Healthcare IT News - December 2007 - (Page 19)

www.HealthcareITNews.com NEWS Makers ■ December 2007 Healthcare IT News 19 The Peo Ple , S Tor ieS a nd i n n ovaT i o n S of 2 0 07 Table of Contents 20 21 22 23 top implementations t op trends top movers & shakers tech to watch for 2008 stock watch 2008 people to watch mikeleavitt newtgingrich Johnglaser “As another physician, I thought he had the most practical view of the issues at hand,” said Karen Scoles, MD, medical director of information systems for Crozer-Keystone Health System. Provider-based HiT leaders: invesTing in qualiTy care Partners HealthCare System’s innovation and risk-taking make it a great model for what IT can accomplish, one reader wrote. Readers thought CIO John Glaser’s leadership at Partners worthy of voting him the top provider-based healthcare IT leader who did the most innovative work in 2007. “I am personally honored,” said Glaser. “I realize, humbly, that great work is done by great teams. Any honor of me is an honor of the teams that are so effective at Partners.” The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, or UPMC, deployed major IT initiatives and its vice president of emerging technologies, Jay Srini, was rewarded with second-place honors. “UPMC focuses on innovations in patient safety and quality by coalescing the multifaceted talents of many distinguished individuals in the organization,” she said. “I am indeed privileged to have a role in this ecosystem at UPMC, which fosters innovation through the visionary acumen of the business units and the support of the technical, financial and legal team.” Third-place vote-getter Frank Opelka, MD, CEO of the Louisiana Health Network, perhaps had the greatest challenge in trying to deliver quality healthcare post-Katrina. “Courage to lead in a field that has much improvement and take advantage of the resources at hand due to extraordinary circumstances will put this investment at the leading edge of influence,” wrote in one reader. Top newsmakers see page 21 read the full version of these stories and web-based articles at healthcareitnews.com. The Year in Review C looneyinCidentputsprivaCyonstage Not every hospital gets the opportunity to take care of George Clooney. And officials at New Jersey’s Palisades Medical Center are probably regretting their brush with fame after learning that some doctors and nurses took an unauthorized look at the film star’s medical records during his stay following a minor motorcycle accident. Experts say the Clooney incident will teach hospitals and healthcare providers a valuable lesson about patient privacy. ationale-presCribingCenterlaunChed Last summer, SureScripts teamed with a broad coalition of industry partners to launch The Center for Improving Medication Management. The center will operate as a research-oriented “center of excellence” and pursue “unique and creative ways to improve the overall safety, quality and efficiency of the patient medication management process.” SureScripts also announced that every one of the 50 states is ready to handle electronic prescriptions. hiCremakedrawsCritiCism The American Health Information Community, the federal advisory panel responsible for the advancement of healthcare IT, is making plans to remake itself into a privatesector organization and is drawing criticism in the process. The panel is slated for replacement by 2009. QriCouldboostphysiCianinCome The Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) took effect on July 1, and some in the healthcare industry think that this federal payfor-performance program could eventually lead to mandatory reporting of quality data using healthcare information technology. l7aimstoaddlegalClouttoehrs Healthcare IT standards organization HL7 has released a functional profile for the Legal Electronic Health Record System. The legal profile is based on HL7’s EHR System Functional Model standard adopted in February 2007. Without a legal definition for electronic records, organizations would be apt to rely on paper records as the legal record – prompting dual record keeping in many cases. Top newsmakers: making good on visions dePloyed in 2007 Patty eNrado, Contributing Editor n WASHINGTON, D.C. – They dominated the headlines and made bold announcements that created huge impacts in the healthcare industry and across America. Marquee names topped the results in our reader surveys for top policymakers, provider-based healthcare IT leaders who did the most innovative work in 2007 and vendorbased leaders who have advanced the cause of healthcare IT the furthest in 2007. Policymakers: walking THe walk It seemed that every week Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt was making announcements. That constant visibility accounted for his being the runaway vote-getter as top policymaker of 2007. From new standards for e-prescribing, personalized healthcare goals and global electronic health record standards to Medicaid transformation grants and commitment to healthcare system transparency, Leavitt is being touted for his healthcare IT focus. “Consistent messaging of the impact of technology on healthcare is penetrat- ing every component of the industry,” said Kevan Nasserzadeh of Fair Isaac. “I do not believe that the health IT battle will be won locally,” wrote in one reader. “Meaningful change will come from national initiatives such as those Mike Leavitt is driving, or at the least, the way will be paved by these early initiatives.” President George W. Bush garnered support from businesses and other stakeholders for his value-driven healthcare plan with four cornerstone goals, including adoption of healthcare IT interoperability. Despite his second-place finish, Bush has his detractors, most notably Deborah Peel, MD, of the Patient Privacy Rights. “Bush and his administration have pressed forward to create an illegal and unethical HIT system by eliminating patients’ right to control their personal health information,” she complained. While not as charismatic as David Brailer, MD, the first National Coordinator for Healthcare IT, Robert Kolodner completed his first full year as head of ONCHIT spearheading the same agenda as his predecessor and landing as the number three top policymaker. Money defines top stories for 2007 Jack BeaudoiN, Editorial Director p h year In revIew see page 20 ollow the money, Deep Throat advised Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as the two Washington Post reporters chased down one of the biggest stories of the last century – Watergate. The same advice helped Healthcare IT News readers identify the top stories of 2007. Their choice for the year’s biggest story -- the IRS decision enabling not-for-profit hospitals to provide healthcare information technology without running afoul of anti-kickback rules. The runner up was a story detailing plans from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to begin a pay-for-performance program for physicians. Both initiatives attempt to boost IT adoption in healthcare. The IRS decision could prove to be a water- shed moment in healthcare IT. Although the Department of Health and Human Services issued regulations enabling hospitals to provide software and services for staff physicians without violating federal anti-kickback laws, last August, not-for-profit providers were reluctant to take advantage of the exemptions because of potential tax implications. A CHIME survey found that 62 percent of hospitals had no plans to take advantage of the new Stark exceptions and anti-kickback safe harbor laws. But when the IRS issued its two-page memorandum in May indicating that healthcare IT assistance wouldn’t jeopardize tax status, experts predicted many hospitals that were sitting on the fence would now begin working with physicians to put technology to use. Top sTorIes see page 20 MOST POPULAR STORIES OF 2007 AT HEALTHCAREITNEWS.COM 1. Steve Case launches his health revolution 2. HHS to pay doctors to use EHRs 3. Misys sells two segments of U.S. healthcare division 4. IRS ruling allows hospitals to provide healthcare IT to physicians 5. Industry leaders identify movers and shakers to watch in 2007 6. Reaction to peek at Clooney medical records too severe, says union chief 7. Walgreens to open in-store clinics 8. U.S. EHR market to approach $5 billion by 2015 9. CMS announces measures for P4P reporting amid industry concerns 10. ONC releases recommendations for electronic health records http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com

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Healthcare IT News - December 2007 Contents Paying Docs Seal of Approval Key to Success Stage 4 Stark Payoff New Kids on the Block Real-time Trend On the Block Picture Perfect Head of the Class

Healthcare IT News - December 2007

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