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EHR Connection

EHR Connection is your connection to all the information you need to make your electronic health record efforts successful. You'll get tips each week on topics such as vendor selection, evaluating return on investment, getting buy-in from physicians and much more.

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EHR Connection

Issue 52, December 31, 2007

• Make these lectures your top priority at HIMSS conference

  Reserve time in your schedule at the 2008 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society...

• Houston to host 2008 NHIT summit

  The University of Texas School of Health Information Sciences at Houston will host the National...

• Michigan hospital information available online

  The Michigan Health and Hospital Association (MHA), in conjunction with its 146 nonprofit community...

• PPV: Healthcare providers encouraged to encrypt data at rest

  State laws requiring notification of a security breach to patients whose PHI has been compromised...

• Tip: Know which questions to ask about speech recognition software

  Speech recognition software can save time and money-and lots of it. The technology is ubiquitous...

Issue 51, December 24, 2007

• $1.6 million HRSA grant to fund EHR project in North Dakota

  The University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences announced receipt of a $1.6...

• NAHIT wants unique patient identifiers for EHR exchange

  The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT) says a voluntary...

• HIMSS conference offers numerous networking opportunities

  Save room on your calendar for some of the following networking events during the Health...

• PPV: Consider speech recognition to boost your bottom line

  If you could save your hospital $4 million, reduce your costs by 30%, and decrease the time it...

• Tip: Play it safe, encrypt "data at rest"

  "Data at rest," which includes any stored data, usually held on a server, hard drive, or portable...

Issue 50, December 17, 2007

• Physician EMR use boosts patient confidence

  A new The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive Health Poll finds that patient confidence...

• Reduce medical errors with online toolkits from AHRQ

  HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has made an array of toolkits designed...

• Web site offers neurological disorder information in Spanish

  The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has established a Spanish...

• PPV: Build your very own EHR dream team

  When choosing the members of your organization's EHR implementation team, consider the...

• Tip: Analyze work flow for a smooth transition to EHRs

  Work flow changes are inherent in any transition from paper records to an EHR system. Documenting...

Issue 49, December 10, 2007

• Leavitt wants EHR use to determine physicians' Medicare reimbursement rate

  HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt wants Congress to require physicians to "implement health information...

• eHealth Initiative Foundation research aims to improve drug safety

  The eHealth Initiative Foundation announced the formation of a research program designed to improve...

• Colorado introduces online hospital report card

  Colorado has a new Web site, called the Colorado Hospital Report Card that is intended to help...

• PPV: Protect your EHR security and confidentiality

  Feeling insecure about your health data security? If so, it is no wonder, considering the frequent...

• Tip: Plan for a paperless panacea

  Somehow, achieving a paperless state remains an elusive goal for approximately one-third of...

Issue 48, December 3, 2007

• Physicians' opposition to rating system stalls EHR legislation

  Senate leaders are negotiating changes to a health information technology (HIT) bill in what is...

• Canadians see EHRs as Rx for prescription errors

  Nearly nine in 10 Canadians (88%) support EHR development, according to a survey by Canada Health...

• NIA offers lesson plan so seniors can learn how to Google

  The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has developed a free training curriculum to help people who...

• PPV: AHIMA’s blueprint for HIM education of the future sparks discussion, fuels debate among current professionals

  A generation ago, concepts such as EMRs, PHRs, and computer-assisted coding were distant thoughts...

• Tip: Answer these questions before you buy speech recognition software

  Speech recognition software does some amazing things, like converting audio input to typed text and...

Issue 47, November 26, 2007

• EHR coming to the heartland via broadband

  The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC...

• It's like Gilligan's Island. . .with EHRs

  Located more than 1,665 miles west of Cape Town, South Africa, and accessible only by a boat trip...

• NHIN forum seeks public input

  Discussions on how trial implementations are addressing standards-based, private and secure...

• PPV: Capture the POA up-front using concurrent coding

  As you enter the first few months of present-on-admission (POA) implementation and queries pile up...

• Tip: The ABCs of establishing a PHR

  Although the number of people using electronic PHRs remains small, many individuals want the...

Issue 46, November 19, 2007

• CCHIT certifies six EHR products for acute care hospitals

  The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) announced November 5...

• Ad campaign tells Congress to require e-Rx to prevent patient deaths

  The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) is using a television and print advertising...

