Government & Policy

More than two dozen organizations will get money from HRSA's new Rural Residency Planning and Development Program grants.

American Telemedicine Association's "State of the States Report" finds progress, but still sees strategies for states to be incentivized to adopt pro-telehealth policies.

Chinese healthcare ecosystem platform Ping An Good Doctor has reached strategic cooperation with nearly 50 hospitals across China, including the Aviation General Hospital of China Medical University, Sichuan Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, and the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, to jointly develop a new “internet hospital” model, the company recently announced. DEVELOPMENTS LEADING TO THE INTERNET HOSPITAL MODEL Since 2018, the Chinese State Council and the National Health Commission have issued policies such as the Opinions on Promoting the Development of “Internet + Healthcare” and Measures for the Administration of Internet Hospitals (for Trial Implementation), among other policies, pursuant to which, permission is granted for the development of internet hospitals by relying on medical institutions, application of internet technology for provision of safe and proper medical services, launch of online follow-up consultation for some common diseases and chronic diseases, and launch of online medication prescription for some common diseases and chronic diseases. As such, clear regulation and guidance have been provided with regard to the development of internet hospitals. Last month, the State Council issued the 2019 Major Task List on Deepening the Medical and Healthcare System Reform, which clearly indicates that the National Healthcare Security Administration shall by the end of September 2019 complete the drafting of the policy document regarding fees and charges of internet diagnosis and treatment and medical insurance payment. WHAT’S THE IMPACT The “Hospital Cloud” system of Ping An Good Doctor will be connected to the HIS system of cooperative hospitals to form the three-in-one internet hospital management platform featuring online diagnosis platform, prescription sharing platform and health management platform. This new “internet hospital” model can help hospitals resolve such problems as absence in outpatient appointments, overcome geographical constraints, and expand the scope of hospital service. In addition, internet hospitals will also serve as a data integration and sharing platform to facilitate information exchange and real-time sharing among entities, forming a full-fledged, closed-loop system combining online and offline medical services. THE LARGER TREND Since the start of this year, Ping An Good Doctor has been partnering with different companies such as China Everbright Bank and Wyeth to provide more value to their clients and to build their ecosystem outside of the traditional healthcare domain. Developing the internet hospital model with local hospitals has the enormous potential of reducing data/information silos – something that has plagued healthcare providers all over the world. The integration of healthcare data, if done correctly, will give both Ping An Good Doctor and the partner hospitals the opportunity to provide a better quality of care for patients/clients, particularly for those outside Tier 1 cities. ON THE RECORD “The uniform management platform to be developed by both parties could achieve a seamless connection between patients, hospitals, internet hospitals and supply chains, providing patients with integrated healthcare services such as online follow-up consultation, prescription circulation, drug delivery and chronic disease management, etc.” a Ping An Good Doctor spokesperson said in a statement.

Responding to an answer in parliament by a junior health minister, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Jo Platt warned the government of the dangers of the 2,300 NHS computers thatstill run on Windows XP.

Also: French academic hospital CHRU de Nancy announces 10-year enterprise informatics agreement with Royal Philips, former NHS England director Sir Bruce Keogh joins messaging app firm and others. 

Commonwealth Corporation, a workforce development agency that works to boost the skills of Massachusetts young adults with investments and partnerships, has released new funding to create new pilots to expand training for entry-level healthcare workers. WHY IT MATTERS The money for the pilots comes after Massachusetts' Commission on Digital Innovation and Lifelong Learning issued a report and recommendations to Gov. Charlie Baker, making the case that "healthcare, information technology and advanced manufacturing are among the most vital employment sectors for Massachusetts’ future prosperity" and "should be important focal points of any meaningful effort to align lifelong learning opportunities with employer needs." Three partnerships will get as much as $200,000 each via two-year grants to help develop and new digital or hybrid competency-based training programs for entry-level healthcare workers. The money will support an initial Program Design phase and subsequent implementation, including tuition for a first cohort of students. THE LARGER TREND Despite being a world leader in the healthcare and technology industries, Massachusetts is still home to thousands of employees in entry- and mid-level healthcare jobs – home health aides, certified nursing assistants, direct care workers and others – who don't have sufficient access to education and skill-building opportunities, the Commonwealth Corporation noted. Meanwhile, many employers in healthcare and beyond are grappling with worker shortages that are hindering their ability to deliver high-quality care. The goal of this new initiative is to help upskill employees such as those with digital training programs, accomplishing the dual goal of boosting economic opportunity for workers while addressing healthcare's workforce shortages. ON THE RECORD Commonwealth Corporation illustrated the kind of worker who might benefit from these programs by describing an entry-level healthcare worker named Carla. "A single mother with a high school diploma who immigrated to the United States eight years ago, her wages are now $14 an hour, making it a struggle for her to support her family even when she works more than 40 hours a week. Despite these challenges, Carla has consistently demonstrated passion for her work, earning praise from both her patients and employer, who cite her caring approach, diligence and interest in continuing to improve her practice. "Carla would like to advance professionally, but she can’t figure out how to participate in the required training. She needs to continue to work as the sole caretaker of her two youngest children and she shares her car with her 19-year-old daughter, who attends a community college and works evenings. Carla’s circumstances make returning to the classroom an unrealistic – and unaffordable – option. "With the rising demand for community-based care, Carla’s employer also faces growing challenges filling open positions. The company wishes to build a career advancement ladder to develop the skills of staff like Carla and other promising colleagues, but it lacks the knowledge and capacity to provide in-house training. And low margins for reimbursable time make it nearly impossible to schedule sufficient training time during the work day." The hope with this new funding is to create new opportunities for employees and employers alike, and better position Massachusetts' workforce for the future of digital health. .jumbotron{ background-image: url("https://www.healthcareitnews.com/sites/hitn/files/u6245/workforce%20development%20jumbotron.png"); background-size: cover; color: white; } .jumbotron h2{ color: white; } Focus on Workforce Development In July, we'll speak to experts about how they're managing their workforces – not just clinicians, but IT departments, data scientists, care managers, back office staff and others. Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.

