulus monies if they become meaningful users of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. The program — which offers eligible professionals up to $44,000 under Medicare and $63,750 under Medicaid, and hospitals millions — has been developed by HHS/CMS and ONC over the last 14 months. Based on how many providers quality, the federal tab could range from $9.7 to $27.4 billion, according to CMS.

Source: Flexibility Embraced in Final MU Regs on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Inova Health System SVP & CIO Geoff Brown, Chapter 1

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:10:45 +0000

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Inova Health System SVP & CIO Geoff Brown, Chapter 1 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/St. Claire Regional Medical Center VP of IS & CIO Randy McCleese, Chapter 2

Anthony Guerra — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:26:57 +0000

After 14 years with St. Claire Regional Medical Center, you might think Randy McCleese has done it all, but you’d be wrong. That’s because the CIO is just now embarking on a new core clinical install with a vendor he hasn’t worked with before — Meditech. And McCleese isn’t dipping his toe into the Meditech [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/St. Claire Regional Medical Center VP of IS & CIO Randy McCleese, Chapter 2 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CHIME Concerned w/Elements of Temporary Certification

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:14:05 +0000

Stage 1 Meaningful Use certification criteria may change even after the "final" regulations are issued sometime this summer, necessitating the ongoing need to certify HIT products for the foreseeable future, according to CHIME's interpretation of the ONC Temporary Certification Program. In what it found to be a positive development, the authorized testing and certification bodies recognized by ONC (ONC-ATCBs) can not require that integrated bundled EHRs or EHR modules be certified to a higher set of standards than the certification criteria set by the ONC.

Source: CHIME Concerned w/Elements of Temporary Certification on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/OhioHealth System VP & CIO Michael Krouse, Chapter 2

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:38:47 +0000

Just like any multi-hospital health system, OhioHealth’s 16 facilities are measuring up differently when it comes to besting ONC’s Meaningful Use bar. And while CIO Michael Krouse says all 16 facilities many not qualify for every HITECH dollar, he’s supremely confident of avoiding the government’s penalty sticks. To learn more about how the Stimulus program [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/OhioHealth System VP & CIO Michael Krouse, Chapter 2 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CPOE Systems Fail Leapfrog Test

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:27:26 +0000

CPOE systems, on average, missed one half of routine medication order errors and a third of potentially fatal order errors during a study The Leapfrog Group conducted of 214 hospitals using its Web-based simulation tool. Leapfrog CEO Leah Binder characterized the results as "disturbing." On a positive note, of the 102 hospitals that retook the test following a six-month interval, 94 percent showed some level of improvement. During the time between tests, hospitals adjusted their systems and protocols, said Binder.

Source: CPOE Systems Fail Leapfrog Test on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/ El Camino Hospital CIO Greg Walton, Chapter 3

Anthony Guerra — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:08:28 +0000

Implementing a few clinical systems isn’t going to get you applause at El Camino Hospital. That’s because the organization has “been there, done that,” implementing the first CPOE system some 40 years ago. Considering that tough crowd, the CIO role isn’t for newcomers, and Greg Walton is no newcomer. With 40 years in the business [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/ El Camino Hospital CIO Greg Walton, Chapter 3 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One-w/Norton Healthcare System VP of IS & CIO Joseph DeVenuto, Chapter 2

Anthony Guerra — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:42:24 +0000

If you thought CIOs merely had to surmount the Stage 1 Meaningful Use bar to be successful, you’d be very wrong. That’s because the government has just begun enacting the massive mandates it’s planned for healthcare. Specifically, there’s a little conversion called ICD-10 that will run parallel with the mid-stages of HITECH and take more [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One-w/Norton Healthcare System VP of IS & CIO Joseph DeVenuto, Chapter 2 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/OhioHealth System VP & CIO Michael Krouse, Chapter 1

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:01:34 +0000

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/OhioHealth System VP & CIO Michael Krouse, Chapter 1 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Peter Orszag’s Resignation: Why CIOs Should Care

Dale Sanders — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:21:30 +0000

Before I levy my criticisms on Orszag and the mess that his philosophies will leave behind for healthcare CIOs, you need to understand that I’m as politically liberal as they come. I voted for Obama and celebrated in Grant Park when he was elected. However, while I’m a spendthrift with my money, I’m a tightwad [...]

