Healthcare IT News - July 2008 - (Page 22)

22 Healthcare IT News I July 2008 www.HealthcareITNews.com t is mid-summer, a time to slow down and The key factor is physicians are fully integratenjoy. It is also the middle of the baseball ed into a team and system of care that season. This month, we would like to trot includes other providers, hospitals and faciliout some well-worn baseball quotes that ties. If we had only know 15 years ago that describe the world of IDNs, HMOs and CHINs were the health IT in the summer STANDARDS way to go. of 2008. Most are from If you don't know where you're going, Yogi Berra, real or apocyou'll wind up somewhere else. ryphal, and are found in Medicare, not Social Security, is the Wikipedia's Wikithe biggest and most immediate quote. Our title, perhaps by Ed Larsen financial threat to the federal budget. Yogi's best known, characterizes much of what we see happen- However, changes, any changes, to Medicare are a huge political, fiscal and healthcare risk ing…again this summer. for all of us. Central to any change is the No one goes there any more, it's too crowded. proposition we are not receiving fair value HIMSS Summit08, held in early June dur- from our current system. Thus, providers ing National Health IT Week, remains a and payors have wrestled with the pay-forgood prism with which to view Washington performance paradigm. How does one pay health IT initiatives. Attendance was not as for quality outcomes, not waste and errors? high as some past summits when the secreWhile we have results from multiple pilots, tary of Health and Human Services (HHS) we still come back to applying lessons learned or the Office of the National Coordinator to the fractured healthcare system. Who is (ONC) introduced major programs, but it responsible for quality outcomes when care is remains a timely focal point for networking uncoordinated among physicians in indeand related industry meetings. pendent practices, unaffiliated hospitals and other unconnected providers? Interoperable The future ain't what it used to be. electronic health records and personal health One of the more fascinating observations, records could enable integration and coordiattributed to a Commonwealth Fund study, nation of care but there is no motivation but repeated in several sessions, is large inte- without new incentives based on value. grated delivery networks better utilize health IT to improve performance. Examples of I wish I had an answer to that, because I'm successes included Kaiser (an integrated tired of answering that question. A high point of Summit08 was the presHMO), Mayo Clinic (a large group practice) and the VA (a closed government model). entation of the CBO (Congressional Budget I It's like déjà vu all over again INSIGHT Office) paper “Evidence on the Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology” by its director, Dr. Peter Orszag. Arguably this is the most important analysis to come out of Washington since the initial ONC strategic framework. It makes the case health IT is necessary but not sufficient to improve quality and control costs. It challenges the two major economic studies used to support more health IT investment, which present possible but not probable savings. It questions whether the federal government, short of major reform to the healthcare system, can provide incentives, penalties or mandates that will substantially increase the rate of health IT adoption. This paper's importance is not just in these conclusions but also that this is the understanding the budget scorekeeper will bring to scoring possible health IT legislation. It ain't over 'til it's over. PUBLICATIONS STAFF VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS Fran Perveiler MANAGER, PUBLICATIONS Nancy Vitucci SENIOR MANAGER, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Joyce Lofstrom SENIOR MANAGER, PUBLIC POLICY COMMUNICATIONS Sharolyn Rosier Hyson 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 One of the great attractions of baseball is its continuity with past seasons, past greats and past traditions. While desirable characteristics for the national pastime, these characteristics are not as useful within the context of IT enabled healthcare transformation. Saying and doing the same things season after season is like déjà vu all over again. I Barry P. Chaiken, MD, MPH, FHIMSS Chief Medical Officer DocsNetwork, Ltd. VICE CHAIR ELECT 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 Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer University Hospitals Carol R. Selvey, MHSA, FHIMSS Principal The Revere Group 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 For more Yogisms and health IT analysis, see the full July Standards Insight on the HIMSS Member start page. Ed Larsen is an independent strategy