Meaningful Use
Allscripts President and CEO Paul M. Black, hired in December 2012 to rescue the troubled EHR vendor, and other company executives sounded defensive and optimistic notes this week as they attempt to regain the confidence of customers, investors and health IT industry analysts.
Citing concern about vendor readiness and that "significant investments" in EHR technology could go for naught, MGMA leadership is calling on HHS for an indefinite moratorium on meaningful use penalties for physicians who have completed Stage 1 meaningful use requirements.
With an array of industry groups anxiously calling for a delay of meaningful use Stage 2, HIMSS has made the case for a more nuanced approach, asking federal officials to launch Stage 2 on schedule but extend year one of the attestation period.
After an eventful two-year stint as deputy national coordinator, Farzad Mostashari, MD took the helm at ONC just as the meaningful use program began to gather steam. His tenure will be remembered as one of unprecedented change for the industry. Here's a look back at some of his star turns in Healthcare IT News over the years.
Farzad Mostashari, MD has said he intends to step down from the national coordinator post this fall. Mostashari spent four years with ONC, first as a deputy national coordinator, then taking over as the national coordinator in 2011. Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made the announcement in a letter to HHS staff.
Healthcare organizations are seeing their top talent poached, even after offering big bucks. Many hospitals are "robbing Peter to pay Paul" just to keep their projects staffed up. At a pivotal moment in healthcare, that's putting a damper on progress.
Stage 2 of the Meaningful Use Program requires that at least 5 percent of patients view, download, and transmit their health information and send a secure electronic message to their provider. But this objective, lowered from 10 percent, still worries the healthcare community.
The case has been made many times that technology will help healthcare organizations become more efficient. But even for those who manage to implement new EHR systems, how many actually know how to make the best use of them?
In the Boston marketplace, Partners Healthcare is is replacing 30 years of self developed software with Epic. Boston Medical Center is replacing Eclipsys (Allscripts) with Epic.
In a report, released July 25, the American Hospital Association calls for "redirecting" the existing requirements for digital clinical quality measures. As it stands, the process raises costs and effort for providers, AHA said, without leading to accurate data.