-----
https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2022/02/25/theres-not-just-one-data-and-interoperability-problem-in-healthcare-there-are-many/
There’s Not Just One Data and Interoperability Problem in Healthcare,
There Are Many
February 25, 2022
John Lynn
Healthcare
loves to talk about the challenge that is data and interoperability in
healthcare. Indeed, healthcare faces a major challenge when it comes to
data and interoperability. However, it’s actually even more complex than
this. I realized this when talking with ELLKAY
as they prepare for the upcoming ViVE and HIMSS conferences. As I saw
their solution suite, I realized that healthcare doesn’t just have one data or
one interoperability problem. It has a multitude of data and
interoperability problems.
Let me give
you a feel for some of the data and interoperability challenges a healthcare
organization faces that vendors like ELLKAY are helping to solve:
- Hospitals – Every hospital I know has a major
need for data conversion and archiving projects. Whether they are
replacing older systems with something new or they’ve acquired another
hospital and are moving them to the same system, this is a major data
project in every hospital.
- Government Regulations and Payers – We all
know that the government and payers never sleep when it comes to new
regulations and requirements. The latest CMS interoperability and
patient access rules require sharing and value based care initiatives are
forcing healthcare organizations to share as well. It’s key to streamline
data collection to support risk, quality, and care management workflows.
- Population Health – While EHR vendors would
love to think they’re the single source of clinical information, the
reality is much different. In order to do population health effectively,
you need to have end-to-end system connectivity and clinical data across
disparate sources. Plus, ideally you make one single API for that
data available to partners.
- Ambulatory – The needs of medical practices
are similar to hospitals in that they often have to decommission legacy
applications. Plus, they need to migrate and/or archive data from
previous systems. As many of these practices are acquired by health
systems, this need becomes even more acute.
- Lab – We’re finally to the point where most
lab orders are being sent electronically. However, how is that
exchange of data going? How does your lab notify physicians of any
missing information so the physician can correct the error before they
arrive at the lab for accessioning? This requires well done
end-to-end connectivity between the EHR and the LIS.
-----
https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/technology/new-bill-would-update-hipaa-address-new-technology
New Bill Would Update HIPAA to Address New Technology
Analysis
| By Eric Wicklund |
February 25, 2022
The Health
Data Use and Privacy Commission Act, introduced earlier this month in the
Senate, would create a commission to study how HIPAA can be updated to take
into account new technologies, including digital health and telemedicine.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
·
The Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) was drafted in the 1990s to protect interactions
between patients and providers, but does not govern digital health companies
that collect health data from consumers or new technologies like the smartphone,
wearables, telehealth platforms and other other virtual care tools.
·
The proliferation of digital health and
telemedicine tools and platforms has allowed healthcare organizations to
access, collect, and analyze more health data from different locations, but it
has also opened the door to new ways to misuse that information.
·
The Health Data Use and Privacy Commission Act
would create a commission to recommend how HIPAA could be updated to address
these new technologies and uses.
A bill
introduced earlier this month in Congress would update the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
to account for new technology.
The Health Data Use and Privacy Commission Act, sponsored
by US Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), would cerate a new
health and privacy commission to advise Congress on “how to modernize the use
of health data and privacy laws to ensure patient privacy and trust while
balancing the need of doctors to have information at their fingertips to
provide care.”
-----
https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/telehealth-use-most-popular-among-young-women
Telehealth Use Most Popular Among Young Women
About 60
percent of telehealth users are female, and they are mostly using virtual care
for behavioral health services, a new report shows.
By Mark Melchionna
February 24,
2022 - Of the 25.6 percent of Americans who reported using a telehealth
modality during the pandemic, the majority were women seeking behavioral
healthcare, according to a report
published by Trilliant Health.
During the
peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth increased by 1,015
percent. However, usage has dropped over the past year.
About 75
percent of Americans claimed to have not used any telehealth services during
the pandemic.
Of those that
did use the virtual care services, 46 percent used it for a single visit, 80
percent did not have more than four visits, and 14 percent had seven or more
visits.
Researchers
posited that despite the jump in telehealth use during the pandemic, patients
still prefer in-person visits.
-----
https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/partners-collaborators-shared-vision-whatever-you-call-it-a-provider-vendor-dynamic-is-key?id=129312
Partners, collaborators, shared vision – whatever you call it, a
provider/vendor dynamic is key
Yes, ‘1+1 =
3’ is totally cliché, but how do you create great relationships between your
health system and your technology/service partners? The HDM KLAsroom recently
shared insights from 15 systems and their partners.
Feb 21 2022
Mitchel
Josephson
CEO, HDM
This article
is the third of a series providing observations, shared lessons and key
learning principles from the HDM KLASroom virtual event, Traversing the Patient Experience Ecosystem.
I was taught
that success is defined as a pursuit in and realization of a worthy ideal.
"Pursuit in" is odd to say and may be improper grammar, but I was
taught to use the "in" because it denotes a visceral pursuit, being
"all in," as opposed to an outside chasing of an ideal – I can live
for a moment, or I can live in the moment.