• HIT Alliance seeks volunteers for "definition" work groups

  The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (Alliance) seeks volunteers for two work...

• PPV: One hospital ensures success by providing resources and promoting communication

  Citizens Memorial Healthcare (CMH) is a small rural facility in Bolivar, MO, that first started to...

• Tip: EHR readiness assessment is a team effort

  Go straight to the source-all of them-when you're gathering information in preparation for EHR...

Issue 45, November 12, 2007

• HHS offers financial incentives to encourage EHR use

  HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced October 30 that a five-year demonstration project will...

• Supermarket technology helps prevent medication errors

  Bar codes-like the ones on a box of cereal or a frozen pizza-can prevent medication errors...

• Web site to offer diabetes, digestive, urologic disease information in Spanish

  The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has launched three...

• PPV: Design an effective change management plan for EHR implementation

  Effectively dealing with the upheaval that can result from EHR implementation requires significant...

• Tip: Difference is in the details during transition to EHR

  Counter staff resistance with "real life" examples of positive changes that result from EHRs, such...

Issue 44, November 5, 2007

• Coalition finds that e-Rx reduces medication errors

  E-prescriptions significantly reduce medication errors, according to data released by the Southeast...

• Report calls health data bank legislation catalyst to EHR adoption

  Legislation that would create health data banks could help overcome barriers to EHR adoption...

• Interactive map helps point way to good health

  Just how healthy are residents of California's four-county Capital Region? The answer is a mere...

• PPV: Perform careful preparation when implementing an EHR in an ambulatory setting

  One important part of planning is performing a readiness assessment, which determines how prepared...

• Tip: Simple suggestions aid EHR implementation

  Bonnie Kaplan, PhD, FACMI, a lecturer at the Yale Center for Medical Informatics in New Haven, CT...

Issue 43, October 29, 2007

• Calling all wordsmiths

  EHR? EMR? PHR? Do these terms have different meanings, or are they interchangeable? The National...

• Grants totaling $3.5 million to help Minnesota providers implement EHR

  Grants totaling $3.5 million will help Minnesota healthcare providers develop interoperable EHR...

• HIMSS announces keynote speakers for 2008 Orlando conference

  Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn) will be among the six keynote speakers at the Healthcare...

• PPV: HHS releases report about health information exchange

  p>Healthcare organizations should pay careful attention to a newly released report about...

• Tip: Learn common EHR entry authentication terms

  EHR entry authentication is necessary to ensure that your records are legally sound, says Debra...

Issue 42, October 22, 2007

• Bipartisan group urges Congress to shield medical data

  A bipartisan group of lawmakers and private companies is urging Congress to enact legislation to...

• Medical Records Institute announces survey results

  Lack of adequate funding or resources is one of the major barriers to implementing EMR, according...

• New technology provides instant gratification

  New voice recognition software and an advanced picture archiving and communications system are...

• PPV: Computer-assisted coding may be wave of the future

  Long gone are the days of tedious manual-based coding in which coders didn't have the luxury of...

• Tip: Learn some common EHR entry authentication terms

  EHR entry authentication is necessary to ensure that your records are legally sound, says Debra...

Issue 41, October 15, 2007

• HHS contracts for NHIN total $22.5 million

  HHS awarded contracts totaling $22.5 million to nine health information exchanges in California...

• Blueprint offers guidance for health information exchange

  The nonprofit eHealth Initiative, a coalition of nearly 200 organizations, released the eHealth...

• Hospital suspends snooping starstruck staffers

  Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, NJ, suspended as many two dozen employees, including...

• PPV: Move to patient-centered care grows slowly

  A movement toward patient empowerment is changing the healthcare environment. As consumers become...

• Tip: Ask yourself five questions when planning EHR solutions

  Five simple questions can help you understand your organization's work flow, a critical factor that...

Issue 40, October 8, 2007

• Support for NHIN is high, but not enough to influence voters

  While a majority of Americans support the development of a Nationwide Health Information Network...

• IT adoption urged to help reduce costs of chronic care

  Increasing adoption of HIT can help reduce clinical and administration costs, according to the...

• $15.9 million pledged to help develop national approach for IT

  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently pledged grants totaling nearly $16 million for an IT...

