Through this blog series, I have introduced the basic purpose and goals of the process improvement methodology known as Lean Healthcare. We took a look at Lean’s 5 basic principles and its 7 deadly wastes in an effort to help readers begin to understand the key concepts and tools of Lean thinking and how it […]
Regulatory Compliance
Is the Economy Stalling Health Innovation?
CMS has paid out more than $4 billion in Meaningful Use incentive money. I believe this is the catalyst to start healing our healthcare system. Let me explain. The healthcare industry is lagging behind the banking industry about 30 years. When I was in college, I had a checking account with a local bank. It […]
Health IT: The Solution to Healthcare CIO Challenges
A recent article addressed some of the top challenges facing CIOs in the healthcare industry. Many of these challenges are created by the need to keep up with constantly changing regulations as well as addressing HIPAA security concerns. Here are a few of the top concerns of healthcare CIOs, and how health information technology can […]
CDS Tools: Should we pile them on?
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 […]
From Little Data to BIG Data – One Step at a Time
The Journey of a thousand miles towards an ACO begins with one step. Healthcare organizations are coming to realize that the programs stimulated by the ARRA – HITECH Act, Meaningful Use (MU) and Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), require something that they don’t have in sufficient quantities, the desired type or in the right format: “Data”. […]
ICD-10: Potential Financial Benefits and Issues
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 […]
White Paper: The Intelligent ACO: A Primer
The term “Accountable Care Organization”, or ACO, is used to describe a primary physician centric healthcare delivery system with a shared savings compensation model. ACOs are primary physician-centric groups of doctors, specialists, hospitals, and other health care providers, who voluntarily come together with a proper legal structure which aims to provide coordinated high-quality care to […]
Business Intelligence from ICD-10: Are we ready?
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 […]
Population Health Management: Using Technology to Cure
Escalating costs and suboptimal quality of care are indicators that the healthcare system is broken. Preventative care is being pushed aside and traded for costly ER visits and inpatient hospital stays. The problem does not end here, however; once patients receive the necessary inpatient care, many are discharged to only end up back in the […]
Putting the Meaning in Meaningful Use
Many of you are counting on your EMR vendors to qualify your organization for Meaningful Use. This is a risky strategy. Dr. Rowley has done some analysis and shown that with two exceptions, all attestations count for less than 10% market share from the EMR vendors. This means you are most likely waiting for the […]
AHIP Conference 2012: Day 3 Update
Malcolm Gladwell, staff writer for the New Yorker magazine and author of “What the Dog Saw,” “Outliers,” “Blink” and “The Tipping Point,” offered an overview of “Cowboys Versus Pit Crews: How to Build a Sustainable Health Care Delivery System” at our start of Day 3. Gladwell was introduced as “gifted” at interpreting new ideas in […]
AHIP Conference 2012: Day 2 Update
AHIP CEO Karen Ignagni kicked off Day 2 by addressing the elephant in the room…no Supreme Court ruling today. The fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and “the Mandate” within would have to wait another day. Ignagni went on to remind the conference goers that similar attempts at state-based reform in the mid-90s resulted […]