Source: Peter Orszag’s Resignation: Why CIOs Should Care on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

HI(TECH) Anxiety – Part II

Marc Holland — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:36:31 +0000

I had planned on including an expanded version of my June 5th post (HI(TECH) Anxiety) in the upcoming edition of SRS’ QuickHITs monthly newsletter. So in doing some additional research, I came across some interesting websites and facts that I thought I would share with www.healthsystemcio.com readers. First of all, the readership of www.healthsystemcio.com not [...]

Source: HI(TECH) Anxiety – Part II on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Privacy & Security Tiger Team Hunts Balance

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:45:39 +0000

The HIT Policy Committee's new Privacy and Security Tiger Team workgroup is striving to establish the requirements that intermediaries in personal health information (PHI) message transactions will be subject to. Under HIPAA, parties which have access to PHI are deemed covered entities (CEs), required to establish business associate agreements (BAAs) which obligate them to handle the data in certain ways. With the rise of health information exchange under the HITECH Act, the Office of the National Coordinator created the Tiger Team to provide it with guidance in governing health information organizations (HIOs) — or third-party intermediaries which have varying degrees of involvement with the messages.

Source: Privacy & Security Tiger Team Hunts Balance on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Overlake Hospital Medical Center VP of IS & CIO Jody Albright, Chapter 1

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:45:35 +0000

When Jody Albright took the IT reins at Overlake Hospital in December 2008, she had no idea industry-changing legislation was only a month away. And while HITECH has certainly accelerated some of her plans, Albright never expected the job to be a walk in the park. That’s because Overlake was in need of some heavy-duty [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Overlake Hospital Medical Center VP of IS & CIO Jody Albright, Chapter 1 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hennepin County Medical Center CIO Joanne Sunquist, Chapter 2

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:28:50 +0000

In what has become an interesting debate among CIOs — which to do first: CPOE or bedside bar-coded eMAR — smart individuals are coming down passionately on both sides. It’s also interesting that more than a few intrepid souls are counseling both should be done at the same time, though bandwidth constraints leave that group [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hennepin County Medical Center CIO Joanne Sunquist, Chapter 2 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hunterdon Healthcare VP & CIO Glenn Mamary, Chapter 2

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:10:18 +0000

More and more, healthcare systems seem split into two camps: the one-vendor-for-everything, enterprise solution model or the best-of-suite (or breed) approach. Those embracing the former often spend a big chunk of change to rip and replace most of what they have, while being relieved of many integration headaches down the road. Those selecting the latter [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hunterdon Healthcare VP & CIO Glenn Mamary, Chapter 2 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Changing the Healthcare System of an Entire Nation

Dale Sanders — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:20:36 +0000

There are three messages that I hope to leave behind in this article. They may seem unrelated, but stick to the story and you’ll see how they all interact. Career opportunities come from equal parts planning, preparation, and random events. Current Electronic Medical Records in the United States are a reflection of a dysfunctional healthcare system and thus are dysfunctional themselves. There are less complicated, easier-to-achieve first-steps for Meaningful Use than those under consideration now.

Source: Changing the Healthcare System of an Entire Nation on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

HI(TECH) Anxiety

Marc Holland — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:08:59 +0000

Here we are, just 15 months after HITECH’s enactment and the government’s “full court press” to drive HIT adoption is in full swing. The dizzying pace of events over just these past three months has been enough to take one’s breath away. So let’s pause for a moment, take a deep breath, recap some relevant [...]