• PPV: Know the ins and outs to ensure a sound medical record

  EHR entry authentication is essential for compliance and to ensure your records are legally sound.

• Tip: Plan ahead to maximize EHR benefits

  Planning ahead is the key to a successful transition from paper records to EHRs, according to Laura...

Issue 39, October 1, 2007

• Center for Studying Health System Change reports variation in IT adoption

  The Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) released a study September 20 about the...

• GAO report finds veterans' personal data and health information at risk

  The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report September 19 that states the...

• Report says IT investments will influence hospitals' competitive position

  The Healthcare Financial Management Association in Westchester, IL released a report September 20...

• PPV: Choose the legal health record format that’s right for your facility

  It’s important for your organization to decide which formats will make up its legal health...

• Tip: Consider using enterprise terminology services

  Many technology users in the healthcare industry are familiar with EHR-related standards, such as...

Issue 38, September 24, 2007

• HIMSS recognizes excellence in EHR use

  The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) announced this year's winners of...

• Patients snooze as Webcams replace predawn exams

  Patients in the intensive care unit at three Swedish Medical Center facilities in Seattle are no...

• EHR security risk study findings announced

  The board of the eHealth Vulnerability Reporting Program (eHRVP) announced on September 17 the...

• PPV: Standardization, automation key to form redesign

  Two of the big hurdles that an organization must tackle along the way to EHR conversion are form...

• Tip: Make EHR less intimidating for hospital employees, MDs

  EHRs can make your hospital more efficient and reduce errors, but only if you provide appropriate...

Issue 37, September 17, 2007

• Alaska becomes last state to adopt E-Rx

  p>All 50 states and Washington, DC, allow e-prescribing, now that Alaska has enacted laws and...

• Health lawyers discuss IRS directive on EHR

  An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official discussed the agency's directive on EHR subsidies that...

• New HHS rule won't affect IT donations

  The new HHS rule governing physician referral practices under the Stark Act does not materially...

• PPV: Make HIPAA work for you

  Every time a patient asks a question about HIPAA, your staff members have an obligation to answer...

• Tip: Use work-flow analysis to increase EHR effectiveness

  Weill Cornell Hospital in New York City was able to reduce its HIM staff and reorganize the entire...

Issue 36, September 10, 2007

• ADA's goal incorporates dental records in EHRs

  The American Dental Association (ADA) has named two workgroups to further its efforts to create...

• President, Congress disagree on IT spending

  President Bush's proposed budget calls for a sharp increase on health IT spending, but House and...

• Survey reveals Pennsylvania hospitals lead country in IT

  Pennsylvania-based hospitals lead the country in health IT adoption, according to a survey by the...

• PPV: Try adhering to standardization and automation in your facility

  Two of the big hurdles that an organization must tackle along the way to EHR conversion are form...

• Tip: Use simple, affordable solutions to help protect patient privacy

  HIPAA doesn't require you to go bankrupt," says Norbert Kugele, JD, a partner at Warner, Norcross...

Issue 35, September 3, 2007

• Antifraud standards subject of EHR report

  In a recent report prepared for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), RTI...

• HHS grants $2 million to AHIC successor

  Grants from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) totaling approximately $13 million...

• Proposed legislation would create health care IT trusts

  A Kansas congressman has introduced legislation that would establish a group of independent trusts...

• PPV: Share data correctly with standardized procedures

  "Interoperability" is a word that gets bandied about quite a bit these days. What exactly does it...

• Tip: Follow this formula when designing forms

  Organizations that are reviewing form design in preparation for EHR implementation should follow...

Issue 34, August 27, 2007

• Research center to encourage technology-assisted medication management

  Several organizations and vendors recently created The Center for Improving Medication Management...

• Minnesota aims for statewide EHR adoption by 2015

  Minnesota hopes to become a health IT leader by requiring all physicians, hospitals, and providers...

• Study reports EHR implementation in 36 states for Medicaid patient records

  The U.S. Healthcare and Human Services (HHS) reports that three out of every four states have...

• PPV: Create an EHR-capable facility from the ground up

  Before the hospital even opened in 2005, leaders at Saint Clare's Hospital, a 107-bed facility...

• Tip: Use standards to improve interoperability

  Interoperability allows data from distinct healthcare information systems to be used and shared...

Issue 33, August 20, 2007

• National Health IT Office recommends EHR changes

  There are several ways that physicians can make EHRs more efficient, according to a report that the...