consultant who tracks interoperability standards for HIMSS. Comments or questions can be sent to erlarsen@erlinc.com. HIMSS Launches New Financial Systems E-Newsletter Financial Edge, HIMSS' new financial systems enewsletter, explores the latest issues and emerging trends focused on financial systems and related technologies within healthcare delivery. Published the third Tuesday of each month, this new complimentary resource is for HIMSS members, providers, payors, clearinghouses, vendors, consultants and anyone involved in connecting clinical and financial systems. Financial Edge looks at trends and changes in financial systems, the value and benefits of financial and clinical systems integration, and informs readers on ways to contribute and participate in the industry and within HIMSS. Financial Edge is provided to readers at no charge, but only to those readers who opt in to receive this online publication. Subscribe to Financial Edge at www.himss.org/financialedge. For more details on HIMSS Financial Systems initiatives, visit www.himss.org/financial. In addition to Financial Edge, HIMSS offers three other complimentary opt-in enewsletters designed for niche audiences: HIMSS Pulse on Public Policy (PULSE) is written specifically for HIMSS members, state and local policymakers and members of Congress and their staff to offer timely insight into what is happening in Washington and across the country related to healthcare IT, legislative and regulatory actions, federal funding and court rulings. Visit www.himss.org/pulse to subscribe. The Digital Office: Connecting Your Practice with the Electronic Medical Record offers timely, comprehensive coverage and analysis of the use of electronic medical records in independent physician practices. The Digital Office features lessons learned from physicians who have implemented EMRs and vendor updates. To subscribe, visit www.himss.org/digitaloffice. HIMSS RHIO Connection:Your Link to the RHIO Revolution serves the RHIO community, HIMSS members, state and local policymakers and members of Congress with news regarding regional health information organizations, including updates on advocacy and public policy initiatives, technology updates and guidance on forming and managing a RHIO. Subscribe at www.himss.org/rhiocon -nection. I 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 OFFICERS [continued from page 21] “HIMSS is in a unique position to not only share knowledge with its international counterparts, but enable communications between leaders and their peers across the globe to advance the use of information and management systems for the betterment of healthcare.” In recent elections by the board, Barry Chaiken, MD, MPH, FHIMSS, was selected Chair Elect and Vice Chair Elect safety. As founder of his own company, he worked on quality improvement studies and clinical investigations for the National Institutes of Health, the Framingham Heart Study, and Boston University Medical School. Dr. Chaiken is board certified in General Preventive Medicine and Public Health as well as Health Care Quality Management. New Board Members FHIMSS, is principal of The Revere Group, headquartered in Chicago. Charlene S. Underwood, MBA, FHIMSS, is director of government and industry affairs at Siemens Medical Solutions in Malvern, Pa. The following individuals began their twoyear term on the Nominating Committee: Kathleen Covert Kimmel, RN, MHA, CHE, FHIMSS, vice president, nursing informatics, McKesson, Louisville, Colo.; Donald Levick, MD, MBA, CPHIMS, physician liaison, information services, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, Pa.; and Janet K. Stanek, FACHEdesignate, RHIA, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, vice president, support services, and CIO, Stormont-Vail Healthcare, Topeka, Kan. New Nominating Committee Members Save the Date 2008 HIMSS Public Policy Forum Tuesday, Oct. 28, 8 am to 5:30 pm National Press Club-Washington, DC Watch for more details in the HIMSS Insider and at www.himss.org/advocacy. as chair elect, and Ms. Johnson was reelected as vice-chair elect. Dr. Chaiken has over 20 year http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.himss.org/pulse http://www.himss.org/pulse http://www.himss.org/financialedge http://www.himss.org/financialedge http://www.himss.org/financial http://www.himss.org/financial http://www.himss.org/digitaloffice http://www.himss.org/rhioconnection http://www.himss.org/rhioconnection http://www.himss.org/advocacy

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Healthcare IT News - July 2008 Contents IT’s Financial Link eRx Power SOA Q&A Bent on Wireless Digital Switch IT Legacy Change Agent Panasonic 'Book' Taking a Shift Computer Types

Healthcare IT News - July 2008

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