Healthcare IT News - May 2008 - (Page 22)

22 Healthcare IT News· May 2008 -e ttlIllSS" Insider www.HealthcareITNews.com The Election and the Outlook for Healthcare IT T administration's "consumer choicevalue purchasing" policies, with a lished survey results in which major policy eliminating employ82 percent of respondents said er tax deductions for employee medical benefits. This will be a that "President Bush and his Administration have not done difficult sell to most employees, enough to move healthcare IT who like their coverage but not by Ed Larsen adoption forward." We have the rising costs. The Democratic offered criticism of the administration's candidates share the goal of universal covercfforts in the past but on balance thought the age, more specifically, universal affordable administration had certainly done much more health Evidence from insurance. than any predecessors to the point of worry- Massachusetts' universal health insurance sysing about overreach. However, the survey tem suggests higher administrative and finanresults surely set a high standard for the next cial costs than expected, coupled with lesser administration, a good segue into this month's clinical IT use and unexpected problems in topic: What should the healthcare IT industry meeting the new demand for primary care. expect from the next administration? The common theme of both parties, then, Let us begin by stipulating that the major is healthcare insurance reform, and in this presidential candidates and their parties sup- both face significant challenges. \X1hen POrt more investment in healthcare IT and looked at from the twO parties' nominal posithe widespread adoption of interoperable tions, it is not clear that either could gain EHRs. But compared to the current admin- political and public consensus or that either istration yardstick, it is unclear what more would control the growth in healthcare COSts. suPPOrt will be forthcoming. In facr, as we Thus, while we are likely to see changes on noted in the February Standards Insight, the the margins, some increase in subsidized first business of the next Secretary of Health coverage (e.g., the expansion of the State and Human Services will be to develop the Children's Health Insurance Program) or overaU direction and priorities for healthcare more out-of-pocket costs, whether through itself. From these will flow the finer points of tax incentives or means testing, there will be healthcare IT initiatives. So to predict likely profound shifts in policy directions and prihealthcare IT programs under the next orities impacting healthcare IT initiatives. administration, we need to analyze the candi~ Moreover, there will be a new round of blunt dates' overall healthcare positions. cost control measures imposed on providers, The presumptive Republican nominee akin to the Balanced Budget Amendment. appears likely to pursue many of the current If we are correct in our assessment that the he March issue of Heal/heare IT NeJIIs pub- INSIGHT candidates of both parties will focus programs on slowing spending increases through new administrative and financial controls and incentives, and on reforming health insurance-albeit in dramatically different ways, then we should expect real and grim changes for healthcare IT policy. Neither party's program points to greater promotion of electronic health records or to a nationwide networking infrastructure. \Y/e can expect much less cuStomer interest in clinical systems unless they can show direct business results in terms of efficiency, added revenue or lower COSts. Voluntary standards harmoniza· tion and certification will not be aligned with new directions. More HIPAA-like regulation is certainly not out of the question. New insurance regulations will require new data, reporting and controls, not the healthcare IT trend of going back to quick but redundant point~to-point or stovepipe solutions, traditional ED! and clearinghouses. What will survive of the NHIN will be the core translation and routing services. Administrative and financial transactions, such as eligibility, co-pays, benefits and formularies, will dominate the sharing of medical records. E-prescribing will be a cost control, nor a clinical application. Eighty-two percent of the survey respondents probably will not like it. • Ed larsen is an independent strategy consultant who tracks interoperability standards for HIMSS. For the full article, go to Standards Insight on the HIMSS Member start page. Comments or questions can be sent to erlarsen@erlinc.com. PUBLICATIONS STAFF VICE PRESIDENT. COMMUNICATIONS Fran Pef\'eiler MANAGER, PUBUCATIONS Nancy Vitucci SENIOR MANAGER, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Joyce Lofstrom SENIOR MANAGER. PUBUC POUCY COMMUNICATIONS Sharolyn Rosier Hyson SENIOR EDITOR Matt Schlossberg COORDINATOR, COMMUNICATIONS Cad McLean BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR John Wade. FCHIME. FHIMSS Vice PresidenVChief InfOlmation OHicer Saint Luke's Health System VICE CHAIR Victoria Bradley. DNp' AN. FHIMSS DirectOl of Patient Information University 01 Kentucky HealthCare CHAlRELECT Charles E. Christiall. FCHIME. FHIMSS Director. Information Systems/Ctlief Information Officer Good Samaritan Hospital VICE CHAIR ELECT Liz JohnsOIl, FHIMSS Vice President. Applied