• Health Data Exchange Group project stalls

  Since 2003, the Portland, OR-based Health Data Exchange Group has hoped to implement a system for...

• American Academy of Pediatrics reports highlights of pediatrics EHR needs

  The journal Pediatrics recently published a report which details the specific functionalities that...

• PPV: Collect accurate data to prepare HIM for the EHR

  Those who are on their way to the end of the paper trail and those who have already reached it...

• Tip: Recognize the misconception of EDMS software

  Nothing can kill administrative buy-in to a new EDMS more than adding staff members to scan...

Issue 32, August 13, 2007

• Military EHR system faces challenges

  The Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) have failed for five years to come up...

• eRx Collaborative hits the 10.8 million mark

  eRx Collaborative, an electronic prescription network, formed by Boston-based Blue Cross Blue...

• EMRs reduce the risk of malpractice suits

  A significant number of physician practices believe that EMRs will make them less vulnerable to...

• PPV: Draft a configuration management strategy to manage change and keep systems current

  Before you or your vendor take any steps to build the EHR system to your organization's...

• Tip: Create a comprehensive list of questions to ask during an EHR user survey

  A complete picture of user satisfaction can boost confidence in the EHR, say Qi Li, MD, MBA, vice...

Issue 31, August 6, 2007

• Rhode Island Health Information Exchange in the works

  The Rhode Island Department of Health announced July 30 that it granted the state's Medicaid fiscal...

• Study finds that EHR systems can pay for themselves in fewer than two years

  Astonishingly, EHR systems can potentially imbue enough cost reduction to pay for the cost of the...

• Survey shows that IT/EHRs are most effective for improving efficiency, quality of care

  Sixty-six percent of respondents identified the adoption of IT and EHRs as the most efficient...

• PPV: Connect with users to improve EHR experiences

  As EHRs become more prevalent, organizations are looking for ways to improve usability.

• Tip: Look for potential cost reductions that justify the decision to convert to an EHR

  Those who are on their way to the end of the paper trail and those who have already reached it...

Issue 30, July 30, 2007

• Study concludes no correlation between EHRs and improved quality healthcare

  Two recent studies concluded that there is no relationship between the use of EHRs and the quality...

• Electronic medical records require increased privacy regulation

  Healthcare experts announced July 18 that new rules are required to protect medical privacy as the...

• One university offers free use of e-prescribing software to docs

  As an incentive to use new technology like electronic prescriptions, Marshall University in...

• PPV: Ethics and EHRs: Experts weigh in on the top 10 areas to watch

  EHRs offer many benefits, but they also raise moral concerns, especially regarding patient rights...

• Tip: Ask yourself several questions before you install an EDMS

  Setting up an electronic document management system (EDMS) can be complicated in terms of timing...

Issue 29, July 23, 2007

• Tip: Study the competition when drafting your EHR strategy

  It may seem silly to worry about whether other hospitals are further along with EHRs than you are...

• Most-wired hospitals have better adherence to patient safety measures

  Thirty-six percent of physicians in America’s most-wired hospitals order medication...

• Aetna survey: Most Americans don’t use, understand PHRs

  Aetna and the Financial Planning Association are adding personal health record (PHR) information to...

• PPV: Connect with users to improve EHR experiences

  As EHRs become more prevalent, organizations are looking for ways to improve EHR usability...

• EHR use among family docs continues to rise, survey finds

  Half of family physicians are either implementing or have already implemented EHRs into their...

Issue 28, July 16, 2007

• Web site helps health IT vendors comply with federal standards

  Federal HIT agencies have established the Health Information Technology Implementation Testing and...

• Using e-mail for doc communication decreases office visits

  Patients who use e-mail to communicate with physicians make fewer visits and phone calls to the...

• IHIE makes progress

  Physicians using the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) can now receive clinical results...

• PPV: Always treat EHRs as business records

  Rapidly growing technology and the shift from paper records to EHRs raises the stakes of properly...

• Tip: Assess staff before buying software

  Before purchasing any type of EHR software, conduct a thorough assessment of your staff members.

Issue 27, July 9, 2007

• Online tool provides snapshot of states' healthcare performance

  A new online tool provides state-specific performance information that assists in improving...