With this
context, a few months ago, Health Data Management and KLAS Research brought
together 15 health systems that are living in constant pursuit of improving the
patient experience. Our passion and purpose to create empowering experiences
for their patients and families were palpable.
Just consider
the extent to which some of these organizations go. Houston Methodist, a
six-hospital and academic medical center health system, has created a book club
on steroids for what they call DIOPs – Digital Innovation Obsessed People. They
encourage one and all to join a book club that has grown across the health
system to include participants from every department, all focused on digital
innovations that can improve the patient experience.
-----
https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/oracles-pending-purchase-of-cerner-raises-privacy-concerns?id=129357
Oracle’s pending purchase of Cerner raises privacy concerns
How will Oracle, as a data broker, take necessary steps to ensure
that patients’ records are kept private?
Feb 23
2022
Howard
Anderson
Because Oracle is a major data
broker, its pending
acquisition of electronic health records system vendor Cerner is raising some
concerns among privacy experts.
Chief among those worries is the
potential that Cerner’s database of de-identified patient data, which it makes
available for research purposes, could somehow be combined with Oracle’s trove
of consumer data to create more complete consumer profiles that then could be
used to, for example, help companies develop more targeted advertising.
David Holtzman,
Principal, HITprivacy:
“There’s
a concern that Oracle will take that information and attempt to identify it in
some way.”
In a December announcement of
Oracle’s plans to complete its purchase of Cerner sometime this year for $28.3
billion in cash, Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison said one of its goals was to
work with Cerner to “improve patient privacy.” The announcement also stated:
“Oracle and Cerner are committed to continued and enhanced stewardship of
health information, which will be bolstered by Oracle’s global operation
infrastructure.”
Asked for further comment on
privacy issues, an Oracle spokesman tells Health Data Management that the
company “is not able to share anything beyond the official announcement at this
time.”
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/feds-release-final-guidance-telehealth-rpm-security
Feds release final guidance on telehealth, RPM security
The NIST
guide is intended to help identify risks associated with remote patient
monitoring architecture and ensure healthcare organizations are partnering with
appropriate telehealth platform providers.
By Kat Jercich
February 24,
2022 01:37 PM
The
National Institute of Standards and Technology's National Cybersecurity Center
of Excellence published its final guidance this week on securing telehealth and
remote patient monitoring ecosystems.
The
guide is intended, according to NCCoE, to help identify
risks associated with RPM architecture and ensure healthcare organizations are
partnering with appropriate telehealth platform providers.
"While
[healthcare delivery organizations] do not have the ability to manage and
deploy privacy and cybersecurity controls unilaterally, they retain the
responsibility to ensure that appropriate controls and risk mitigation are
applied," wrote researchers.
WHY IT
MATTERS
In
order to develop the guidance and demonstrate how organizations can enhance
resiliency, NCCoE collaborated with industry partners to build a laboratory
environment – specifically, one where a patient is being monitored by an
in-home device capturing biometric data.
Those
partners included Accuhealth, Cisco, Inova, LogRhythm, MedCrypt, MedSec,
Onclave Networks, Tenable. University of Mississippi Medical Center and Vivify
Health.
-----
https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2022/02/24/papercuts-dont-have-to-hurt-removing-antiquated-paper-processes-in-healthcare/
Papercuts Don’t Have to Hurt – Removing Antiquated Paper Processes in
Healthcare
February 24, 2022
John Lynn
I
was pretty struck by the title of a session at the upcoming HIMSS 2022 conference
in Orlando, “Papercuts don’t have to hurt: How to gain physician adoption.”
It’s happening Wednesday, March 16th at 4:45–5:05pm in the Spotlight Theater,
booth #8240. Janell Goff, RT, Project Manager at Singing River
Health System, and Dessiree Paoli, Solutions Manager, Interlace Health,
are the presenters.
You
wouldn’t think we’d still be talking about EHR optimization and removing paper
from healthcare, but paper remains a common challenge.
I’m
interested to hear what Singing River Health System shares in this session as
they had physician’s adopt Epic integrated digital forms. In my
experience, many people have thrown a blind eye to the impact paper forms still
have on a healthcare organization. Whether it’s the intake forms or forms
in the exam room the patient needs to complete and sign, paper is still far too
prevalent in healthcare. No wonder they worry about papercuts.
No
doubt companies like Interlace Health have been at the forefront of providing
great technology solutions to these problems. Whether you’re looking to
do eForms, eSignature, or other workflow technology, the maturity of solutions
in this space is quite incredible. Interlace Health, for example, will be
celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2022 and rolling out an exciting new
platform that provides innovative ways to improve staff workflows, added
features to strengthen data collection, enhanced EHR integrations, and
fully-cloud hosted options. If you plan to be at HIMSS, be sure to stop
by their 30th anniversary happy hour celebration on Tuesday from 4-6 PM.
You can find more details here.
-----
https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/technology/mental-health-provider-uses-technology-integrate-psychiatric-services
Mental Health Provider Uses Technology to Integrate Psychiatric Services
Analysis
| By Scott Mace |
February 23, 2022
UpLift,
which launched less than a year ago, is using an EHR tool to give patients
quick and easy access to scheduling a psychiatrist appointment during a
counseling session.
