Two recent studies have published conflicting results regarding the correlation between EHR/ HIE usage and the number of tests ordered by physicians. First, a general comparison of the studies and their outcomes: The study Bridging the Chasm: Effect of Health Information Exchange on Volume of Laboratory Testing concluded that doctors order fewer lab tests when […]
Posts Tagged ‘healthcare IT’
Canonical Data Modeling-Marriage of SOA & Enterprise Data Model
A Canonical Model is the marriage of your data’s business semantics and the related business rules governing your enterprise asset. Your data assets can be represented by structure (Relational Data) or non- structure (Big Data) in multiple ontological frameworks. Your business semantic is composed of the natural business language used for conducting its affairs stored […]
Encouraging Accountability and Good Behavior
Patients are demanding affordable healthcare, providers are asking for fair reimbursements and payors are suggesting that rendered care should be medically necessary and of high quality to be reimbursed. It is a rather convoluted situation where accountability lives with each player – but is legally placed on the provider (for the most part). After all, […]
Kinect with Senior Citizens
I have been saying for over a year that Microsoft should put an Xbox with Kinect in every retirement home in the nation. I believe this would accomplish several things. First, it will sell Xbox units to the grandkids and their parents, which is good for Microsoft. Second, it will give the residents of the […]
The Missing Metric: ROI
Metrics are essential measurements to determine if a project is meeting the established goals of time, delivery and budget constraints. This may be a bit off the requirements blog norm, but worth the mention. There has been a change in the market where the ROI (Return on Investment) is not a requirement in the eyes […]
ICD-9 to ICD-10: What’s in a Code Set Anyway?
While we discuss the ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversion mandate, many people are questioning the value of such a change. Questioning change is a good thing, but by now we all know that updating from an outdated 1970s code set to a more modern 1990s code set is critical for providers to be accurately compensated for […]
Healthcare Specific Information Systems
What would healthcare services delivery gain by developing, integrating, and implementing an intricate and complex structural information systems language unique to healthcare? The impending and ever-evolving updates to healthcare regulations and delivery present an opportunity to assess communication standards and information exchange. Similar to existing programming languages, healthcare and information technology professionals can begin to […]
Change we can LIVE with
In a recent article by John Lynn, he explains that ACOs are a good idea, but physicians can influence the outcomes and not control the outcomes. In my earlier blog I started to explain that ACO success and longevity will depend on changing patient behavior. This starts with the physicians. For decades, patients, and some […]
Choosing a Clearinghouse/VAN
Choosing your clearinghouse or VAN is a very important step, especially if you are in healthcare. In healthcare you need to make sure they are HIPAA compliant, which means they will be able to handle all the mandated transaction sets. Other industries have different requirements. Whichever clearinghouse you choose, you need to make sure they […]
ICD-10 Neutrality: How will you use your deadline extension?
Since Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen G. Sebelius announced that HHS will initiate a process to postpone the date by which certain health care entities have to comply with International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition diagnosis and procedure codes (ICD-10), the healthcare industry is still trying to figure out the scope and the impact […]
Healthcare data – can you dig it?
I started my career building training systems for the US Navy. Since then I have worked in Aviation, Finance, Logistics, Education, Telecommunications and Healthcare. I can honestly say the healthcare industry is the thriftiest group of people from this list. Healthcare is a market with so much money pouring through, this seems like it cannot […]
ACO: Maybe I am wrong and Payers will not be Partners
About a year ago I blogged, “Will we be reading in 2011 ACOs partner with large carriers?” I am hearing that carriers are staying away from ACOs and are not planning on partnering. What have you heard? Was my assumption incorrect in 2011?