E-Health
HIPAA compliance is an important building block for organizations as they develop their e-Health strategies. An e-Health plan is a necessary factor in HIPAA assessment. The wise organization developing e-Health strategies will incorporate a customer relations component stressing the organization's HIPAA compliance, and its relevance to user privacy and confidentiality. Web-based services and applications can be used as tools for HIPAA compliance, and are ready and waiting to fill legacy gaps.
Reports
Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology (PDF)  April 2006 report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality looks at what types of HIT and implementation methods will improve care and manage costs for specific health organizations.
"The Prescription Infrastructure: Are We Ready for ePrescribing?" (PDF) report from the California Healthcare Foundation (CHCF) provides a comprehensive overview of the prescribing infrastructure, explores whether the system is ready for e-prescribing, and evaluates its potential impact on physicians and pharmacies.
HIMSS Health IT Legislation Crosswalk (PDF) tracking tool compares and contrasts
provisions of seven current healthcare IT bills.
Health IT Bills of the 109th Congress from Federal Computer Week's Government Health IT web site, which reports on the emerging role for federal,
state and local government in driving the use of technology in the public and
private healthcare arenas.
"E-Health: Navigating The Internet For Health Information" Advocacy White Paper from HIMSS (PDF)
Articles
Take My Word for It by Stephen T. Dudley, MD, Medical Economics, May 5, 2006
The author's simple charting system is light years away from an EHR. But it just might be the thing to save your practice time and money.
Health IT Gets into Gear by Mary Mosquera, Government Computer News, April 3, 2006
As each critical cog of the health IT machine turns another notch this year, the success of each near-term result will help propel the realization of long-term health IT goals.
'Tele-Docs' Slow to Catch On by Alex Cukan, UPI, January 31, 2006
Many expected a new cost-saving phenomenon called "telemedicine" would have become commonplace, but so far, it has not. While there is some security built into telemedicine systems, there are still privacy concerns.
Doctors Go Digital by Carol Benfell, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, January 22, 2006
Sometime in the next two years, Sonoma County will enter the world of e-medicine. But the push nationwide to put confidential medical histories on the Web worries many patients and privacy advocates.
The Paperless Hospital -- Really! by Julia King, Computerworld, June 13, 2005
Hospital executives realized that they had a unique opportunity to build not just a new hospital, but an entirely new culture and healthcare delivery model that relies heavily on technology to enhance patient care and safety.
From Paper Piles to Efficient Files by Marshall E. McCabe III, Healthcare Informatics, April 2005
Letting go of the paper chart has brought the entire staff at Olympia Multi-Specialty Clinic freedom and flexibility in how they do their jobs. They have saved time, increased efficiency, and are confident that they are meeting HIPAA's privacy and security requirements.
Health IT: Fears and Opportunities by ML Baker, eWeek, February 1, 2005
Deborah Peel, chairman of the Appeal for Patient Privacy Foundation, thinks a national health information network could very well marginalize patients who fear that their personal information could be shared without their consent or that their consent could be coerced. Peel said that HIPAA provided little protection: "The Bush administration flipped the HIPAA privacy rule into a disclosure rule, where patients cannot control any 'routine' uses of their medical records."
High Tech Isn't Just for the Big Guys by Shira Boss-Bicak, New York Times, January 20, 2005
Millions of small and medium-size businesses are discovering that the adoption of technology is a money-saver rather than an expense in the long run, and that it gives them a competitive edge over rivals by enabling them to add new services and operate more efficiently. Some are also coming to realize that they have to make the investment to comply with new corporate governance laws. In the healthcare sector, as the HIPAA compliance deadlines phase in, healthcare providers are turning to higher-tech operations to store and protect patient data and conduct electronic transactions.
Prospective study of clinician-entered research data in the Emergency Department using an Internet-based system after the HIPAA Privacy Rule , BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, October 12, 2004
Data can be accurately collected from on-duty clinicians in the ED using real-time, PC-Internet data entry in compliance with the Privacy Rule.
Special Report: A High Dose of Tech by Rob Turner, US News & World Report, August 2, 2004
Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services, recently unveiled an ambitious 10-year initiative with a blunt bottom line: You're not wiring up fast enough, so we'll light a fire under you. The plan makes Medicare a vehicle for pilot programs ranging from handling prescriptions electronically to moving patient records online so that caregivers--and patients--can refer to them regardless of time or place. New standards, promised Thompson, will mesh the innovations into a seamless nationwide network.