KEY
TAKEAWAYS
·
UpLift has launched in the Mid-Atlantic states
and will enter Florida in March.
·
EMR Integration permits therapists to schedule
referrals to psychiatrists during the patient encounter, rather than
making that scheduling process an extra, cumbersome step
·
The platform also supports e-prescribing
required by psychiatrists and between-visit medication modifications, giving
therapists more information as they touch base regularly with patients.
A modular,
extendable ambulatory electronic medical record software platform has enabled a
mental healthcare provider to quickly innovate to integrate psychiatry into its
offerings.
UpLift, which started
operations at the end of 2021, is using technology from Canvas Medical,
a San Francisco-based EMR and payments company, to deliver faster, more
targeted psychiatric referrals, even allowing therapists to schedule follow-up
psychiatric care during their own patient encounters.
UpLift's
service delivery model is based around the patient-therapist relationship and
is delivered 85% virtually and 15% via in-person encounters.
-----
https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/payer/highmark-generates-245-million-fraud-and-waste-savings-using-ai
Highmark Generates $245 Million in Fraud and Waste Savings Using AI
Analysis
| By Laura Beerman |
February 24, 2022
"AI
allows Highmark to detect and prevent suspicious activity more quickly, update
insurance policies and guidelines, and stay ahead of new schemes and bad
actors," says one plan executive.
KEY
TAKEAWAYS
·
Highmark has reported $245 in fraud, waste, and
abuse savings for 2021.
·
A combination of artificial intelligence,
partnerships, and dedicated personnel are at the heart of its efforts.
·
Even as payers seek more collaborative
relationships, efforts that target preventable provider misconduct will always
be central to cost control.
For 2021,
Highmark reported that its Financial Investigations and Provider Review (FIPR)
saved $245 million in fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA) prevention. Highmark added
this sum to its total FWA savings haul of almost $1 billion since 2017. And
while artificial intelligence (AI) may have factored less in Highmark’s efforts
in the beginning, it is now central—along with close and diverse partnerships
within and outside of the payer’s organization.
The savings
breakdown spanned multiple lines of business and included:
- $152 million from
employer-sponsored coverage
- $49 million from BlueCard, which
provides out-of-network access
- $19 million from Medicare
Advantage (MA)
- $16 million from marketplace plans
- $9 million from the Federal
Employee Program
Highmark, a
member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, operates plans in
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware—which generated the bulk of the
savings—as well as western and northeastern New York.
-----
https://healthitanalytics.com/news/new-model-helps-predict-covid-19-patient-deterioration
New Model Helps Predict COVID-19 Patient Deterioration
A new
model was able to predict deterioration among COVID-19 patients, which occurred
in 10 to 20 percent of those admitted to the hospital, a new study shows.
By Mark Melchionna
February 23,
2022 - Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, providers realized that
predicting clinical deterioration among patients is an important step to take, a
new study published in The BMJ shows.
During the
pandemic, hospitals have struggled to maintain the capacity and resources
needed to care for COVID-19 patients. Predicting clinical deterioration among
patients can help hospitals prepare for future surges.
The study
included 33,119 adult patients admitted to a hospital with respiratory distress
or COVID-19.
Researchers
attempted to measure the relationship between clinical deterioration in the
first five days of hospitalization using various linear models. They defined
clinical deterioration as death within the hospital or treatments such as
mechanical ventilation, heated high flow nasal cannula, or intravenous
vasopressors.
-----
https://healthitanalytics.com/news/4-basics-to-know-about-the-role-of-fhir-in-interoperability
FHIR Interoperability Basics: 4 Things to Know
The Fast
Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) standard aims to improve data
exchange, but how does it work and what does it mean for the future of health
data interoperability?
By Editorial Staff
February 23,
2022 - As health data interoperability becomes an increasingly pressing
concern for providers, developers and vendors are paying a great deal more
attention to the data standards that will enable seamless, on-demand
information exchange.
The Fast Healthcare
Interoperability Resource, commonly known as FHIR, quickly became one of the
most popular protocols for joining together disparate systems and continues to
hold great promise for developing an application-based
approach to interoperability and health information exchange.
But what is
FHIR, and how is it being used to further health data exchange?
In this
article, HealthITAnalytics breaks down the basics of one of the critical
standards enabling efficient and secure interoperability.
-----
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06018-9#citeas
·
Article
·
Open
Access
·
Published:
08 February 2022
Machine learning outperforms clinical experts in classification of hip
fractures
·
E.
A. Murphy,
·
B.
Ehrhardt,
·
C.
L. Gregson,
·
O.
A. von Arx,
·
A.
Hartley,
·
M.
R. Whitehouse,
·
M.
S. Thomas,
·
G.
Stenhouse,
·
T.
J. S. Chesser,
·
C.
J. Budd &
·
H.
