|
|
|
| EHR Adoption |
Twenty-one
vendors of EHRs (electronic health records) have banded together to figure
out how to make systems interoperable and to encourage physicians, particularly
in ambulatory settings, to adopt the technology. This article offers insight
into this initiative. |
EHR Vendors Unite for Interoperability |
| The Office of the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology (Dr. Brailer) has a plan of
action for making EHRs a reality that consists of four sequential main goals:
informing clinicians, interconnecting them, personalizing care, and thus
improving population health. This is an explanation of the Governmental
Framework issued from Dr. Brailer's office. |
Goals of Strategic Framework |
| Policy Landscape: Administration Current Activities -
eHealth Initiatives, along with 12 other health information technology organizations,
responded to the RFI with the "Common Framework" to support improved health
information exchange in the United States while protecting patient privacy.
This link highlights the various responses. |
Policy Landscape: Administration Current Activities
|
| Congress: Current Legislation - The U.S. government has
a number of initiatives that impact the adoption of the EHR. This is a list
of bills that are currently before the Congress. |
Congress: Current Legislation |
| Electronic Health Records: Just Around the Corner?
Or over the Cliff? Internist in a community-based practice of general internal
medicine encountered various challenges, some unexpected, in moving from
paper to computer. This article highlights the five broad issues they felt
must be addressed to promote successful implementation of electronic health
records in a small office: financing; interoperability, standardization,
and connectivity of clinical information systems; help with redesign of
work flow; technical support and training; and help with change management.
|
Electronic Health Records: Just Around the Corner? |
| Accelerating U.S. EHR Adoption: How to Get There From Here
- Reasons for the slow adoption of healthcare information technology include
a misalignment of incentives, limited purchasing power among providers,
variability in the viability of EHR products and companies, and limited
demonstrated value of EHRs in practice. At the 2004 American College of
Medical Informatics (ACMI) Retreat, attendees discussed the current state
of EHR adoption in this country and identified steps that could be taken
to stimulate adoption. In this paper, based upon the ACMI retreat, and building
upon the experiences of the authors developing EHR in academic and commercial
settings we identify a set of recommendations to stimulate adoption of EHR,
including financial incentives, promotion of EHR standards, enabling policy,
and educational, marketing, and supporting activities for both the provider
community and healthcare consumers. |
Accelerating U.S. EHR Adoption: How to Get There From Here |
| Policy Statement of the AAFP Regarding EHR Interoperability and
the ASTM CCR Standard - In 2002-2004 the Family Medicine community
engaged in a collaborative project which examined the future of family medicine
as a discipline and medical specialty. As part of the Future of Family Medicine
report, a New Model of Care was designed to meet the needs of patients in
the future. This model necessitates the use of health information technology
(HIT) to improve quality, enhance patient safety, and increase efficiency.
