There is no doubt that the passing of the ARRA (February 2009) and quest for “meaningful electronic health records”
has been a game-changer in the US – and our friends north of the border (Canada) and other countries are watching closely. The need for hospitals, providers and states to be “up to speed” on the latest requirements – or equally important – ready for the next stage – has made resource centers and websites for staying posted very valuable.
ARRA and Meaningful Use Resource Centers
– 08/24/2010
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Its all about Partnerships
– 07/14/2010
Today, David Bousfield from Outsell Insights, a research and advisory firm focused on publishing and information industries, posted a story on the changing landscapes for EMR vendors and CDS Publishers for the 21st century of healthcare.
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Catch the Forums to Shape the Future of Nursing
– 12/03/2009
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation IOM Initiative on The Future of Nursing is significant in many ways (http://www.iom.edu/Activities/Workforce/Nursing.aspx) First, it comes during a unique and critical time, as our country’s leaders wrestle with healthcare reform and decisions are being made for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Next, it gives voice to nursing, which, as a profession, is key to making significant shifts in sustainable change. Three forums have been established for Acute Care, Community Health/Public Health/Primary Care/Long-Term Care, and Education.
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Preventing the Spread of Rare MSRA Strain
– 11/26/2009
H1N1 isn’t the only infection on the minds of hospitals and health systems. According to a study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, the USA600 strain of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) may be five times more lethal than other strains and be somewhat immune to the antibiotic vancomycin, which was used successfully to treat MRSA infections in the past.
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He had me at “focus on the end-product” . . .
– 11/17/2009
Today over 1,900 interdisciplinary clinicians, academics, informaticists, industry leaders, and more gathered in San Francisco for the AMIA key note address by David Blumenthal. Sitting front and center . . . his opening statement emphasized our need to “focus on the end product” of this incredible opportunity that lies before us in healthcare. Sounded something like my last blog entry “To achieve “Meaningful Use”: Begin with the end in mind!” Without clear focus on the “end-product” or the “end in mind” we are doomed to waste a lot of time, resources, and efforts that we cannot afford to lose right now. Dr. Blumenthal also stressed that this new world needs to be inclusive of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and “whoever” provides services to patients (yeah!). He stressed that the intention and efforts must be on the improvement of health and creating a learning healthcare system with much faster cycles of improvement.
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There’s No CDS Like the New CDS
– 11/03/2009
It has certainly been a big year for healthcare information technology (HIT) – possibly the single most game-changing year that many of us in the informatics field will see in our lifetimes – and, consequently, a big year for clinical decision support. The HITECH provisions of the economic stimulus act have brought billions of dollars in support and incentive funds for HIT, and we are already seeing a noticeable rise in acquisition of electronic health records and related systems. As you surely know by now, access to much of that funding depends on achieving that magical phrase, meaningful use – reaching and documenting milestones in quality, safety, patient involvement, care coordination, public health, and privacy protection. In order for your use of the EHR to be meaningful, the EHR has to be more than a filing system; it has to give active support to the practice, providing information to assist your decisions and actions in the direction of more consistent quality and reduced errors – in medication prescribing, test ordering, managing chronic conditions, providing preventive care, and more.
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Do you want the bad news or the worse news?
– 10/05/2009
On the surface, the healthcare system has a few problems.
Costs continue to rise and quality measurements remain flat. The US currently spends more than twice as much on each person for healthcare as most other industrialized countries, but it has fallen to last place among those countries in preventing deaths through the use of timely and effective medical care. According to the WHO, the US proudly ranks as the 37th best health system in the world – just ahead of Slovenia.
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To achieve “Meaningful Use”: Begin with the end in mind!
– 09/22/2009
To achieve “Meaningful Use”: Begin with the end in mind!
The past several months have been energizing as healthcare organizations and companies get clear on the promise of improving (dare I say “transforming”?) the US healthcare system with health information technology (HIT) via ARRA funding for meeting “Meaningful Use” criteria. Here at Elsevier I have the privilege of leading and collaborating with a team of experts on clinical decision support (CDS) who are committed to supporting our customers and HIT vendor partners with value-added products and services to successfully achieve “meaningful use” of their HIT investments.
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