S. Gill
Scientific
Reports volume 12,
Article number: 2058 (2022) Cite
this article
Abstract
Hip
fractures are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly, and
incur high health and social care costs. Given projected population ageing, the
number of incident hip fractures is predicted to increase globally. As fracture
classification strongly determines the chosen surgical treatment, differences
in fracture classification influence patient outcomes and treatment costs. We
aimed to create a machine learning method for identifying and classifying hip
fractures, and to compare its performance to experienced human observers. We
used 3659 hip radiographs, classified by at least two expert clinicians. The
machine learning method was able to classify hip fractures with 19% greater
accuracy than humans, achieving overall accuracy of 92%.
-----
https://www.healthimaging.com/topics/artificial-intelligence/algorithm-identifies-significant-findings-reports
AI can identify significant findings on scanned
radiology reports, reduce manual workloads
Hannah Murphy | February 22, 2022 | Artificial
Intelligence
A
new deep learning algorithm could help save clinicians time and money by
identifying documents that might require follow-ups after they have been
scanned into the EHR.
“Scanned documents, while common in
electronic health records and potentially rich in clinically relevant
information, rarely fit well with clinician workflow,” corresponding author
Elmer V. Bernstam, MD, with the School of Biomedical Informatics at the
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and co-authors disclosed.
For their research, the doctors
identified findings from scanned radiology reports that would require
additional follow-up. They focused on three specific findings that are commonly
seen in malpractice
claims: (1)
potentially malignant breast on mammogram, (2) lung lesions seen on CT imaging
and (3) long bone fractures on radiographs.
An automated “pipeline” was trained
to analyze text using typed and dictated imaging reports that were scanned into
an EHR and classified either manually or using ICD-10 codes. The pipeline was
then evaluated using a test set of reports that were manually
classified.
-----
https://www.zdnet.com/article/cisa-publishes-guide-with-free-cybersecurity-tools-resources-for-incident-response/
CISA publishes guide with free cybersecurity tools, resources for incident
response
The resources can provide a foundation for dealing with the
aftermath of cyberattacks.
Written by Charlie Osborne,
Contributor
Posted in Zero Day on February 21, 2022 | Topic: Security
CISA
has published a guide containing free cybersecurity resources and services that
may be valuable in incident response.
The
US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is responsible for
monitoring, managing, and reducing risk to the country's critical
infrastructure. The federal agency is also known for issuing alerts relating to
high-profile data breaches and vulnerability disclosures.
Last
month, CISA warned organizations to shore up their defenses in light of
the cyberattacks endured by Ukraine's government, in which IT systems were disrupted,
and government-owned website domains were defaced by suspected Russian
cybercriminals.
As
part of an ongoing initiative to improve the cybersecurity posture of US
infrastructure providers, critical services, and state to local governments, CISA has compiled a guide containing advice, resources, and
links to services that can help organizations reduce their risk exposure as
well as deal with the aftermath of a security incident.
-----
https://www.healthit.gov/buzz-blog/health-it/embracing-health-equity-by-design
Embracing Health Equity by Design
Ryan
Argentieri; Thomas A. Mason; Jordan Hefcart and Jawanna Henry | February 22,
2022
Gaps
in health IT use illustrate the inequities that unfortunately exist in our
health care system, which in turn can lead to inadequate patient care,
experience, and outcomes. During ONC’s 2021 Tech
Forum, Dr. Linda Rae Murray, the former chief medical officer at the Cook
County Health & Hospital System, highlighted some of the health disparities
she had seen firsthand while serving medically underserved patients in Chicago
for more than 20 years.
When
her organization launched a new electronic health record system almost 15 years
ago, the registration form listed male and female as the only gender options.
This omission, which was later corrected, did not allow clinicians to
adequately capture information about their patients.
The
same challenge exists when it comes to race and ethnicity. People of Asian
descent, for example, have traditionally been grouped together when it comes to
population-based data, which can impact the type of care they may need.
“There
is not a blanket approach to improving health equity,” Murray said. “As health
leaders, we must listen to our staff [who work] directly with patients and
understand what our community needs. Every community has different challenges,
but health equity can only improve if health care reflects those it serves.”
-----
said.
https://ehrintelligence.com/news/how-health-it-design-can-help-boost-health-equity
How Health IT Design, Data Standards Can Help Boost Health Equity
Ensuring
health IT developers design systems with a particular focus on health equity is
critical, ONC officials noted.
By Hannah Nelson
February 23,
2022 - While health IT cannot address all of the factors that drive health
disparities, ensuring technology is designed with health equity in mind is
crucial, ONC officials noted in a HealthITBuzz blog
post.
More
importantly, stakeholders must ensure that health IT does not worsen health
disparities. With this in mind, ONC is focusing on the concept of “health
equity by design” for its health IT endeavors.
“This means
that policies, projects, and technologies, among many other efforts, are looked
at early on through the lens of equitable healthcare access, treatment, and
outcomes,” ONC officials Ryan Argentieri, Thomas A. Mason, Jordan Hefcart, and
Jawanna Henry wrote.
Ensuring health
IT supports health equity includes certifying that the technology can
collect comprehensive demographic and social determinants of health (SDOH)
data.