• Study: Computerized drug ordering equals fewer medication errors

  A study published in the journal Health Services Research shows a 66% drop in medication errors...

• Partnership helps patients set up personal health Web sites

  A new partnership will make it easier for patients to set up a CarePage, which is a personalized...

• PPV: Hospital installs OpenVista in less than one year

  Open source software is an attractive option for facilities getting ready to make the switch to...

• Tip: Don’t miss the 2008 code changes

  October's changes include major updates in lymphoma, human herpes virus, hearing loss, and even...

Issue 26, July 2, 2007

• CCHIT to certify inpatient EHRs this fall

  The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) approved criteria for...

• AMA warns docs about blogging

  American Medical News (AMN), a physician newspaper published by the American Medical Association...

• HP to help with information exchange in CA

  Hewlett-Packard Co. has agreed to help develop a health information exchange in California to give...

• PPV: Facility design and layout are critical to EHR success

  The next time you walk down the hallway of your hospital, try to notice how easy (or difficult) it...

• Tip: Designate staff members to relocate items during an alarm

  If a workstation on wheels (WOW) is in a corridor and a fire alarm goes off, you need to be sure...

Issue 25, June 25, 2007

• HHS under fire, again

  In an update of a January report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has again criticized...

• CMS studying PHR use among Medicare beneficiaries

  Four health plans are working with CMS on an 18-month pilot study about using online health...

• Allscripts EHRs rank top among clinician users

  Research group KLAS Enterprises ranked two Allscripts EHRs number one in their categories in KLAS...

• Tip: Create a multidisciplinary team to get a full perspective

  Joel N. Diamond, MD, FAAFP, convened nurses, housekeeping, volunteers, physicians at the University...

• Tip: Create a multidisciplinary team to get a full perspective

  Joel N. Diamond, MD, FAAFP, convened nurses, housekeeping, volunteers, physicians at the University...

• PPV: Clear up confusion over paper record retention

  As more organizations choose to store patient charts electronically, the question arises of what to...

Issue 24, June 18, 2007

• Online tool provides snapshot of states' healthcare performance

  A new online tool provides state-specific performance information to assist in improving healthcare.

• Brailer resigns from AHIC

  David Brailer, MD, PhD, the former national coordinator of health information technology, has...

• Study: Using EMRs not enough to improve quality of care

  Simply using EMRs will not improve the quality of care, a new study in the May/June Annals of...

• PPV: Manage subpoenas and requests with a clear legal record definition

  As providers replace traditional paper records with electronic document management systems (EDMS...

• Tip: Compare ROI productivity, with caution

  There is no harm in comparing your own release of information (ROI) productivity to that of other...

Issue 23, June 11, 2007

• Pennsylvania RHIO bites the dust

  The board for the Northeastern Pennsylvania RHIO last Wednesday voted to dissolve the organization...

• House passes informatics education bill

  The U.S. House of Representatives last Thursday approved legislation that would fund college-level...

• Sustainable business model development one of the greatest HIE challenges

  Last week, the eHealth Initiative (eHI) released its Value and Sustainability Model (VSM), a tool...

• PPV: Analysis can reveal magic number of charts per hour

  Working with a hybrid record is new, and it's hard to know how many charts you should expect...

• Tip: Make the change from COWs to WOWs

  Imagine being in a hospital room as either a patient or a visitor and overhearing nurses outside...

Issue 22, June 4, 2007

• Government rejects NHIN proposals

  The federal government rejected all four Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) proposals...

• Wellogic, Pricewaterhouse boost efforts for HIE initiatives

  Wellogic and PricewaterhouseCoopers Health (PwC) will collaboratively help health systems, RHIOs...

• Software could help diagnose more cases of depression

  Bilingual Instant Medical History (IMH) software helps physicians identify patients with...

• PPV: Healthcare system trains 11,000 in 18 months

  Evanston (IL) Northwestern Healthcare (ENH) is an integrated, academic healthcare system comprised...

• Tip: Redesign your organization during EHR implementation

  EHR implementation is the best time to improve operational efficiency at your organization, because...

Issue 21, May 28, 2007

• UPMC under fire, again

  The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is facing public outcry after a donor pitch...

• TEPR awards announced

  The Medical Records Institute, Inc., a Boston-based company that held its Towards the Electronic...