Source: HI(TECH) Anxiety on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hennepin County Medical Center CIO Joanne Sunquist, Chapter 1

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:35:34 +0000

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hennepin County Medical Center CIO Joanne Sunquist, Chapter 1 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

HHS $84 Million Bringing HIT to “Low-Income & Uninsured”

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:03:42 +0000

HHS announced $83.9 million in grants to help “networks of health centers” adopt EHRs and other HIT systems. The funds are part of the $2 billion allotted to HHS to expand services to low-income and uninsured individuals. Forty-five grants will support “new and enhanced EHR implementation projects as well as HIT innovation projects. Funds will [...]

Source: HHS $84 Million Bringing HIT to “Low-Income & Uninsured” on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hunterdon Healthcare VP & CIO Glenn Mamary, Chapter 1

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:44:45 +0000

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hunterdon Healthcare VP & CIO Glenn Mamary, Chapter 1 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hallmark Health VP of IS Carol Dresser, Chapter 1

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:59:42 +0000

It didn’t take an act of Congress to start Carol Dresser and Hallmark Health implementing advanced clinical technologies. Hallmark — which includes Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, Hallmark Health Cancer Center and Hallmark Health Medical Center — is now working to increase adoption of CPOE and perfect its bedside bar coded medication administration processes. What [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Hallmark Health VP of IS Carol Dresser, Chapter 1 on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

TEXT/PODCAST: Report – HITECH Needs Tweaking

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:33:24 +0000

The HITECH Act could dramatically improve healthcare in the United States, but such an outcome will only take place if some current trends in its implementation are altered, according to a recent report from Manatt Health Solutions; commissioned by the California HealthCare Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation and the United Hospital Fund. LISTEN TO THIS [...]

Source: TEXT/PODCAST: Report – HITECH Needs Tweaking on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Standards Committee Struggles with Structure

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:57:30 +0000

The HIT Standards Committee — a federal advisory body created to guide the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology in its implementation of the HITECH Act — spent the initial part of its monthly meeting this week struggling with issues of communication, structure and capacity. One reason for that struggle with [...]

Source: Standards Committee Struggles with Structure on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One-w/Meditech President & COO Howard Messing, Part II

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:36:23 +0000

In every industry, there are organizations so pervasive they constitute bellwethers for the entire market segment. In healthcare IT, that company is Meditech. With over 2,200 customers and almost $400 million in software revenues last year, the Westwood, Mass.-based organization’s opinions on national policy — especially the HITECH Act’s Meaningful Use NPRM — should be taken very seriously by D.C.’s policy wonks. Offering those opinions to healthsystemCIO.com editor Anthony Guerra this exclusive interview is President and COO Howard Messing. In the following discussion, Messing — who was recently promoted to CEO subject to a perfunctory confirmation vote — offers his thoughts on the aforementioned HITECH Act, meeting customer demands for the latest software and much more.

Source: TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One-w/Meditech President & COO Howard Messing, Part II on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One w/Former ONC Senior Adviser John Glaser, Part III

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:18:41 +0000

Over the past year, John Glaser, Ph.D., has been eating and breathing Meaningful Use and Certification even more than his HITECH-focused CIO colleagues. That’s because while Glaser has kept up his role as VP & CIO at Partners HealthCare on a part-time basis, he’s also been winging down to D.C. every week to fulfill his duties as Senior Adviser to ONC and its chief, National Coordinator David Blumenthal, M.D. In this — his first extensive interview since the culmination of that role in March — Glaser talks frankly with healthsystemCIO.com editor Anthony Guerra about working in the federal government, the proposed regulations, and what the future may hold for both the industry and himself.

Source: TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One w/Former ONC Senior Adviser John Glaser, Part III on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Survey Says: CIOs Prefer eMAR-First Strategy

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:16:18 +0000

Over 75 percent of CIOs prefer to take on the massive challenge of implementing bedside-barcoded electronic medication administration records (eMAR) versus the equally massive task of converting to CPOE, according to the May healthsystemCIO.com SnapSurvey. But it doesn't look like a weakness in the clinical decision support functionality of CPOE is to blame for the eMAR preference.