-----
https://healthitsecurity.com/news/hhs-warns-of-emr-ehr-security-risks
HHS Warns of EMR, EHR Security Risks
HHS'
latest brief emphasized the severity of EMR and EHR security risks and urged organizations
to implement technical safeguards.
By Jill McKeon
February 22,
2022 - HHS's Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) warned
of electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic health record (EHR) security
risks in a recent brief. EHRs and EMRs are top targets for healthcare
cyberattacks.
Although they
are often used interchangeably, HC3 noted that "[a]n EMR allows the
electronic entry, storage, and maintenance of digital medical data."
"EHR
contains the patient's records from doctors and includes demographics, test
results, medical history, history of present illness (HPI), and medications."
EMRs fall
under EHRs and contain patient registration and billing information,
appointment and scheduling information, and patient health data. Common EHR
vendors include Epic, Cerner, and MEDITECH.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/new-zealand-sets-telehealth-service-247-abortion-support
New Zealand sets up telehealth service for 24/7 abortion support
The phased
launch will begin by the last week of April.
By Adam Ang
February 22,
2022 11:54 PM
New
Zealand is going live with a web-based telehealth service for abortion
support.
In
a media release today, Minister for Seniors Dr Ayesha Verrall announced that a
dedicated website called Decide will be launched to deliver abortion
information and advice and offer phone consultations with health practitioners.
All patients of this upcoming service will be part of an active follow-up
process, she added.
The
service will be led by sexual and reproductive health care providers Family
Planning and Magma Healthcare (also known as The Women's Clinic), who are both
experienced in providing sexual health and abortion services via telehealth.
The
phased rollout will begin on 26 April when referrals and information about
abortion services will become available. In the second phase of the launch from
1 July, it will offer follow-up care and abortion-related counselling.
In
the final phase of the rollout from November, telemedicine services will be
accessible, including clinical consultations for early medical abortion (EMA)
over the phone and medicine delivery. It was emphasised that from this phase
onwards, patients can seek abortion services directly from practitioners.
-----
Cerner revenue up, net earnings down in 2021
On the heels
of its announced acquisition by Oracle a few months ago, the organization said
its Q4 revenue was slightly below expectations.
By Kat Jercich
February 23,
2022 12:03 PM
Cerner
released its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings report this week, showing an
increase in revenue but a decrease in net earnings in 2021.
In
the financial release – the first following the announcement of its acquisition
by Oracle this past year – Cerner leaders said its Q4 revenue underperformed
projections to some degree.
"While
revenue in the fourth quarter was slightly below expectations primarily due to
a COVID-related project delay and lower technology resale, we had a solid
fourth quarter driven by a sharper focus on our core business and better
operational execution," said Dr. David Feinberg, who took over as president and CEO in October 2021, in a statement.
WHY IT
MATTERS
A
spotlight has shown on Cerner since the news of its mammoth deal with Oracle went live in December 2021.
The
vendor said in its earnings report that it expects the $95-per-share merger to
close in this calendar year. Given that proposed acquisition, Cerner declined
to host an earnings conference call, issue prepared remarks, provide financial
guidance or repurchase shares.
-----
https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2022/02/23/is-the-chief-digital-officer-as-important-as-the-ceo-in-healthcare/
Is the Chief Digital Officer as Important as the CEO in Healthcare?
February 23, 2022
Colin Hung
It
is the responsibility of Chief Digital Officers to lead healthcare’s digital
transformation. They must align the C-Suite, frontline staff, and the ecosystem
of technology suppliers so that there is mutual benefit as they collectively
march towards the health system’s digital goals. According to Raj Aggarwal,
Chief Growth and Strategy Officer at Panda
Health, this makes them as important as the CEO.
Role
of a Chief Digital Officer?
Healthcare
IT Today recently had the opportunity to sit down with Aggarwal to
discuss the role of Chief Digital Officers in health systems, the concept of
digital transformation, and why both are so critical for healthcare at the
moment.
When
asked “What does a Chief Digital Officer (CDO) do?”, Aggarwal responded with:
“It’s someone who can understand the clinical enterprise – the service lines of
the organization – and be able to align the business model of technology
companies with the business model of healthcare systems to create a win-win.”
-----
https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/fcc-plans-to-change-telecom-rate-determination-for-rural-providers
FCC Plans to Change Telecom Rate Determination for Rural Providers
The
commission is seeking comments on proposed changes to how it sets rates for the
Rural Health Care Program, which supports rural provider access to broadband
and other telecommunications services.
By Anuja Vaidya
February 22,
2022 - The Federal Communications Commission plans
to change how payment rates are determined for rural providers using
telecommunications, including telehealth.
The Rural Health Care
Program assists rural healthcare providers with the cost of broadband and
other communications services. It includes the Telecommunications (Telecom)
Program, which subsidizes the difference between urban and rural rates for
telecommunications services, and the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program,
which promotes broadband services and facilitates the formation of healthcare
providers consortia.
The FCC is
seeking comment on potential revisions to the rates database for the Telecom
Program.
