Government & Policy
Malcolm Gladwell, the best-selling author and New Yorker staffer, likened the change required for healthcare to clear the interoperability hurdle to several events of this generation, "three lessons in culture, framing and consequence," as he put it during a talk Thursday at Health Care Innovation Day in Washington.
Health networks and physician practices have the most to gain from an interoperable ecosystem and, it follows, the most to lose if it doesn't go right. But one could argue that American patients and taxpayers stand to gain or lose just as much.
Just eight months out from the ICD-10 compliance date, fewer than 10 percent of physician practices say they've made significant progress in their readiness for implementation, according to the Medical Group Management Association.
Strong momentum continues for the meaningful use program as CMS revealed that it has disbursed more than $19 billion in reimbursement incentives. There were 440, 998 registered providers participating in the federal electronic health record incentive program as of the end of 2013, with $19.2 billion paid out in incentives, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
CCHIT surprised many in the industry this past week when it announced it would be bowing out of the EHR certification game to focus on advisory services and thought leadership. Alisa Ray, executive director and CEO of the standards and testing pioneer, spoke with Healthcare IT News about the rationale behind that decision.
The ONC's Health IT Policy Committee's Privacy and Security Tiger Team is calling for public comment on privacy and policy concerns surrounding patients giving access to their health information.
Somewhere in the wreckage of Katrina, National Coordinator for Health IT Karen DeSalvo said, "there has to be a better way."
A panel convened by the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation and Prescriptions for a Healthy America is urging health IT policymakers to sharpen their focus on medication adherence.
Karen DeSalvo, MD, talks with Healthcare IT News Editor Bernie Monegain about the work ahead and what has influenced her on her way to becoming the national coordinator for health information technology. DeSalvo is the fifth coordinator and the first woman to serve in the post since it was established by President George W. Bush in 2004.
Officials from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology had a presence at this year's Connectathon and were glad to use it as an opportunity to leverage support for interoperability.