Posts Tagged ‘Health Information Exchange’

It is no secret that healthcare organizations are collecting more information today than ever before. They’re collecting information about their own operations, their patients and the communities they serve. The challenge for healthcare organizations isn’t collecting the information, but analyzing the data and efficiently and securely storing it. Healthcare organizations that can overcome the data […]

Interoperability between different electronic health record (EHR) systems is one of the most important requirements that hospitals and physicians must meet as they prepare their systems for attestation in Meaningful Use Stage 2. However, let’s examine the real goals of interoperability within healthcare: 1) To make sure “information follows the patient regardless of geographic, organizational, […]

There has been a lot of debate around the challenges within the healthcare industry. Much of the discussion stems from the fee-for-service model and the focus on services and reimbursement rather than the patient. Health information technology has its own set of challenges when it comes to addressing healthcare issues. If we truly want to […]

In ACA and QRS – Shoot for the Stars Part 1, I laid out the overall domains that are going to be used to score QHP plans offered through the Marketplace. In Part 2, I discussed some factors to consider for the data derived measures. In this blog, we will take a closer look at […]

There has been a lot of buzz around Apple’s announcement to enter the healthcare space with the unveiling of their Apple Watch and HealthKit app. HealthKit seems to be gaining momentum due in large part to Apple’s strategic partnerships with healthcare industry heavy-hitters. However, many questions remain unanswered and Apple must address them to gain […]

In ACA and QRS – Shoot for the Stars Part 1, I laid out the overall domains that are going to be used to score QHP plans offered through the Marketplace. In this blog, we will take a closer look at the data derived measures and what factors a QHP issuer should consider to achieve […]

So far in this discussion about “What the market says you need in your patient portal” we have been driving toward changes that are core to new engagement models. However, we have not addressed a core enabler: “It’s all about the data!” Consumers demand access to information that meets their needs and they are not […]

Last month I posted “ACA’s Quality Rating System – An opportunity to gain market share”, which explained how QHP issuers can gain market share in the individual space. In that blog I mentioned that, as part of the Quality Rating System, plans offered on the Marketplace will receive a “Star” rating based on a 5 […]

I have been an athlete all my life, but since I’ve reached my 30’s, had 5 reconstructive surgeries, and moved back to the Midwest to a completely sedentary job, staying fit and healthy has become more challenging than ever before. As an Apple lover for years, I have a myriad of Apps I enlisted to […]

I always find industry acronyms amusing. Sometimes they describe new technologies, other times they are a new name for an existing technology (maybe with a slight twist). And then there are those times when two different technologies, models, theories, etc. end upwith the same acronym. Such is the case with Information as a Service and […]

Starting in 2015 all issuers of Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) on the Healthcare Marketplace will need to provide Quality Rating System (QRS) measurements that will be aggregated and scored to provide consumers with a star rating for each product offered. Although there are still details to be worked out by CMS, the required measures for […]

In April 2014, I read a startling article that the United States was importing salt water, saline, from Norway due to a shortage in the United States1. Bags of saline solution are one of the most common items used in modern healthcare and that is why it is amazing that American doctors have been facing […]