Healthcare IT News - March 2009 - (Page 22) 22 HIMSS Insider I March 2009 www.himss.org he interim is a period of rumor, specula- billion for these activities, including support tion and anxiety. As writing this column in for the NHIN roll out. It also explicitly creates early February, the industry was in a frenzy try- two federal advisory committees: the Health ing to determine, better yet, influence, the IT Policy Committee and the Healthcare IT direction of the new administration concern- Standards Committee. These would likely ing national health IT programs. A new admin- replace or absorb the AHIC Successor and the istration offers the opportunity Health Information Technology for a fresh start, continuity or for STANDARDS Standards Panel. The future of rehashing old ideas. Will the certification appears destined to stimulus package really pass with go to the National Institute of $2 to $5 billion earmarked to Standards and Technology accelerate health IT adoption? (NIST). Although the current Will health IT vendors reap a harmonized standards and certiby Ed Larsen windfall as physicians rush to fication criteria could be the inipurchase subsidized EHR systems? How much tial basis for the new entities, it is not clear how will go to the Office of the National much of the respective organizations would Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information survive. Technology to roll out the nationwide health As I write this, the passage and exact terms information network (NHIN), to continue to of the stimulus bill are uncertain. It is ironic a harmonize standards and support certification? pre-publication draft of a study funded by the Will there be new federal privacy requirements National Library of Medicine entitled Computational Technology for Effective Health Care: that thwart secondary use? How should we spend $2 billion to stimu- Immediate Steps and Strategic Directions suggests late the adoption of health IT? In the U.S. “that current efforts aimed at the nationwide House of Representatives, the American deployment of health care IT will not be sufRecovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 “pro- ficient to achieve the vision of 21st century vides $2 billion to jumpstart the investment in health care, and may even set back the cause if health information technology in order to these efforts continue wholly without change curb health care costs and improve health care from their present course. Specifically, success in this regard will require greater emphasis on quality.” The U.S. Senate bill (S. 336) has much more providing cognitive support for health care detailed provisions for health IT. Like the providers and for patients and family careHouse, the Senate establishes legislation and givers . . . . This point is the central conclusion vests ONC with the oversight of most of the of this report.” The report goes on to restate a recommendefined programs. The Senate authorizes $5 T Too Much Stimulus? INSIGHT dation I made in December's Standard Insight. “Federal and state governments play important roles as supporters of research, payers for healthcare, and stimulators for education. The committee believes that government institutions-especially the federal governmentshould explicitly embrace measurable healthcare quality improvement as the driving rationale for its healthcare IT adoption efforts, and should shun programs that focus on promoting the adoption of specific clinical applications. In focusing on the goal to be achieved, namely better and/or less expensive healthcare, clinicians and other providers will appropriately be drawn to IT only if, where, and when it can be shown to enable them to do their jobs more effectively. Blanket promotion of IT adoption where benefits are not clear or are oversold-especially in a non-infrastructure context-will only waste resources and sour clinicians on the true potential of healthcare IT.” These diverse interests and positions are of no little consequence in light of the $2 billion in the current stimulus bill earmarked for accelerating health IT adoption. So we hope there will be a mix of fresh starts to align with the new administration's goals, along with continuity that builds on current progress and only a modest rehashing of old ideas. I For the complete article, see the March Standards Insight at www.himss.org/membercenter. Ed Larsen is an independent strategy consultant who tracks interoperability standards for HIMSS. Comments or questions can be sent to erlarsen@erlinc.com. PUBLICATIONS STAFF VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS Fran Perveiler MANAGER, PUBLICATIONS Nancy Vitucci SENIOR MANAGER, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Joyce Lofstrom SENIOR EDITOR Matt Schlossberg COORDINATOR, COMMUNICATIONS Cari McLean BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR Charles E. Christian, FCHIME, FHIMSS Director, Information Systems/ Chief Information Officer Good Samaritan Hospital VICE CHAIR Liz Johnson, RN, MSN, FHIMSS Vice President, Applied Clinical Informatics Tenet Healthcare Corp. CHAIR ELECT Barry P. Chaiken, MD, MPH, FHIMSS Chief Medical Officer DocsNetwork, Ltd. VICE CHAIR ELECT New wiki fosters information sharing on e-prescribing W ith e-prescribing recognized as a vital component to improving the delivery of healthcare, HIMSS launched the HIMSS E-Prescribing Wiki, a free-form editable Web site. Available at http://himsseprescribingwiki.pbwiki.com, the