• Pennsylvania state senate passes health IT bill

  The Pennsylvania state senate appropriations committee passed a measure, sponsored by Republican...

• PPV: Watch where you park your wheeled computers

  Battery-powered, portable computers--some hospitals are now in the habit of calling them...

• Tip: Kick off training with a pep rally

  Before the training begins, hold a meeting to assemble everyone who will oversee the training. The...

Issue 20, May 21, 2007

• Bipartisan bill introduced during HIT week

  Last week, Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) introduced The Health...

• California EHR system tracks diabetes management, compliance

  Patients with diabetes who receive care at Darin M. Camarena Health Centers, a three-site clinic in...

• Understanding needs, preparing for change essential to gain EHR adoption

  With the many benefits of transitioning to an EHR come obstacles. And the solution to many of those...

• Tip: Work with your vendor to expand your warranties to include lost data

  Most hardware vendors of workstations and laptops provide warranties for only the hardware. For...

• IRS ruling protects tax-exempt hospitals when donating HIT

  A new ruling by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows not-for-profit organizations to provide...

Issue 19, May 14, 2007

• More NY docs apply for EHR software than program can give out

  At least 1,300 physicians applied for the Primary Care Information Project in New York City that...

• Survey: Most say EHR benefits outweigh risks

  Forty-seven percent of respondents to Kaiser Permanente's recent telephone survey of 1,000...

• Tip: Educate staff on identity theft scenarios and risks

  Because the electronic healthcare environment lends itself to privacy breaches, it is important to...

• PPV: Learning and communication are the core of facilitywide implementation

  Evanston (IL) Northwestern Healthcare (ENH) is an integrated, academic healthcare system comprised...

Issue 18, May 7, 2007

• Most healthcare CIOs don't plan on donating HIT to physicians

  A recent College of Healthcare Information Management survey of healthcare chief information...

Issue 17, April 30, 2007

• Bill would provide grants, tax incentives for physician health IT

  A new bipartisan bill aims to help physicians offset the costs of implementing health IT in their...

• Firm predicts tripling of public health network by 2012

  Although barriers such as interagency rivalries and privacy concerns exist, the threat of a public...

• As Santa Barbara goes, so goes the future of RHIOs?

  The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's (HIMSS) April 2007 Vantage Point survey...

• Web site provides secure emergency access to patient Rx history

  A new Web site called In Case of Emergency: Rx History will provide prescription histories to...

• New application allows on-the-go updates for medical, Rx info

  PEPID, a decision-support company based in Chicago, has added another level of mobility to its...

• Docs use less offline, more online resources

  A lot has changed in just a few years regarding physicians' online behaviors, and anyone using...

• Tip of the week: Add warnings to printed materials

  More than four years after the privacy rule's compliance date, there are persistent compliance...

• PPV: Prepare now for security breach notification

  Is your healthcare organization ready to comply with the information security breach notification...

• PPV: OIG audits focus on security; watch your EHRs

  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) says it is in the process of conducting HIPAA audits of...

Issue 16, April 23, 2007

• HHS names Kolodner new HIT czar

  Robert Kolodner, MD, interim HHS national coordinator for health IT since September 20, 2006, will...

• CMS gives physicians online training for health IT

  In an effort to help small and midsized practices, CMS is providing physician offices free online...

• CCHIT restructures its workgroups, seeks volunteers

  The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is restructuring its...

• Tip of the week: Turn off the coding function in your EHR

  There's a new trend in coding--and it's a dangerous one. Physicians are using EMR software with...

• PPV: Don’t underestimate the power of solid training

  Training your staff to use a new EHR system can be one of the most difficult parts of making the...

Issue 15, April 16, 2007

• Indiana University develops portal for cancer patients

  Indiana University (IU) is creating a Web portal that will provide accurate and updated cancer...

• New physician site offers digital record creation, documentation

  A new Web site, DocPatient.com, offers physicians something they've never had before--digital...

• Third try: Arizona seeks to create prescription drug database

  Arizona legislators are working on their third try to pass a bill that would create a statewide...

• PPV: Government says plan on track for widespread EHR adoption by 2014

  In 2004, when President George W. Bush called for EHRs for most Americans by 2014, the healthcare...

• How can an HIM director use dashboards during EHR implementation?

  EHRs present the challenge of an overwhelming amount of data that clinicians and administrators...