Source: Survey Says: CIOs Prefer eMAR-First Strategy on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

When Frustrating Customers is a Good Thing

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:59:54 +0000

I had repeatedly heard stories about the extended wait times for the company’s software — wait times that were as true for existing customers desperate for upgrades as newly signed clients desperate for delivery. I thought to myself, “Man, that company must be in some serious trouble. There’s no way those customers and prospects are [...]

Source: When Frustrating Customers is a Good Thing on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One-w/Meditech President & COO Howard Messing, Part I

Anthony Guerra — Mon, 24 May 2010 01:21:44 +0000

Source: TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One-w/Meditech President & COO Howard Messing, Part I on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One w/Former ONC Senior Adviser John Glaser, Part II

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:58:20 +0000

Source: TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One w/Former ONC Senior Adviser John Glaser, Part II on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

TEXT/PODCAST: KLAS Finds Providers Seeking MU Help

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:00:33 +0000

Nearly 70 percent of healthcare providers expect to hire a professional services firm to help with the demands of achieving Meaningful Use, according to a new report from Orem, Utah-based KLAS entitled, “Shifting Demand for Consultants: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not, and Why.” (click here for a Podcast interview with report author Mike Smith, KLAS general [...]

Source: TEXT/PODCAST: KLAS Finds Providers Seeking MU Help on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

A Comment Period of Uncommon Consequence

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:28:54 +0000

Whether a thing is determined to be good or bad depends on perspective. Who does the individual making the judgment represent? What are the criteria they are applying to their evaluation? While I’ve been sitting here for the last six months criticizing the heck out of the HIT Policy Committee, surely the individuals on that [...]

Source: A Comment Period of Uncommon Consequence on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One w/Former ONC Senior Adviser John Glaser, Part I

Anthony Guerra — Mon, 17 May 2010 03:28:26 +0000

Source: TEXT/PODCAST: One-on-One w/Former ONC Senior Adviser John Glaser, Part I on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

HIT Safety Must Take Center Stage

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:31:36 +0000

Psychologists say people don’t research problems to find solutions, but rather to support the solution they’ve already decided upon. To cite a recent political example, many said the Bush administration “cherry picked” intelligence to foster support for a war it was already committed to. In addition to the selection side, this type of analysis entails [...]

Source: HIT Safety Must Take Center Stage on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

ONC is Doing the Right Thing for the Right Reasons

Russ Branzell — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:43:16 +0000

Last month, I was extremely fortunate to participate in two different meetings with the Office of the National Coordinator (Dr. David Blumenthal-ONC) and several of his senior staff. Despite the substantially different subject material for the two meetings, there was one common thread from the ONC — an overwhelming desire to help improve our health [...]

Source: ONC is Doing the Right Thing for the Right Reasons on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/AHA VP of Policy Don May

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:00:18 +0000

As the man heading up policy for the powerful American Hospital Association, Don May has certainly been a busy man. And though healthcare reform took up much of the association’s attention over the last few months, it still had enough bandwidth to submit extensive comment letters on both CMS’s Meaningful Use NRPM and ONC’s certification [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/AHA VP of Policy Don May on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Dozens Band to Emphasize Meaningful Use Complaints

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 05 May 2010 01:45:49 +0000

Over 50 organizations — including CHIME and the AHA — have written a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to demand CMS make major changes to the Meaningful Use NPRM. The group is asking for: Greater flexibility in meeting meaningful use; More time to achieve meaningful use; Small physician practice representation on the Health IT Policy Committee; A feedback loop on program performance; A focus on clinical functions ...

Source: Dozens Band to Emphasize Meaningful Use Complaints on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Beacon Beneficiaries Revealed

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 05 May 2010 01:19:13 +0000

The Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program provides funding to communities to “build and strengthen their health IT infrastructure and exchange capabilities. These communities will demonstrate the vision of a future where hospitals, clinicians, and patients are meaningful users of health IT, and together the community achieves measurable improvements in health care quality, safety, efficiency, and [...]

