Interoperability
HIMSS executives this week had three big messages for the Department of Health and Human Services and newcomer chief Sylvia Mathews Burwell: They want to see serious changes with meaningful use, interoperability and clinical quality measures.
Wes Wright, chief information officer at Seattle Children's Hospital, says a new analytics tool that unobtrusively monitors the performance of his HL7 transactions "gives me peace of mind."
ONC chief Karen DeSalvo, MD, promised an audience of AHIMA members that the government would act "fast into interoperability." She drew applause when she added, "We cannot wait for 10 years to get this done."
Neglected to pick up your prescription? Now, there's a good chance your doctor will know and do something about it, thanks to a slew of new partnerships between CVS Health and various health systems.
Now in its eighth year, the annual Health 2.0 Fall Conference has evolved from a showcase for not-ready-for-prime-time apps that wouldn't exist a year later to a self-congratulatory Silicon Valley pep rally to a more mature event that seems to be addressing real-world healthcare problems.
Thirteen of the nation's major healthcare systems are one step closer to interoperability, after they are now able to electronically share health records with disparate EHRs upon signing on to the country's largest health information network.
National Health IT Week kicked off in Washington, D.C., last week mobilizing throngs of industry health IT leaders, who brought their concerns and recommendations to Capitol Hill. Among their requests? Interoperability standards and Stage 2 reporting flexibility.
The exodus from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT continued on Monday when it announced that Doug Fridsma, MD, is stepping down from his post as chief scientist.
It is a simple question: "Why doesn't electronic health information flow after the nation spent $26 billion on electronic health records?" Suggesting a 10-year timeframe or arguing that there is progress if you look hard enough just doesn't answer it.
HIMSS delegates from states across the country are heading up to Capitol Hill Thursday with three "asks" for health IT. They've discussed in several private committee meetings how they would approach the lawmakers or -- in several cases -- the lawmakers' staffers.