Financial Incentives: Innovative Payment for HIT (PDF) report, produced by The Health Strategies Consultancy, identifies types of financial incentives that already are working to promote the adoption of health information technology (HIT).
St. Vincent's Has Tomorrow's Hospital Today by Tom Bassing, Birmingham Business Journal, January 31, 2003
The chief executive of St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham hasn't been paying all that much attention to the legal fuss over HealthSouth Corp.'s "digital hospital of the future;" James is too busy putting the finishing touches on the medical center of tomorrow - today.
HIMSS July 2002 Letter to Kennedy about his E-HealthCare Act (Word document)
Survey Finds "It's Working: Electronic Claims Submission Speeds Receipts From Payors."
CPOE
Hard(ly) Wired by Joseph Conn, Modern Healthcare, January 16, 2006
Despite five years of private-sector pressure on US hospitals to install computerized practitioner order-entry (CPOE) systems, the number using such systems remains a small fraction of nonfederal hospitals, according to the latest counts of two key IT market watchers.
CPOE Has Arrived: Will Your Institution Lead, Follow or Just Get Out of the Way? by James Feldbaum and Karen Fuller, Healthcare Informatics, July 2005
CPOE, as part of the transition from the paper chart to the EHR, will present an extraordinary opportunity to examine and renew practices and policies that might have outlived their relevance in today's medical setting.
EMRs/EHRs
The Catch-22 in EHRs: If you submit too many level 4s, you could be audited by Ken Terry,
Medical Economics, July 21, 2006
It's likely that physicians who adopt EHRs will experience an increase in audits as their quality of documentation and coding improves.
EMRs Aplenty, Analyst Predicts by Joseph Conn, Modern Healthcare, June 26, 2006
Physician group practices with three or more doctors are expected to spend $1.24 billion on electronic medical-records systems in 2008, which would be an increase of 125% from the $551.7 million spent in 2005, according to a veteran healthcare IT market watcher.
Digital Files Raise Security Concerns
by Christopher Rowland, Boston Globe, June 26, 2006
The lack of uniform privacy standards is becoming a problem as communities around the country experiment with ways to share electronic records between providers, according to consumer healthcare advocates gathered at a forum on health records in Boston.
Is Clinical HIPAA on the Way? by Bill Bysinger, HealthLeaders News, June 22, 2006
All signs are pointing toward the government getting serious about electronic health records. But what will it take to make it happen?
Costs Slow Adoption of E-Health Record Systems by Heather Havenstein, Computerworld, June 12, 2006
While some physician practices and regional health IT partnerships have successfully adopted electronic medical record systems, many others are still struggling to absorb the implementation costs.
IT Implementation: How to Do It Right by Ken Terry, Medical Economics, April 21, 2006
To circumvent common EHR pitfalls, plan the deal carefully and don't rush things.
IT Implementation: Why EHRs Falter by Ken Terry, Medical Economics, April 7, 2006
Sometimes you can learn from the mistakes of others. Here's why some practices have found EHRs difficult to implement.
EHRs Enter Patient-Doctor Relationships by M.L. Baker, eWeek, April 2, 2006
When brought into the exam room, computers act as a kind of third member in the relationship between doctor and patient, concludes a study published in Annals of Family Medicine. "Physicians were often conflicted between recording data in the EHR [electronic health record] and giving patients one-on-one attention," wrote the study's authors.
Keeping our Eye on The Ball: Managing The Evolution of Electronic Health Records , Annals of Family Medicine, March/April 2006
The American Academy of Family Physician's (AAFP) leadership regarding Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has been impressive. The Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM) believes, however, that its successes represent only a first step.
Going Paperless: Tips for Implementing an EMR by Neil H. Baum, MD, Urology Times, March 1, 2006
Follow this advice on preparation, contracts, and more to ensure a smooth transition.
A Patient's View of Health IT by Michael L. Millenson, Trustee Magazine, February 2006
Unlike some high-tech devices, EHRs don’t necessarily dazzle patients with obvious benefits. We risk disappointing the public and endangering support for IT funding if we don’t point out to patients the ways in which care is being made safer, more evidence-based and more caring through thoughtful IT implementation in their community.