Adopted in
2019, the rates database lists eligible services in the program, median urban
and rural rates for services by state, and underlying rate data used to
determine the median rates. But the use of the database was waived in funding
years 2021 and 2022 due to "anomalies and inconsistencies," according
to the FCC.
-----
https://patientengagementhit.com/news/directtrust-honors-opennotes-for-patient-data-access-interoperability
DirectTrust Honors OpenNotes for Patient Data Access, Interoperability
OpenNotes
was recognized for their implementation of shared clinical notes leading to
better patient data access and transparency in healthcare.
By Sarai Rodriguez
February 22,
2022 - DirectTrust has named
OpenNotes as an Interoperability Hero for the fourth quarter of 2021,
highlighting OpenNotes efforts to advance patient data access and
interoperability in healthcare.
"The
Interoperability Hero Initiative has highlighted that regardless of
organizational affiliation or specific standards deployed, many in health IT
are laser-focused on advancing interoperability," said Kathryn Ayers
Wickenhauser, DirectTrust director of communications in a previous announcement.
By
implementing shared clinical notes, OpenNotes has made patient data access more
efficient.
“OpenNotes
has always been on the forefront of transparency in healthcare through
evidence-based research and best practices that raise the overall standard of
care,” Steven R Lane, MD, of Sutter Health, who nominated OpenNotes, said in
the announcement.
-----
https://patientengagementhit.com/news/top-challenges-impacting-patient-access-to-healthcare
Top Challenges Impacting Patient Access to Healthcare
Healthcare
organizations must look into convenient care options and other patient services
to drive more patient access to healthcare.
By Sara Heath
February 22,
2022 - Patient access to care sets the baseline for all patient encounters
with the healthcare industry. When a patient cannot access her clinician, it is
impossible to receive medical care, build relationships with her providers, and
achieve overall patient wellness.
Despite this
importance, patient care access is not a reality for many patients across the
country. Between appointment availability issues and troubles getting a ride to
the clinician office, patient care access has many associated challenges.
Below,
PatientEngagementHIT.com outlines some of the top obstacles to patient care
access, as well as the ways some medical professionals are addressing them.
Limited
appointment availability, office hours
Many
healthcare organizations offer a typical set of office hours for patient
visits. But for the working adult or parent, a clinic that is open between 8
a.m. and 6 p.m. is not always useful. Patients need convenient office hours
that allow them to visit the doctor outside of their work or school schedules.
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https://healthitsecurity.com/news/hhs-warns-of-emr-ehr-security-risks
HHS Warns of EMR, EHR Security Risks
HHS'
latest brief emphasized the severity of EMR and EHR security risks and urged
organizations to implement technical safeguards.
By Jill McKeon
February 22,
2022 - HHS's Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) warned
of electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic health record (EHR) security
risks in a recent brief. EHRs and EMRs are top targets for healthcare
cyberattacks.
Although they
are often used interchangeably, HC3 noted that "[a]n EMR allows the
electronic entry, storage, and maintenance of digital medical data."
"EHR contains
the patient's records from doctors and includes demographics, test results,
medical history, history of present illness (HPI), and medications."
EMRs fall
under EHRs and contain patient registration and billing information,
appointment and scheduling information, and patient health data. Common EHR
vendors include Epic, Cerner, and MEDITECH.
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https://ehrintelligence.com/news/tripathi-cures-act-provisions-to-transform-interoperability-in-2022
Tripathi: Cures Act Provisions to Transform Interoperability in 2022
The
Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) is one
of several Cures Act provisions set to drive interoperability in 2022.
By Hannah Nelson
February 23,
2022 - Key provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act will help transform
healthcare interoperability in 2022, according
to Micky Tripathi, national coordinator for health IT.
In a
HealthAffairs article, Tripathi noted that more than 90 percent of hospitals
and physician practices now use EHR systems. However, he emphasized that
widespread EHR adoption was just the first step in delivering on the promise of
a modern, digital healthcare system.
“Process
change often lags behind technological change, and the healthcare industry and
intertwined regulations remain deeply imbued with workflows and mindsets born
of a paper-based world,” Tripathi wrote in the article.
“Health
system reform should be reconceived on the premise of electronic data that can
securely, appropriately, and easily flow wherever and whenever needed to
improve healthcare quality, safety, efficiency, affordability, and equity,” he
continued.
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https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/cybersecurity-training-is-vital-to-building-a-world-class-tech-team?id=129325
Cybersecurity training is vital to building a world-class tech team
Why giving IT
professionals career development opportunities within a healthcare organization
makes good business sense.
Feb 21 2022
David
Lehr
Being a
technology leader of a healthcare institution can be overwhelming. You’re
constantly balancing the need to:
·
Move fast to stay agile and keep up with new
competitors.
·
Adopt new technologies and maintain legacy
systems that never seems to die.
·
Keep it all integrated and working together.
·
Prevent millions of hackers around the globe
from shutting it all down.
To achieve
these and other ambitious goals requires a world-class team. And one of the
pillars of great leadership is building, inspiring and retaining that
world-class team.
