Health Level Seven International’s Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources has tremendous potential for the interoperable exchange of health information, but some industry watchers wonder if its use should be required to facilitate widespread information exchange. The use of FHIR, an application programming interface, is gaining momentum among providers and vendors, but it may be too early … Continue reading Industry leaders mull mandating use of FHIR for info exchange

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is still deciding how it will approach implementing the 21st Century Cures Act’s wide-ranging interoperability provisions, according to Acting National Coordinator Jon White, MD. “I know that a lot of folks have questions about the transition to the new Health IT Advisory Committee that is … Continue reading ONC continues to grapple with how to implement Cures Act provisions

“The EHR market has commoditized now and the healthcare domain is coming into an era where most other domains, like the financial domain, have been for a long time – understanding risk, identifying and mitigating risk, and finding tools to do so,” said Fred Rahmanian, chief technology officer at Geneia, a vendor of population health, … Continue reading EHRs are everywhere: Now what?

I recently had a conversation with a couple of senior executives from a publicly traded healthcare company that owns and operates hospitals and medical groups throughout the United States. They complained that the doctors were making too much money and that they needed to hire someone who would “get tough” with them and figure out … Continue reading Why do Healthcare Executives Treat Their Doctors like the Enemy?

The Trump Administration's emphasis on deregulation suggests there could be changes ahead in the relationship between health information technology vendors and current and prospective customers. Many IT purchasing decisions have been focused on complying with regulatory programs such as electronic health records meaningful use, MACRA and MIPs, says Christopher McCord, managing director and partner at … Continue reading Trump focus on deregulation could lower reporting burdens

Healthcare is unique and challenging, but so is every other industry -- and other industries aren't limiting the use of technology as much as the healthcare sector does. Over the past few years, The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 U.S. healthcare organizations and programs, has had a change … Continue reading No texting in healthcare!

The Future is Now Physician Discontent and Adopting EHRs Today - Breakaway Thinking Too many physicians struggle with their EHRs when they simply don't need to be. "A greater use of dictation and transcription could represent a faster and easier means of documenting large portions of their patient encounters."Adding dictation and transcription is easier than … Continue reading If data entry, usability, and inefficient workflows are causing pain, it is time to re-evaluate those clinical workflows

As the drive for value-based care advances, US medical practices in just four specialties spend an estimated $15.4 billion each year reporting whether they are meeting their quality targets, according to a survey. The results of the survey, which were published in the March issue of Health Affairs, bolster anecdotal reports from physicians about the increasing cost and … Continue reading Calling all Physicians.

Jan. 23, 2017 Dive Brief: U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order related to the Affordable Care Act just hours after his inauguration on Friday. Under the executive order, HHS and other federal agencies with responsibilities under the ACA "shall exercise all authority and discretion available to them to waive, defer, grant exemptions from or … Continue reading On Day One, Trump starts unwinding ACA

Immediately after the 115th Congress of the United States was sworn in, Republican leadership of both houses began their move to dismantle much, if not all, of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which sought to bring health insurance coverage to more Americans. I am not qualified, nor interested in exploring what we … Continue reading Why ACA’s demise requires a fresh look at business practices.