Source: Beacon Beneficiaries Revealed on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

One-on-One w/Fletcher Allen CIO Chuck Podesta, Part II

Anthony Guerra — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:00:40 +0000

Chuck Podesta’s stance on Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria probably won’t win him any toasts at the next CIO event. That’s because, despite the position of organizations like CHIME (and this journalist), Podesta thinks the criteria aren’t overly onerous. Though he acknowledges the incentive payout structure isn’t perfect, little else about the program disquiets the [...]

Source: One-on-One w/Fletcher Allen CIO Chuck Podesta, Part II on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CPOE and Medication Safety: Devil’s in the Details

Marc Holland — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:59:44 +0000

Health Affairs recently published an interesting article that may have gone unnoticed by many in the industry. The article, entitled “Mixed Results in the Safety Performance of Computerized Physician Order Entry”, was authored by Jane Metzger and Dr. David Classen of CSC, Dr. David Bates and Stuart Lipsitz, of Partners Healthcare, and Emily Welebob, a [...]

Source: CPOE and Medication Safety: Devil’s in the Details on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

The Comment Period Just Began

Steve Huffman — Mon, 03 May 2010 02:23:13 +0000

After writing public comments on meaningful use, submitting grant proposals and trying to keep pace of healthcare reform, the comment period has just begun. With the formation of the Regional Extension Centers, State HIT coordinators being nominated, Health Information Exchanges gaining more traction and countless vendors trying to obtain your stimulus money, a CIO’s involvement [...]

Source: The Comment Period Just Began on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

CHIME: Perm. Certification Program Must Build on Temp

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:48:41 +0000

Organizations that are allowed to certify technology in the temporary certification stage should have their certifications carry forward into the permanent phase, thus providing protections to vendors and providers that have installed applications under the temporary process, according to CHIME’s comments on the Permanent portion of the Certification Process NPRM. CHIME also expressed concerns about [...]

Source: CHIME: Perm. Certification Program Must Build on Temp on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Methodist CIO Pam McNutt

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:12:15 +0000

Earlier this week, Pamela McNutt, SVP and CIO of Methodist Health System in Dallas, gave a presentation entitled “Meeting Stage 1 Meaningful Use: A View from a Healthcare System,” at the AHA’s Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C. McNutt — chair of CHIME’s Policy Steering Committee and former chair of the organization’s Advocacy Leadership Team [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Methodist CIO Pam McNutt on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/OHSU Professor Bill Hersh

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:19:59 +0000

When ONC recently announced the beneficiaries of its workforce development grants, this reporter wrote an editorial lamenting what seemed to be fast and loose spending of taxpayer money. But one reader took exception with that characterization — Oregon Health & Science University Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology Chairman Bill Hersh, M.D. That’s because [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/OHSU Professor Bill Hersh on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

It’s Time for the Policy Committee to Get Serious

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:11:28 +0000

While all organizations have mission statements and basic objectives, the ability to morph those on the fly can be key to success or failure. Of course, it’s better when the organization itself determines the changes, and they’re not imposed from outside. That’s because outside entities can, of course, change their minds. I felt that way [...]

Source: It’s Time for the Policy Committee to Get Serious on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Survey Says: CIOs Not Bullish on HITECH

Anthony Guerra — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:25:43 +0000

In what makes for a disturbing combination, CIOs are both doubtful that the federal government (HHS/CMS/ONC) will have the HITECH program fully operational by the time incentives are to be paid out, and pessimistic about their chances of qualifying for those payments, according to the healthsystemCIO.com April SnapSurvey. A full three quarters of CIOs doubt [...]