The e-prescribing giant says the Federal Trade Commission's complaint shouldn't be reviewed in federal court because it relies on several factual errors.

Toni Suihko, CIO at South Karelia Social and Health Care District, says integrating data is at the heart of digital transformation in healthcare.

Thailand’s population is ageing rapidly with almost half of its electorate above 50 years old by 2025. Healthcare costs are rising and it is not tenable in the long-run to keep building hospitals. One possible consideration for the country is the shift towards value-based healthcare (VBHC), which is about improving healthcare outcomes at lower cost. It focuses on what patients value and allocates resources according to the health outcomes delivered by the system, rather the traditional model of a volume or visit-based healthcare system. While VBHC sounds promising, the reality is that it is challenging to achieve as transforming a health system that is truly patient-centred and outcome based requires a lot of work. According to an article by the World Economic Forum, the transformation to a value-based health system requires:  - Sufficient technical expertise about VBHC to design and implement its core features. - Leaders committed to trying ideas and willing to accept the risks involved. - Cooperation among different organisations working together to improve outcomes for patients. The same article offers four key lessons for a successful switch to VBHC. Firstly, it is to focus on outcomes that matter to patients, rather than merely focusing on processes or costs. In the context of Thailand, this could mean bringing care to people especially in rural areas in which healthcare is not easily accessible. In that regard, Thailand has begun development of its telemedicine programme at 32 hospitals located in rural areas in eight provinces since March this year. Telemedicine services will be offered by the initial 32 hospitals as soon as by the fourth quarter of 2019. Another key lesson for a successful switch to VBHC is to engage partners from across the whole health system. In order to achieve meaningful system-wide change, transformation efforts have to include organisations from across the entire system, including the private sector. The unique advantage that Thailand has is its advanced development of the private healthcare sector, given the country’s reputation as a regional medical tourism hub. However, the challenge lies in how government institutions such as the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) can meaningfully engage the private healthcare sector in moving towards VBHC. Next, stakeholders need to acknowledge that systems change is going to be hard, and they need to adopt a long-term perspective rather than looking only for “quick wins” or easy answers. eHealth is one of the tools that could be used towards achieving VBHC, and the MOPH has a long-term strategy to drive the growth and development of eHealth from 2017-2026. At its core, the aim is to develop a capable and interoperable health information system as well as digital health technologies to bring about value and improved standards of care. The last lesson is to take a problem-driven approach. In healthcare, it is often easy to ‘cut and paste’ solutions from other health systems but sometimes the answers or successful models may lie within. Telemedicine policies, for example, are still being studied in Thailand and the government is looking into more investments and getting the timing right to provide on-demand digital care to locals, expats and tourists, according to an article by Healthcare Asia.  With the theme of “Empowering Value Creation”, the upcoming HIMSS AsiaPac19 conference will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from October 7 to October 10 2019, featuring five main tracks: (i) Sustainability and growth (ii) Patient experience (iii) Unlocking the value of AI (iv) Value-based care (v) Health 2.0 Learn more about the HIMSS AsiaPac19 event here and those who are interested to speak or present at the event can sign up here. 

The Quality Summit will convene healthcare stakeholders to explore ways the department's many quality programs can be assessed and adapted to better advance value-based care models.