Adding rungs
to career ladder
In my experience leading technology teams in several different settings, I have
found that most staff members crave the next big challenge. In fact, one of the
most common themes I hear from staff is that they want a career ladder with
more rungs – without necessarily being pushed into management. They are looking
for more responsibility, more autonomy and the opportunity to develop and
refine new skills.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/emea/are-we-moving-ever-closer-union-european-health
Are we moving to an ever closer union for European health?
Leaders in
the European Union say now is the time to work towards a coordinated policy.
February 22,
2022 09:20 AM
Is
this the time to work towards a European health union? That question was
discussed by policy-makers at an event in Brussels yesterday (21 Feb), where
speakers included Italian’s former prime minister, Prof Mario Monti, the
former health commissioner and Christine Berling, Directorate General for
Health for the Ministry of Solidarity and Health of France, which currently
holds the European presidency.
The
idea of a European health union isn’t new but COVID has sparked greater
interest in it, as well as popular support. Monti likened the pandemic to the
foreign exchange crises of the 1970s and 1980s which led to the creation of the
European Central Bank and the euro. “The pandemic worked as a single trigger
for health—hence the need for a European Health Union.”
'Consistent data systems across Europe'
Unlike
customs, competition or monetary policy, health is not an area of EU action, or
competence. The health of citizens is the responsibility of
individual countries, Berling pointed out – although, she
suggested, that approach may need to change.
Areas
such as digital health, IT and human resources, are areas public goods
involving cross-border transfer of technology and workers and should be common
priorities, said Josep Figueras, director
of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. “Digital is the one
that everyone agrees on, of course; but there are many others,” he said.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hhs-cyber-arm-warns-ehr-vulnerabilities
HHS cyber arm warns of EHR vulnerabilities
The Health
Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center published a threat brief outlining
common threats to electronic health records, including phishing attacks,
malware and cloud threats.
By Kat Jercich
February 22,
2022 12:22 PM
The
Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center published a threat brief this
past week cautioning about the potential cybersecurity risks of electronic
health records.
In its brief, the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services' cyber agency noted that EHRs have a wide range of benefits, including
possible interoperability, convenience and improved quality of care.
At
the same time, said HC3, the electronic health record is "valuable to
cyber attackers because of the Protected Health Information it contains and the
profit they can make on the dark web or black market."
WHY IT
MATTERS
According
to researchers, stolen healthcare data is the most valuable, with average
breach incident costs totaling $9.23 million in 2021.
And
the EHRs are repositories for that data, making them a juicy prize for bad
actors.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/2022-will-be-transformative-year-health-it-says-onc-head
2022 will be a 'transformative year' for health IT, says ONC head
National
Coordinator for Health IT Micky Tripathi points to information blocking, API
standardization and TEFCA as key factors in enhancing critical
interoperability.
By Kat Jercich
February 22,
2022 04:21 PM
National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology Micky Tripathi says that 2022
will bring the policy and technical infrastructure necessary for nationwide
information sharing – making it a transformative year.
"This
year providers, patients, payers, public health practitioners, technology
developers, researchers and other stakeholders will take the decade-long
investment in health information technology to the next level," wrote
Tripathi in an article for Health Affairs published
Tuesday.
WHY IT
MATTERS
In
the piece, Tripathi observes that key provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act
will be implemented in 2022, acting as critical pushes toward clinical
interoperability.
For
instance, Tripathi pointed to continued implementation and enforcement of the
information blocking regulations, which will prioritize practices that do not
interfere with access, exchange and use of electronic health information.
"At
the ONC, we don’t think about 'information blocking' so much as we think about
'information sharing,'" Tripathi said.
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https://patientengagementhit.com/news/older-adults-see-patient-care-access-delays-during-covid-19
Older Adults See Patient Care Access Delays During COVID-19
Around 1
in 3 patients over 50 with scheduled appointments had to delay their healthcare
plans due to COVID-19 disruption, revealing the lingering effects COVID-19 has
on patient care access.
By Sarai Rodriguez
February 21,
2022 - The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact patient care access with
COVID-19 related disruption causing many older patients to delay their
scheduled appointments, according
to the National Poll on Healthy Aging.
The survey,
with responses from over 1,000 adults over 50 years old, uncovered that 30
percent of respondents with a scheduled appointment had their visit canceled or
postponed due to pandemic-related disruptions.
Missing
routine visits, operations, or medical tests can have lasting implications on
the overall health of patients, the survey administrators said.
Of all
respondents who had a procedure, test, or operation scheduled, 14 percent
stated they had postponed, rescheduled, or canceled the appointment, and 8
percent stated their provider was responsible for the delayed
appointment.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/directtrust-tops-945m-exchange-transactions-2021
DirectTrust tops 945M exchange transactions in 2021
The past
year's numbers bring the Direct Secure Message totals to nearly 3 billion, with
more than 254 million sent and received in the last quarter.
By Kat Jercich
February 21,
2022 01:20 PM
DirectTrust,
which enables electronic exchanges of protected health information among
provider organizations and between clinicians and patients, announced this past
week that it had observed a significant uptick in year-over-year exchange
transactions.