Source: Survey Says: CIOs Not Bullish on HITECH on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

One-on-One w/Fletcher Allen CIO Chuck Podesta, Part I

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:50:55 +0000

Source: One-on-One w/Fletcher Allen CIO Chuck Podesta, Part I on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

HIT-Related Errors Center Stage at Policy Meeting

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:45:14 +0000

Safety concerns took center stage at the HIT Policy Committee meeting today in Washington, D.C., as Certification and Adoption Workgroup Co-chairs Paul Egerman and Marc Probst reported their recommendations on those issues to the full committee. The workgroup’s report was a refinement on an earlier presentation Egerman, a software entrepreneur, and Probst, CIO at Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare, gave after receiving testimony about HIT-related patient safety incidents on Feb. 25.

CIOs Must Have Courage of Their Convictions

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:18:34 +0000

While just about every healthcare CIO can hit the market and select a core clinical system that’s architecturally sound and fiscally feasible, no one recommends they make such a decision alone. One of the cardinal rules of system selection is to include the clinicians–the ultimate end users of the product. “From the beginning, we decided [...]

Source: CIOs Must Have Courage of Their Convictions on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/St. Vincent CIO Tim Stettheimer

Anthony Guerra — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:25:52 +0000

As chair of CHIME’s certification committee, St. Vincent’s Health System SVP & CIO Tim Stettheimer, PhD, has been instrumental in developing the CIO-focused organization’s new CHCIO program. And as chair of CHIME’s Board of Trustees, he’s also been at the forefront of crafting the organization’s comment letters on the Meaningful Use and Certification NPRMs. But [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/St. Vincent CIO Tim Stettheimer on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/N. Wellesley CIO Scott MacLean

Anthony Guerra — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:16:34 +0000

Working as CIO in one of the most renowned health systems in the country gives Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s Scott Maclean — also a Corporate Director in the overarching Partners HealthCare superstructure — a unique perspective from which to evaluate the HITECH landscape. And though some might think organizations like Partners are ready to meet Stage 1 [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/N. Wellesley CIO Scott MacLean on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/East Orange CIO Tom Ciccarelli

Anthony Guerra — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:51:02 +0000

When Tom Ciccarelli created a team of clinician-users to select a system that would help the hospital achieve Meaningful Use, he didn’t expect them to come back asking for Centricity from GE. That’s because GE’s KLAS scores — a performance indicator Ciccarelli references to help navigate the vendor landscape — have been lackluster of late. [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/East Orange CIO Tom Ciccarelli on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Experienced CIOs, Share Your EMR Knowledge

Anthony Guerra — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:12:33 +0000

Meeting the Stage 1 Meaningful Use requirements of the HITECH electronic medical records incentive program is going to be tough on all healthcare institutions, but there is no doubt it will be tougher on some than others. Many of my readers at healthsystemCIO.com are far down the path to electrify their healthcare environments and liquefy [...]

Source: Experienced CIOs, Share Your EMR Knowledge on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Market Creatively Responds to Ridiculous RECs

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:56:21 +0000

Over a year ago, HITECH legislation gave rise to concepts like the “meaningful use” of electronic health records and established Regional Extension Centers to help small healthcare practices in underserved communities select and implement EHR systems. At that time, I found the latter to be an especially painful example of just how destructive government interference [...]

Source: Market Creatively Responds to Ridiculous RECs on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

TEXT/PODCAST: A Plan to Approach Meaningful Use

Shubho Chatterjee — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:30:05 +0000

The government’s Meaningful Use measures, and corresponding payments, are intended to incentivize the adoption of EHRs. The HIT Policy Committee recommends that incentives should be paid according to an adoption year rather than a calendar year. This implies that a first year incentive payment would be assessed for eligibility based upon the 2011 measure. (click [...]