Issue 14, April 9, 2007

• Industry news: Celebrate Health Information Privacy and Security Week

  This week is Health Information Privacy and Security Week. The American Health Information...

• Wal-Mart partners with health plan, university on health-IT research center

  Wal-Mart, the University of Arkansas, and Blue Cross Blue Shield are teaming up to create a new...

• Report: Internet health info facilitates physician-patient relationships

  The National Cancer Institute recently studied how consumer access to online heath information can...

• PPV: Weigh the challenges when defining the legal health record

  Although defining the legal health record might previously have been a fairly straightforward...

• Tip: Build communication into your project plan

  In addition to your comprehensive EHR plan (i.e., one that includes more than the plan your vendor...

• Tip of the week: Don't underestimate the importance of training

  Training your staff to use a new EHR system can be one of the most difficult parts of making the...

Issue 13, April 2, 2007

• Regional news: Delaware's RHIO goes live

  The Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN) went live last week with lab, radiology, and...

• Government: HIT advocates suggest grants, tax credits to fund adoption

  Advocates say Congress should fund targeted financial assistance programs that will enable...

• Vendor news: New CEO for Misys’ Healthcare turns focus back on physicians

  News that vendor Misys is returning to its strategy of increasing its business with physician...

• White paper: Smart cards the answer to the EHR privacy problem

  Up to 15% of patient records at hospitals are duplicates, estimates the Smart Card Alliance, a...

• Tip of the week: Take a close look at your amendment policy

  An amendment is typically the correction of a finalized entry in a medical record that has been...

• PPV: Prepare for new federal rules on record retention

  Dust off that old record-retention policy. The U.S. Supreme Court recently made changes to the...

Issue 12, March 26, 2007

• New EHR vendor plans to offer free service

  Start-up San Francisco-based EHR vendor Practice Fusion has struck a deal with Web search giant...

• Kentucky hospital quality data now available

  The state of Kentucky launched a Web site where consumers can find data about the quality of care...

• Canada boosts health IT budget by $400M

  The Canadian federal government last week announced an additional $400 million in funding for the...

• Use medical transcriptionists to avoid unnecessary delays in record-completion

  We have recently begun speech recognition and have been instructed to do as few edits as possible...

• Chicago hospital launches info-sharing program

  A group of community physicians approached the administration at Silver Cross Hospital in Chicago...

Issue 11, March 19, 2007

• EHR privacy report: Other countries top U.S. in patient control

  Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are far ahead of the United States in creating and...

• Voice-enabled technology allows instant access to medical records

  Sprint and Nuance Communications are developing a speech-enabled healthcare voice technology that...

• Verichip supports PHR bill, implants microchips in diabetics

  The Personal Health Information Act, introduced by Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), is getting...

• Tip of the week: Evaluate physician willingness with a survey

  The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) St. Margaret Memorial Hospital. implemented an...

• PPV: Organizations look to existing work force to take on CDI efforts

  Despite the expense, half of the organizations surveyed in late 2006 report that they have...

Issue 10, March 9, 2007

• RHIOs: Santa Barbara pulls the plug

  Santa Barbara, CA-based County Care Data Exchange has ceased operations. Albert Kwyi, CIO at...

• Survey: States behind private sector in EHR adoption

  More than twice as many public healthcare organizations participate in RHIOs than private...

• CCHIT: Group will expand certification to specialties

  The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT), now a fully independent...

• Establish a process for employees to access their own medical records

  Employees have the right to access their own records as any patient would. The real question is...

Issue 9, March 5, 2007

• IBM-powered patient portal goes live at Duke University Health

  The Duke University Health System in Raleigh, NC, has developed a patient portal that allows...

• Tip of the week

  Don't use only one kind of EHR training

• Gap remains between patients', docs' use of health IT

  Although 62% of Americans say they have used online health tools, and 45% say they would like to be...

Issue 4, January 29, 2007

• Two studies examine EHR: One predicts 400% growth in spending

  As of 2005, only 5-10% of hospitals were using EHRs. However, nearly one-fourth of U.S. physician...

• PHRs available via cell phone

  Cell phones and healthcare seem destined to keep intersecting, as 100,000 Blue Cross Members-and...

Issue 1, January 26, 2007

• Secretary Leavitt approves 30 technical standards

  The Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP), created in 2005, inches forward in...