Clinical Informatics Tenet Healttlcare Corp. Margret Amatayakul. RHIA. CHPS. FHIMSS President Margaret A. Consulting LLC Barry P. Chaiken. MO. MPH. FHIMSS Chiel Medical Officer DocsNetwork Ltd. John H. Daniels, FHIMSS. FACHE, CPHIMS. CHI'S Chief Information Officer Evolvel'lt Technologies. Inc. Johll Hansmann. FHIMSS Regional Manager. Management Engineering Intermountain Health Care C. Martin Harris, MD. MBA. FH1MSS Chief Information Officer and Chairman. IT Division The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Executive Di/ector. eClevefand Clinic Joy G. Keeler. MBA Principal Health Information Technology The MITRE Corp. Jay Srii'lL FHIMSS Cheif Innovation Officer UPMC Insurance Sef\'ices Division Jonathan M. Teich. MO. PhD, FHIMSS Chief Medical Informatics Officer Elsevier Health Sciences PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUlTVE OffiCER [am/inl/edfro"! page 21} IT WEEK Let Your Voice Be Heard on Advocacy Day After the Summic08 ends, Advocacy Day kicks off late in the afternoon on June 10 with an en~ng conversation on national health IT trends and training on how to communicate with elected officials and their staff. On June 11, participants will meet their members of Congress and their sraff; these meetings will illustrate how federal policy decisions may affect health IT professionals in their daily jobs. Later that evening, HllYfSS hosts irs Advocacy Awards Reception on Capitol Hill, where participants can mingle with key decision~makers. The first 200 attendees will receive a personalized copy of the 2008 Congress a/ YOllr Fingertips, a guide to the U.S. Congress, and a 2008 Advocacy Day tote bag. Registration is available at www.himss.org/advocacy. National Health IT Week The Summic08 and Advocacy Day are just twO of the eventS during National Health IT Week, a fully collaborative annual forum that brings together stakeholders from across the healthcare spectrum to promote the adoption of health IT as a means for improving healthcare efficiency, quality, cost~effective ness and patient safety. Partner organizations, including HIMSS, will have a voice in the furure of healrh IT by hosting eventS throughout the week. In addition to the HIMSS Summit08 and Advocacy Day, National Health IT Week events include the following, both to be held on Thursday, June 12: • Capitol Hill Steering Committee on Telehealth and Healthcare Informatics Technology Showcase, an interactive technology demonstration showcasing cutting-edge technology solutions, helping to deliver the best quality healthcare • Underserved Communities Health IT Initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HIMSS. the Summit Health Institute for Research and Education (SHIRE) and Apptis, the kickoff of a national initiative to ensure no communities are forgotten during the national transformation of healthcare through the use of IT. For a complere lisr of National Health IT Week activities and parmer organizations, visit www.HealthlnXleek.org. • H. Stephen Lieber. CAE HIMSS ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS A. John Blair III. MD President and CEO Taconic IPA Stevtl Fox Parmer Post & Schell PC Miriam Paramore Vice President. Sales. Mar1l:etirg arxl Business Developnenl Integra Professional Sef\'ices Sunny Sanyal Chief Operating Officer McKesson Provider Techllologies HIMSS global services team expands Society's efforts in Asia and furope IMSS is pleased to announce the addition of two new staff members who are joining Jeremy Bonfini, senior vice president, global services, in expanding the Society's role within the health information and communication technology communities in Asia and Europe. With close to 20 years of experience in the Asian healthcare IT community, Steven Yeo serves as the Society's first vice president and executive director for HIMSS Asia Pacific. In this role, Mr. Yeo, who is based in Singapore, guides all H1MSS operations in Asia. Through his previous role as the director of Intel Corporation's Digital Health Group in Asia, Mr. Yeo was a founding member of the effort to develop an EHR standard for China. He also was a founding member of the HL-7 China re-Iaunch and the launch of HL-7 Singapore, and serves on the SingTel Customer Advisory Council. As vice president of Rosetta Net Asia, Mr. Yeo created a Pan-Asian trade association and drove many successful regional conferences and exhibitions. Effective April 1, Michael Strubin joined H1MSS as a full-time resource for HIMSS Europe. Mr. StrUbin continues to serve as executive director for HIMSS Europe, but will do so in a new and exciting context for HIMSS. He is growing his role as it relates to management of the HIMSS World of Health IT Conference and Exhibition. In addition, he has successfully driven the recent establishment of a MOU with the Catal http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.himss.org/advocacy http://www.HealthITWeek.org http://www.himsssummit.org http://www.himss.org http://www.modernhealthcare.com

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Healthcare IT News - May 2008 Contents Help Wanted Speeding Up Government Silos Privacy Pressures Tracking Disease Rah Rah Health! TriZetto Suit Outcomes Watch Ambulatory EHRs

Healthcare IT News - May 2008

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