Source: TEXT/PODCAST: A Plan to Approach Meaningful Use on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/Eclipsys CEO Phil Pead

Anthony Guerra — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 13:00:42 +0000

While everyone tries to create a sensation at the annual HIMSS conference, few actually achieve it. But with the release of its open-architecture Helios platform, Eclipsys managed to surmount that bar. The iPhone-esque vision of an open platform which independent application designers can build on seems to many a refreshing proposition. And some see it [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/Eclipsys CEO Phil Pead on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/GBMC CIO Tressa Springmann

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:00:45 +0000

After 11 years with Greater Baltimore Medical Center, VP & CIO Tressa Springmann is as passionate as ever about improving care at the 300-bed facility. And to go about that work more efficiently, she’s become a dedicated student of process-improvement methodologies, such as Lean and Six Sigma. To learn more about Springmann’s thoughts on Meaningful [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/GBMC CIO Tressa Springmann on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

MGMA: CCHIT Stamp Must Count

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:54:38 +0000

The Medical Group Management Association wants ONC to deem electronic health record software certified by CCHIT in 2008 or later as meeting the requirements for Meaningful Use Stage 1, according to the organization’s comment letter on the Certification Process NPRM. “MGMA representatives will continue to advocate for simplified EHR incentive program requirements, logistics and software certification processes. MGMA representatives believe that stringent program requirements will exclude a large percentage of physician practices from participating, which undermines the intention of the legislation,” the organization stated.

Source: MGMA: CCHIT Stamp Must Count on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

TEXT/PODCAST: Premier MU Library to Aid Members

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:15:05 +0000

Experts from some not-for-profit hospitals have created an EHR Meaningful Use Implementation best-practices library, as part of the Premier healthcare alliance Health Information Technology (HIT) Collaborative. Championed by Bill Spooner, CIO at Sharp HealthCare, and Craig Richardville, CIO for the Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS), the library features specific instruction on ways to speed implementation of [...]

Source: TEXT/PODCAST: Premier MU Library to Aid Members on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Have We Reached a Tipping Point With HIEs?

Marc Holland — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:13:43 +0000

News related to the exchange of health information and the entities that facilitate that exchange continue to dominate the headlines. And for good reason. Access to a comprehensive view of a patient’s health information across encounters and providers is widely seen as one of the most important contributors to the Obama administration’s goals of improving [...]

Source: Have We Reached a Tipping Point With HIEs? on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

HHS Dispenses $84 Million For Workforce Development

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:05:05 +0000

HHS has awarded $84 million to 16 universities and junior colleges “to support training and development of more than 50,000 new health IT professionals.” Workforce Award recipients, by program area, include: Community College Consortia Program ($36 million): The Community College Consortia Program provides assistance to five regional recipients to establish a multi-institutional consortium within each [...]

Source: HHS Dispenses $84 Million For Workforce Development on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

HHS Bestows $267 Million on 28 RECs

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:50:43 +0000

Twenty-eight non-profit organizations have been awarded more than $267 million as part of HHS’ Regional Extension Center (REC) program. The group joins 32 other organizations which have already received funding. More than $375 million had been awarded earlier to RECs under this program. All REC awardees have an opportunity to apply for two-year expansion supplemental [...]

Source: HHS Bestows $267 Million on 28 RECs on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/HSHS CIO Bill Montgomery

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:28:54 +0000

With almost 30 years in healthcare IT, many of them as a CIO, it’s hard to find someone with more experience than Bill Montgomery. After a few years out of that role, he’s back in a big way, taking on the CIO position at 13-site Hospital Sisters Health System. To learn more about Montgomery’s plans [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/HSHS CIO Bill Montgomery on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Studies Show HIT Success Tricky Proposition

Anthony Guerra — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:27:21 +0000

Reaping enough value from health IT to justify the substantial investment it requires depends largely on how and where it is implemented, according to a study by Catherine DesRoches of the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, featured in the April issue of Health Affairs. Other findings of note in the HIT-focused issue [...]

Source: Studies Show HIT Success Tricky Proposition on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

ONC Awards $60 Million in SHARP Grants

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:57:54 +0000

As part of its Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP) program to promote innovation, ONC has awarded four organizations a total of $60 million — Mayo Clinic of Medicine, Harvard University, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Each institution’s research projects “will identify short-term and long-term [...]

