Jatinder Koharki

When we think of the agile software development method Scrum, we think of a fast-paced process that includes working on multiple phases at the same time with a small team completing a software tool over multiple “sprints.” These sprints last one to four weeks and are dependent on the daily communication between the team members […]

Health Information Exchange (HIE) is “the development of secure health information exchange between healthcare providers…in order to improve the continuity and quality of care for patients.”[1] According to a recent research study, 71 percent of U.S. hospitals intend to purchase a HIE solution, with 25% intending to purchase it within a 7-to-12 month period.[2] States […]

A 2008 study on CDS (clinical decision support) tools found that while the benefits of CDS technologies are widely understood and accepted by providers, there is still a lack of proactivity in its adoption. An article summarizing the study stated: “For example, Chang said that while CPOE with CDS is now already widely accepted, it […]

Some healthcare solutions experts foresee the following five financial benefits of ICD-10:[1] Providers can establish or strengthen CDIs by conducting thorough reviews of clinical documentation and implementing improvements, such as a CDI “Lite” program. Development of patient preferences due to new procedures being performed based on more thorough and detailed ICD codes. Patient preference will […]

The Federal Register outlines the following pros from comments received on the adoption of X12 Version 5010 for HIPAA Transactions: 1) reduction in analysis time and minimization of companion guides; 2) improved efficiency through improved eligibility responses and better search options, reducing phone calls to providers and health plans; 3) improved electronic posting, automation of […]

When documenting business requirements for a multi-application technology-based solution, is it crucial to have proper representation from the impacted systems in each discussion? For example, provider contracts may be stored in one internal application (i.e., SharePoint) but must be exposed to providers via a second application (external portal) after being passed through a third application […]

In Part II of this blog series on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), I will explore the following statement: “Adults with pre-existing conditions became eligible to join a temporary high-risk pool, which will be superseded by the healthcare exchange in 2014.To qualify for coverage, applicants must have a pre-existing health condition and […]

I plan for this blog to be the first in a series of questions I have regarding different aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, in the hope that it will help me not only gather more details that I have yet to uncover through further research but also spark some intelligent […]

I have seen Business and System Analysts (SAs) get involved in various ways throughout the SDLC process. On one hand, Systems Analysts join forces with Business Analysts to gather business requirements and are required to approve the business requirements specification (BRS). The two work as a team with the business to understand the process, develop […]

One thing I have been wondering about recently is to what extent consulting firms are exploring the clinical trial sector of academic medical centers (AMCs). While conducting an assessment of just one (small) department within an AMC in a previous consulting engagement, I learned how weary everyone around me was of the academic bureaucracy and […]