Electronic health record (EHR) software is viewed as the “central nervous
system” of this New Model family practice. The American Academy of Family
Physicians (AAFP) is joined in this belief that the future of the health
care system depends on physician EHR adoption by many other physician membership
organizations, the federal government, and a broad coalition of US industries. |
Accelerating U.S. EHR Adoption: How to Get There From Here |
| Speech Recognition |
Speech Recognition in the EHR - This American Health
Information Management Association brief focuses on understanding of how
speech recognition works, the driving forces that are shaping the current
and future applications of this technology, the benefits and risks associated
with both “front-end” and server-based use, and to provide a glossary of
terms, as well as illustrate work flow, tasks and skills, and best practices. |
Speech Recognition in the EHR |
| Privacy |
Regarding the Privacy
Implication of the Proposed NHIN - The proposed National Health
Information Network embodies a presidential mandate to bring information
technology to healthcare by making complete patient records available
to providers, regardless of location. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
(PRC) is a nonprofit consumer organization with a two-part mission --
consumer information and consumer advocacy. This paper is written by the
PRC and highlights concerns, not least of which (in their view) is whether
it is technologically feasible. The PRC feels most emphatically that all
stakeholders must have a role in debating the entire system and its implications
for healthcare and privacy of medical records. |
Regarding the Privacy Implication of the Proposed NHIN |
| The Top Ten Privacy and Security Challenges in EHR Transition
- The American Health Information Management Association offers suggestions
for ensuring privacy and security with EHR implementation. |
The Top Ten Privacy and Security Challenges in EHR Transition |
| Potential Barriers to Adoption |
Legal Barriers to Electronic Health Records - A lawyer
associated with the Physician's News Digest has written this article highlighting
some of the legal problems associated with adoption of the EHR. |
Legal Barriers to Electronic Health Records |
| Physicians' Use of EMRs: Barriers and Solutions - Health
Affairs identified key barriers to physicians' use of EHRs. In this article,
they suggest policy interventions to overcome these barriers, including
providing work/practice support systems, improving electronic clinical data
exchange, and providing financial rewards for quality improvement. |
Physicians' Use of EMRs: Barriers and Solutions |
Group Practices Identify,
Overcome EHR Barriers - According to a 2004 survey of medical
practice administrators conducted by the Medical Group Management Association
(MGMA) Center for Research with funding from the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ), the biggest barrier to EHR adoption is a
lack of capital resources. The second-biggest barrier is lack of physician
support. As the health care market and regulatory environments shift,
however, these two barriers could drastically change in the next few years,
whether by carrot or by stick. This article addresses what will change. |
Group Practices Identify, Overcome EHR Barriers |
| Coding and Compliance |
Well Scrubbed: Look for
Quality of Data, Flexibility in a Claims Validation System -
Coding and compliance validation products complement practice management
systems or claims clearinghouses. Commonly known as "scrubbers," these
systems check claims against payer-specific coding compliance edits -
prior to payer submission - to catch omissions and errors that will short
circuit the reimbursement cycle or lose a practice the optimal payment.
Scrubber systems help practices file accurate claims the first time, shortening
the accounts receivable (A/R) cycle and reducing denials. This article
from the MGMA website highlights these scrubber systems. |
Well Scrubbed: Look for Quality of Data, Flexibility in a Claims Validation System |
| Implementation |
Designing Effective Training - Evanston Northwestern
Healthcare (ENH) in Evanston, IL implemented an EHR system comprised of
three hospitals, 851 beds, and 65 group practices housed in more than 50
different locations. This article (from the AHIMA website) documents 5 phases
of design prior to their EHR installation. |
Designing Effective Training |
| Byte the Technology Bullet - The article from the MGMA
website guides EHR adopters through questions such as; How does the particular
technology you are considering fit into your practice's long-term plans?
The opinions of your physicians are crucial. Next, evaluate the possible
benefits of the technology |
Byte the Technology Bullet |
Early Input Makes for
Successful System Output - Key decisions made up front by the
executive team and a clear understanding of organizational goals and objectives
provide critical information for those designing and testing the system. This MGMA article highlights these topics and more.
|
Early Input Makes for Successful System Output |
| MIT Medical Uses EMR to Improve Care Delivery Process
- MIT Medical implemented an electronic medical record (EMR) to solve these
problems and reduce the risks and costs associated with managing patient
care via paper charts. The organization chose an EMR that interfaced with
existing software and with other systems, allowing for growth. The product
offered a modular implementation strategy, which facilitated the EMR's use
by physicians. This MGMA article features the MIT implementation process, |
MIT Medical Uses EMR to Improve Care Delivery Process |
| Brief Report of the AAFP's EHR Pilot Project - AAFP
- Center for Health Information Technology Article that discusses the results
of a pilot program to install and measure the effectiveness of three vendor's
cooperating on an EHR project (Vendors were Siemens, Hewlett-Packard and
MedPlexus). |
Brief Report of the AAFP's EHR Pilot Project |