Source: ONC Awards $60 Million in SHARP Grants on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/GE Health CEO Vishal Wanchoo

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:50:00 +0000

At HIMSS 2010, GE Healthcare IT tried to make a splash with the release of its Qualibria clinical knowledge management platform. While it’s unclear how the industry has received that new application, it is clear the vendor has one thing going for it — outstanding development partners in the likes of Intermountain Healthcare and the [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/GE Health CEO Vishal Wanchoo on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/St. Peter’s CIO Frank DiSanzo

Anthony Guerra — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:46:49 +0000

Switching out one core clinical inpatient system for another — a “big-to-big conversion” — is not for the faint of heart. That’s because doing so requires the buy-in of the entire C-suite, the Board and, perhaps most importantly, the clinicians. But despite the obstacles, New Jersey-based St. Peter’s University Hospital Health System is saying goodbye [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/St. Peter’s CIO Frank DiSanzo on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

HIT Certification Workgroup Debates Engaging FDA

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:50:06 +0000

The merits of working with the FDA to help ONC craft an EMR certification program that addresses both pre- and post-market HIT patient safety issues were discussed at the HIT Policy Committee Workgroup on Certification and Adoption meeting held this week. On one side of the debate, HIT Software Entrepreneur and Workgroup Co-Chair Paul Egerman argued that the FDA could bring some significant value to the table in crafting a program.

Source: HIT Certification Workgroup Debates Engaging FDA on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

PODCAST: One-on-One w/CT Health CIO Charles Covin

Anthony Guerra — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:27:27 +0000

With a healthcare IT career that started in January 1973 — and has since covered the vendor, consultant and provider sides of the business — there isn’t much that’s going to surprise Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) VP and CIO Charlie Covin. But the HITECH Act, which he describes as close to revolutionary, comes darn [...]

Source: PODCAST: One-on-One w/CT Health CIO Charles Covin on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

One-on-One w/Albany Med EVP/CIO Buddy Hickman (II)

Anthony Guerra — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:11:49 +0000

As the comment period has closed on both the Meaningful Use NPRM and Certification Standards IFR, the industry takes a collective deep breath in anticipation of the final rules. CIOs like Buddy Hickman (also an executive vice president) have thought hard about the proposals and given their feedback through industry organizations like CHIME and HIMSS. [...]

Source: One-on-One w/Albany Med EVP/CIO Buddy Hickman (II) on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

VIDEO: Guerra Lets Fly on HITECH

Anthony Guerra — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 20:10:08 +0000

In early February, I gave my “State of the Industry” presentation at the annual meeting of US Oncology. The Vice President of Informatics Development, Aaron Kaufman, had come across some of my columns and was intrigued by my politically incorrect take on the industry-transforming program. The video below is an honest evaluation of what’s happening [...]

Source: VIDEO: Guerra Lets Fly on HITECH on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Chatting with the National Coordinator for Health IT

Brian Ahier — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 19:00:51 +0000

I had a brief chat with Dr. David Blumenthal last week that basically covered four areas: Transparency at the ONC; HITREC and communities of shared learning; Personal Health Records and possible certification; Rural practices and Critical Access Hospitals. Regarding transparency, which is something I'm fairly passionate about and have seen some improvements on at the ONC, Dr. Blumenthal said, "Trust is such an important factor in the management of sensitive information that it has to be attended to in everything we do. I think that being open is one way to create trust."

Source: Chatting with the National Coordinator for Health IT on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.

Policy Committee to Discuss Certification IFR

Anthony Guerra — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:38:50 +0000

The HIT Policy Committee will hold a conference call on April 5 at 10 Eastern to discuss its comments on the Certification IFR. Members of the public may listen in via phone @ 1-877-705-6006. Learn more about the IFR: Standards & Certification Interim Final Rule: Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology [PDF - 247 KB]

Source: Policy Committee to Discuss Certification IFR on healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.