EMR vs. EHR: Yes, There is a Difference by Andis Robeznieks, Modern Healthcare, December 29, 2005
As President Bush's program to spur adoption of heath information technology gained momentum in 2005, the debate over what to call the electronic products being promoted became louder and more intense among participants in the field -- while the general public responded with either apathy or confusion.
Interoperability Conundrum by Mark Hagland, Healthcare Informatics, May 2005
Interoperability has come to the fore in a big way at hospitals. Electronic medical records (EMRs) are finally being implemented widely, but years after many laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, and other departmental and niche systems were put in place. CIOs and senior IT executives are tackling the interoperability problem in various ways, depending on their goals, needs and perceptions.
Between You, the Doctor, and the PC by Carol Marie Cropper, Business Week, January 31, 2005
A move to electronic records could make a patient's medical files accessible anywhere in the world. Proponents point to reduced costs and increased patient safety, while privacy advocates raise questions about security.
E-Health: Steps On The Road To Interoperability by Brent James, Health Affairs, January 19, 2005
Interoperable electronic medical records (EMRs) have the potential to produce better health outcomes while improving the efficiency of care delivery and reducing its costs. In many instances, the costs of implementation could fall on one group, while savings will accrue to some other group. A successful transition strategy identifies a series of steps, where each step pays its own way, and lays the foundation for the next step.
Patient Experiences and Attitudes about Access to a Patient Electronic Health Care Record and Linked Web Messaging , Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, November/December, 2004
Patients' attitudes about the use of Web messaging and online access to their EHR were mostly positive while clinicians were less positive about using electronic communication than their patients.
Hospital System Launches One of the Nation's Largest Electronic Medical Record Implementations, September 1, 2004
As part of an ongoing mission to improve the quality and safety of patient care, Buffalo Hospital is the first Allina hospital to transition away from paper processes and begin using an electronic medical record system that will ultimately be shared by all of Allina's seventy-six sites, including 11 hospitals and sixty-five clinics.
The Electronic Health Record: Will It Become a Reality? by Randa Upham, Principal, Phoenix Health Systems, April 2004
With the Y2K bug resolved and HIPAA becoming a way of life within the industry, is it now possible to reinvest energies into improving one of healthcare's biggest challenges – establishing an electronic healthcare record?
Justice Department Action Sparks EMR Debate by Bernie Monegain, Healthcare IT News, April 5, 2004
When the Justice Department sought recently to seize patients' private medical records from six hospitals and six Planned Parenthood affiliates to collect information about late-term abortions, it sparked a debate about privacy and the electronic medical record.
High Tech, High Touch: By going paperless, a pediatric practice sees more patients. by Andrea Tortora, Cincinnati Business Courier, July 4, 2003
When Pediatric Associates installed an electronic medical records and practice management system, it eliminated nearly all of the 10-doctor practice's paperwork and freed up time for doctors to see 25 more patients a day. The system also helped boost revenues by more than 9 percent, to $4.6 million in 2002.
E-Prescribing
Less is More by Andis Robeznieks, Modern Healthcare, January 16, 2006
When it comes to getting clinicians to buy into using electronic prescribing systems, it's important to focus on quality over quantity of alerts.
NHIN
A Consensus Action Agenda for Achieving the National Health Information Infrastructure, June 7, 2004
Position Paper from the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
RHIOs
Are RHIOs for Real? by Joseph Goedert, Health Data Management, February 1, 2006
RHIOs are considered the precursors to a national health information network, a project being spearheaded by the federal government. But many are in the earliest stages of formation and most face significant barriers to widespread use.
Perspective: The Seven-Requirement Recipe for (RHIO) Success by Patty Enrado, NHINWatch, January 9, 2006
William Yasnoff, MD, PhD, is interested in solving and framing the complex problem of successfully implementing the national health information network (NHIN).
RHIO Resistance by Brian Robinson, Government Health IT, November 14, 2005
CIOs are slow to enlist in regional health information organizations pending more progress on local systems and finances.
Regional Health Exchanges Slowly Start to Share Data by Heather Havenstein, Computerworld, October 10, 2005
US officials hope they'll one day be the backbone of a national health information infrastructure.
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