One of the most costly and concerning healthcare expenditures is emergency room visits. Providers and payers are especially concerned with the uptick in ER visits, because ER visits are known to be extra costly and peppered with discressionary visits. Providers and payers have decided lowering ER useage could be done by identifying ER abusers and […]
Posts Tagged ‘Health Information Exchange’
Cash for Clunkers and the Healthcare Industry: Paper vs EHR
If the $19 billion in stimulus money allocated for the adoption of EHRs wasn’t an indicator that EHRs are a critical piece to the industry, then the U.S. Surgeon General’s announcement that they will be pushing the EHR movement along so that patients can “take control of their own health” and have the necessary information […]
Patient Centric BI is a Plus for Healthcare Organizations
Organizations are shifting focus away from what needs to be done to meet the government requirements for incentive money to how they can benefit from their new or improved interconnectedness. As it turns out, some organizations are using their connectedness to satisfy consumer demands. This places a different type of emphasis on business intelligence (BI) […]
Removing the Nonsense from Gaining Meaningful Use
In social media circles new bloggers often ask me what they should blog about. My number one answer is “pick your passion”. If you write about something that truly interests you, something that makes your ears perk up when you hear random mumblings on the topic while in line for morning coffee, then you will […]
New Models of Care Delivery Fuel Health IT Discussions
New models of care delivery are inevitable. Whether it’s accountable care, or another favored form, the current incentive structure is evolving. This is occurring in hopes that waste can be eliminated and quality can improve. Although there is still much uncertainty, the inevitable truth is that the need to streamline and share information is central […]
How the Healthcare CIO Saves Lives: #3 Decreases our Reliance on Paper
The U.S. healthcare system is run by highly talented people that are using outmoded forms of communication. Many clinicians still use paper files and faxes to communicate and lack the basic infrastructure to communicate efficiently regarding critical care decisions. As health insurance companies and health providers struggle with efforts to control costs, reduce administration and […]
Using Enterprise HIE to Move Clinical Information in an ACO
An Enterprise HIE is defined as the mobilization of healthcare information electronically across organizations. The Enterprise HIE can be used to move information within a region, community or hospital system. As such, the Enterprise HIE system is a great answer to problems found when forming an ACO. HIE provides the capability to electronically move clinical […]
Creating a Self-Sustaining Business Model for HIE
It is important for state and local agencies building an HIE solution to have a self-sustaining business model. This will be especially important once the federal government grant money ends. It is just as important for healthcare systems to consider the value proposition they need or want to get out of their HIE solution. Therefore, […]
How the Healthcare CIO Saves Lives: #1 Ensures Care is Given at the Correct Time
When we think of a Health IT project like Health Information Exchange, many focus on the technology-oriented aspects of designing, selecting, implementing, and managing a technology project. However, Health IT should ultimately be driven by the clinical goal of ensuring that the appropriate level of care is provided to patients in a timely manner. By […]
Tracking a Single Patient in a Connected Healthcare Environment
The overriding theme in healthcare is data integration. Health information exchange, accountable care, interoperability and the merging healthcare industry are forming an environment where electronic patient data is being combined at a record pace. With dreams of a national patient record database, initiatives are brought forth in hopes that we can improve care, decrease costs, […]
Perficient Podcast: Helping Health IT End Users Adapt to Change
Helping Health IT End Users Adapt to Change This is the second in our series of interviews with Dr. Nanette Nuessle. In this interview, we discussed physician use of healthcare technology and how doctors cope with technology changes in their practice of medicine. What I found most insightful about this particular interview was her description […]
Health IT Makes Children Healthier
According to a study on air pollution around elementary schools, exposing children to pollution during important developmental milestones can have a long-lasting impact on their future health. The study showed a positive correlation between the long-term health of a child and the pollution measures found at their school. I am certain that other correlative […]