Healthcare IT News - October 2007 - (Page 3)

www.HealthcareITNews.com industry news October 2007 ■ Healthcare IT News industry Healthcare IT News posts original news stories on its Web site daily. Here are recent top stories, as selected by the editors. news ative agreement rather than a grant process to ensure that ONC has a key role in the development of the new organization, Kolodner said. The successor, referred to as AHIC 2.0, was planned from ONC’s inception to be in place by fall 2008, Kolodner said. It was always understood that the span of this work would require more time than any HHS secretary’s tenure, Kolodner said. With the many transitions that occur within our political process, it was also determined that the successor should be placed in the private sector, he added. “HHS will play a significant role and will continue to be actively engaged in the process,” he said. aHIC see page 8 hhS poised to remake ahIc panel At&t offers rfid technology for heAlthcAre AT&T announced the availability of a radio frequency identification tracking solution for healthcare operations to increase visibility and safety by monitoring patients and equipment. AT&T says it is the first network services company to provide a RFID solution for the healthcare industry. “Healthcare organizations can now turn for the first time to a network services company to meet all of their RFID needs for products and services,” said John Regan, vice president of business marketing for AT&T. Date: 9/21/07 ONC will announce on Oct. 5 who the makeover group will be. By DIaNa MaNos, Senior Editor WASHINGTON – As Healthcare IT News went to press, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT was poised to announce its selection of the entity that will design a successor organization for the American Health Information Community, or AHIC. National Health IT Coordinator Robert Kolodner, MD, said at an AHIC meeting last month the announcement would be made Oct. 5. The organization – or group of organiza- “designing this Ahic successor is not like anything that’s been done before.” – Robert Kolodner, MD tions, will work under a two-year, $13 million contract. The agreement calls for designing, establishing and operating AHIC’s successor, according to Kelly Cronin, director of the Office of Programs and Coordination for ONC. Kolodner said HHS plans to have the federal advisory panel and potentially hundreds of its experts transitioned to a private-sector successor by spring of 2008. HHS chose to make the contract a cooper- ArizonA hospitAls link to teletrAumA speciAlists Three rural Arizona hospitals now have real-time access to teletrauma specialists through the “telemedicine for teletrauma” program at University Medical Center in Tucson, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona announced this week. The three additions to the telemedicine for teletrauma network are the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, Benson Hospital and Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital in Nogales. These hospitals join Southeast Arizona Medical Center in Douglas, the program’s first participating hospital, and Copper Queen Community Hospital in Bisbee. Teletrauma consultations have increased 60 percent in the past year, SAMC reported. Date: 9/13/07 Fireworks ahead? N A TOWN ABLAZE with activity this fall, a panel meeting of great significance took place under the radar. I’m referring to the Sept. 16-18 Institute of Medicine workshop to review the adoption and implementation of healthcare IT standards by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The report and recommendations resulting from this IOM meeting are expected some time in October after a peer review, according to IOM spokesperson Christine Stencel. “This is a fast-track report, still underway,” she said. But even before the report comes out, opinions on ONC’s progress aren’t hard to find. Randall Oates, M.D., a family practice physician in Fayetteville, Ark. wA shington and president of SOAPware, Inc., an electronic healthcare records company, said he has real concern that federal efforts are being directed by a niche group. “There’s a real disconnect between the perspective and views of 80 percent of clinicians not tied into the technology world and the industry intended to provide them the solutions,” Oates said. He would likely know, because he has nearly 10,000 sites where his software is being used by small group and solo MaNos see page 4 practitioners. i By DIaNa MaNos, Senior Editor new web site Addresses 9/11 heAlth-relAted issues Six years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg launched a new Web site aimed at providing a single source of information about the health effects of 9/11. The site includes information on where to go for free treatment and medication. “Today, I’m pleased to announce that we’re completing another key initiative of my 9/11 health panel with the launch of a new Web site that consolidates the latest information about 9/11-related health issues,” Bloomberg said. Date 9/11/07 the Joint Initiative council and Joint Working Group made up of american and European standards groups and an international standards organization are shown above at their inaugural meeting in Brisbane, australia. Groups aim to create harmony among healthcare It standards By BerNIe MoNegaIN, Editor BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – medAssets ipo stirs mArket competition A healthcare IT company’s announcement that it is planning an initial public offering of stock is expected to throw a new wrinkle into a competitive group purchasing market. MedAssets Inc., an Alpharetta, Ga.-based company that offers a variety of solutions for healthcare organizations, announced its IPO last week. MedAssets’ business lines include revenue cycle management, decision support and operations improvement. It also has a footprint in group purchasing. Date 9/4/07 More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: WeBBrIeFS 1007 ● national borders and world regions. Perhaps Standards groups more importantly, the leaders expect that from around the world were slated to meet in these efforts will help identify gaps in stanDublin, Ireland on Oct. 2 to continue dards development and create an their work on developing healthcare even greater opportunity to fuse informatics standards to use internatechnologies before harmonization tionally. is required.” The meeting, which was to occur as CEN/TC251, ISO/TC215 and Healthcare IT News went to press, folHL7 launched their Joint Initiative lows an inaugural forum in Brisbane, Council and Joint Working Group Australia at the end of August. charles Jaffee, MD at the meeting and also agreed on a The Brisbane meeting resulted slate of projects. in “significant and positive development CEN/TC251 is the European Committee towards the harmonization,” according to for Standardization Technical Committee the newly established joint council. for Health Informatics. ISO/TC215 is the “The Charter Agreement among HL7, ISO International Standards Organization and CEN represents the first time that these Technical Committee for Health Informatics. leading global organizations forged an alliance HL7, or Health Level 7, is an American stanto achieve harmony in standards develop- dards development organization. ment,” said Charles Jaffee, MD, CEO of HL7. Together, the groups agreed to work on “The process of standards harmoniza- standards for: ■ EHR communications architecture; tion will help drive more rapid adoption ■ joint data types standard; and enable the exchange and reuse of higher quality healthcare information across HarMoNy see page 4 Watch http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=7820

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Healthcare IT News - October 2007 Contents Global Harmony Telegrowth New Rules Keeping Tabs What's Free? PHR of Its Own Intelligent Closing Practice Management Paper Tiger

Healthcare IT News - October 2007

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