According
to the metrics released this past Thursday, more than 945 million Direct Secure
Messages were sent and received within the network in 2021: a 31% increase over
the total in 2020, with an average of 79 million per month.
"In
2021 we saw a return to strong growth in message volume and in the number of
organizations with access to Direct Secure Messaging, after seeing a dip
related to the pandemic in 2020," said Scott Stuewe, president and CEO of
DirectTrust, in a statement.
"Our
volume rebounded to over 100 million more transactions than we saw in 2019,
making 2021 our best year yet," he added.
-----
https://ehrintelligence.com/news/directtrust-announces-31-increase-in-2021-direct-secure-messages
DirectTrust Announces 31% Increase in 2021 Direct Secure Messages
The number
of consumers leveraging DirectTrust direct secure messages increased nearly 16 percent
from 2020 to 2021.
By Hannah Nelson
February 21,
2022 - Healthcare industry alliance DirectTrust supported
more than 945 million direct secure messages during 2021, representing a 31
percent increase over the total number of transactions in 2020.
Since
DirectTrust began tracking transactions in 2014, the organization has
facilitated nearly 2.9 billion direct secure messages, an average of more than
79 million transactions per month.
In the fourth
quarter of 2021, the
number of consumers using direct secure messaging increased nearly 16
percent compared to the same period a year ago. The number of trusted direct
addresses sharing protected health information (PHI) also grew 12 percent
year-over-year.
"In
2021, we saw a return to strong growth in message volume and in the number of
organizations with access to direct secure messaging, after seeing a dip
related to the pandemic in 2020," Scott Stuewe, president and CEO of
DirectTrust, said in a press release. "Our volume rebounded to over 100
million more transactions than we saw in 2019, making 2021 our best year
yet."
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/tech-can-help-address-behavioral-health-crisis-says-ama
Tech can help address the behavioral health crisis, says AMA
A new report
outlines the role digital tools can play in supporting the integrated delivery
of behavioral and physical healthcare.
By Kat Jercich
February 21,
2022 04:46 PM
The
American Medical Association, in conjunction with Manatt Health, published a
report this week exploring the ways that virtual care and other digital tools
can accelerate the adoption of the integrated delivery of behavioral and
physical healthcare.
In
the report, the organizations note that behavioral health
integration is essential for solving the country's dire need for access to
services.
"The
demand for behavioral health services is significant and rising, but so is the
potential for digital technology to support the integrated delivery of physical
and behavioral health services," said AMA President Dr. Gerald Harmon in a
statement.
WHY IT
MATTERS
The
organizations convened a diverse working group to develop the report, which
proposed a set of solutions that stakeholders can pursue in order to implement
a sustainable behavioral health integration model.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/millions-live-contraception-deserts-can-telehealth-help
Millions live in 'contraception deserts' – can telehealth help?
Dr. Nancy
Shannon, chief medical officer for the recently merged Nurx, says she believes
the specialty app model can help bridge the birth control gap for some
patients.
By Kat Jercich
February 21,
2022 09:41 AM
According
to researchers, more than 19 million women of reproductive age are living
in "contraceptive deserts," defined as areas with fewer than one health center for
every 1,000 women in need of publicly funded contraception.
Addressing
these gaps requires a multipronged approach, say experts – including
facilitating access to birth control via telehealth. Dr. Nancy Shannon,
chief medical officer for Nurx, a specialty prescription app focusing on
contraception and other services that recently announced a merger with Thirty Madison, says the
company was seeing steady growth in demand even before COVID-19.
"But
once COVID hit, people were concerned about going to their regular
doctors," said Shannon. The reluctance to seek in-person care compounded
complications around pharmacy availability, she explained. "Pharmacists
have been getting sick; their families are getting sick."
Meanwhile,
pharmacies have often been the first points of contact for services such as
COVID-19 tests and vaccines. "People are asked to do more, and it has just
put a huge demand on our pharmacy system," she said.
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https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/technology/how-can-ai-be-used-palliative-care
How Can AI Be Used in Palliative Care?
Analysis
| By Eric Wicklund |
February 21, 2022
Researchers
from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital say AI
technology could be used in a hybrid platform that improves how clinicians
communicate with patients and their families about serious illnesses and
palliative care.
AI technology
is starting to show up in care management and coordination platforms as an
avenue for interpreting data and communicating with patients, usually through
chatbots, but is it appropriate for dealing with patients in palliative care?
In a
recent article in NPJ/Digital Medicine, researchers from Brigham and
Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital say the platform could help
care providers with serious illness communication (SIC) by smoothing over what
is often a difficult process. But the technology needs to be integrated
carefully in a hybrid platform.
Patients with
serious illness often experience delayed SIC because clinicians are poor at
prognosticating life expectancy for terminally ill patients, usually erring on
the side of optimism,” says the January 27 article, authored by Isaac S. Chua
and David W. Bates of Brigham and Women’s and Christine S. Ritchie at Mass
General. “Moreover, systematic methods to identify patients with palliative
care needs are lacking.”
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Enjoy!
David.