wiki is the central source for the dynamic exchange of lessons learned and sharing of metrics from use of e-prescribing. Physicians, pharmacists and anyone supporting the adoption and use of e-prescribing can find valuable information resources on the wiki as clinicians provide their own personal perspective using this technology application. The work of HIMSS E-Prescribing Task Force, the wiki's development was led by volunteer Chairperson Patricia Hale, MD, PhD, FACP, clinical assistant professor, medicine, New York Medical College, and deputy director, Office of Health Information Technology Transformation, New York State Department of Health. “HIMSS and its E-Prescribing Task Force are excited to introduce this wiki to healthcare and eprescribing communities because it offers all of us a valuable tool to share our experiences and collaborate on lessons learned with e-prescribing,” said Dr. Hale, author of Electronic Prescribing for the Medical Practice: Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask. “The wiki is an interactive resource that will enrich and expand the knowledge of its users.” The HIMSS E-Prescribing Wiki includes an interactive discussion forum where users can introduce a new or participate in a current conversation on e-prescribing. The wiki also offers recent industry updates; case studies; a tools section with a tip sheet series, podcasts and white papers; pilot project results; books and other references; upcoming programs; and presentation materials for e-prescribing programs. “The HIMSS E-Prescribing Wiki introduces a central, dynamic single source for our members, and the industry, to share lessons learned to alleviate confusion and eliminate rework in implementing and utilizing e-prescribing,” said David Collins, MHA, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, director, health information systems, HIMSS. “The power of this collaborative effort far exceeds any one individual effort at harnessing the power of e-prescribing to improve patient safety, quality and provider efficiencies.“ I Liz Johnson, RN, MSN, FHIMSS Vice President, Applied Clinical Informatics Tenet Healthcare Corp. John H. Daniels, FACHE, CPHIMS, CHPS, FHIMSS Chief Information Officer Evolvent Technologies Inc. David Finn Vice President/Chief Information Officer/ Privacy and Information Security Officer Texas Children's Hospital C. Martin Harris, MD, MBA, FHIMSS Chief Information Officer and Chairman, IT Division The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Executive Director eCleveland Clinic Joy G. Keeler, MBA, FHIMSS Principal Health Information Technology The MITRE Corp. Holly D. Miller, MD, MBA, FHIMSS Principal Miller Health Information Technology Solutions Carol R. Selvey, MHSA, FHIMSS Associate Vice President, Business Development Iatric Systems Inc. Jay Srini, FHIMSS Chief Innovation Officer UPMC Insurance Services Division Jonathan M. Teich, MD, PhD, FHIMSS Chief Medical Informatics Officer Elsevier Health Sciences Charlene S. Underwood, MBA, FHIMSS Director, Government and Industry Affairs Siemens Medical Solutions ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Mike McGill, PhD Internet2 Howard A. Burde, Esquire Blank Rome LLP A. John Blair, III, MD President and CEO Taconic IPA Sunny Sanyal Chief Operating Officer McKesson Provider Technologies hether it's an interview with a HIMSS committee chair or an update on the Society's efforts in the beltway, HIMSS.tv brings a new channel for news delivery on the HIMSS Web site. While online technology with video interviews and updates are standard offerings in today's business world, HIMSS.tv brings new communication options to the Society. Launched in February, HIMSS.tv– at www.himss.org/himsstv–puts a face with the commentary. HIMSS staff members in the communications, education and marketing departments formed a team to introduce this medium to HIMSS Members and the industry. The team works with video equipment HIMSS purchased so interviews can be conducted, and then edited, in-house for use on the HIMSS Web site. The editing software makes it possible to download the footage W HIMSS10 and edit using a laptop computer. The use of video news and information has taken off with consumers in general, healthcare professionals, and well, the Obama administration, recognizing the benefits of this communication channel. Here are some examples: • 508,000 physicians are using online video today. Manhattan Research, Taking the Pulse® v7.0, 2008 • 8 out of 10 Internet users have searched for information on a major health topic online. Pew Internet Survey, 2007 • YouTube posting of HIMSS08 Keynote Speaker Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, has had 69,597 views as of Feb. 10. at www.youtube.com/watch? v=dTZKNcx9sBA. http://www.himss.org http://www.himss.org/membercenter http://himsseprescribingwiki.pbwiki.com http://www.HIMSS.tv http://www.himss.org/himsstv http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom http://www.HIMSS.tv http://www.HIMSS.tv http://www.HIMSS.tv http://www.HIMSS.tv http://www.HIMSS.tv http://www.himss.org/himsstv http://www.HIMSS.tv http://www.HIMSS.tv http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTZKNcx9sBA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTZKNcx9sBA http://www.himss.org/himsstv http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom http://www.himss.org/himsstv
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