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CHIME Calls for Stage 2 Extension in Letter to Senators

CIO organization underscores progress of EHR adoption, highlights importance of standards in Stage 2 

ANN ARBOR, MI, May 6, 2013 – Following a request for feedback from Senators in Washington on the status of health IT adoption, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) issued a response declaring that a one-year extension of Meaningful Use Stage 2 would “maximize the opportunity of program success.”

The organization of healthcare CIOs said the additional 12-months for meeting Stage 2 “will give providers the opportunity to optimize their EHR technology and achieve the benefits of Stage 1 and Stage 2; it will give vendors the time needed to prepare, develop and deliver needed technology to correspond with Stage 3; and it will give policymakers time to assess and evaluate programmatic trends needed to craft thoughtful Stage 3 rules.”

In calling for an extension to Stage 2, CHIME defended much of the federal incentive program’s progress to date, arguing that fundamental shifts in health IT adoption and EHR product capabilities have been made possible through the policy of Meaningful Use.

“While we share some of your concerns with the current state of interoperability, we strongly believe that EHR incentive payments under the policy of Meaningful Use have been essential in moving the nation’s healthcare system into the 21st Century,” the CHIME letter said.  “Through the EHR Incentive Payments program, CMS and ONC have begun to mitigate a fractured and incompatible state for EHRs.”

The response comes amid concerns levied by six Senators that the current direction of the HITECH program is flawed. The white paper released on April 16, “REBOOT: Re-examining the Strategies Needed to Successfully Adopt Health IT,” outlines several concerns including increased health care costs, lack of momentum toward interoperability, patient privacy, and long-term program sustainability.

“Your report highlights a number of fair and responsible criticisms of the program and it echoes many of the concerns CHIME has voiced over the last three years,” the letter said.  “But given the nation’s increased adoption of EHRs, the increased investments in interoperable solutions and the early-stage transformations encountered every day by our members, we remain convinced that the trajectory set by Meaningful Use is the correct one.

“CHIME believes the industry’s guiding principle should be to maximize the opportunity of program success and monitor the timelines needed to do that.  For this reason, we formally and strongly recommend a one-year extension to Stage 2 before progressing to Stage 3 of Meaningful Use,” the organization concluded.

CHIME also called upon Congress to request an update from ONC on what technologies, architectures and strategies exist to mitigate patient matching errors; seek feedback from the public via congressional hearing or other formal commenting mechanism; and determine how current work at the S&I Framework could be leveraged to address the foundational challenge of patient data-matching.

Responding to a section of the white paper on audits and program integrity, CHIME said CIOs understand the desire to ensure that incentive payments are going to those who have qualified to receive them, but this intent must not result in unreasonable auditing efforts that are poorly structured, inconsistent or lack uniform criteria.  “We ask that Congress ensure CMS audits are efficient and effective without overburdening providers,” the letter stated.

To read the full Senate response, visit the Public Policy section of the CHIME website.

About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,400 CIO members and over 95 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.cio-chime.org.

Contact:
Stephanie Fraser
Director of Communications
734-665-0000
sfraser@cio-chime.org

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May 6, 2013 I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

Filed Under: ARRA  EHR  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  Healthcare IT  Hospital IT  Meaningful Use  Meaningful Use Stage 2
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Study Shows Personal Health Records (PHRs) Lead to Improved Health and Engagement for Seniors with Coronary Diseases

Fort Wayne, Ind. – April 10, 2013 – Often considered a population “too old” for computer-based communication tools, a recent study found seniors who had undergone cardiac revascularization and used electronic Personal Health Records were more engaged, with improved clinical outcomes.  When Fort Wayne, Ind. – based Parkview Physicians Group Cardiology provided a pre-populated PHR to approximately 200 cardiac patients (most over the age of 55), it found a significant improvement in hemoglobin A1c levels over a six-month period, as well as improved patient activation scores.

“Lifestyle modification and medication adherence are crucial to improving intermediate health outcomes that influence morbidity and mortality among cardiac patients,” said Michael Mirro, MD at Parkview Hospital.  “This study shows that healthcare technology can increase patient engagement which then leads to more positive health outcomes.”

The study was part of an initiative funded by a Challenge Grant awarded by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to Indiana Health Information Technology, Inc. (IHIT) and PHR vendor NoMoreClipboard (NMC) to make health informationexchange (HIE) data available to patients. Working with IHIT and NoMoreClipboard, data from the Parkview EHR was routed through the area HIE to populate patient PHRs.

Study Methodology

Two-hundred patients who had undergone revascularization (stent and/or bypass) were recruited into the study. In addition to serial laboratory tests, surveys measuring patient engagement and technology acceptance were conducted at baseline and six months.

Personnel from the Parkview Research Center (PRC) worked with patients to set up their NoMoreClipboard PHR account and provided training. Parkview’s electronic health record system was configured to support PHR account creation and population. With the patient present, PRC staff was able to send a Continuity of Care Document (CCD) and the patient medical record number to the PHR from the patient chart in the EHR. The CCD was then routed through the Med-Web HIE, which serves Northeast Indiana, and NoMoreClipboard returned a PHR account activation code.

When a PHR account was created, the activation code was entered — establishing a match with the patient’s medical record number at Parkview and releasing discrete data from the CCD to populate the PHR. When new data is available in the Parkview EHR system, the practice can post that data to NMC with a single click.

“This is an example of true HIT integration,” said Jeff Donnell, president of NoMoreClipboard.  “We also worked with Parkview to incorporate a daily health diary into the patient’s PHR so they can self-enter and transmit their blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, height, weight and BMI andsend it to their doctors.  Patients could also sign up for daily reminders to complete and submit their diary information.”

“As we look ahead to Meaningful Use Stage Two, many in the provider community are concerned that the requirement to get five percent of patients to use electronic engagement tools is unrealistic,” added Mirro. “Our experience with a senior population indicates otherwise. More importantly, we are seeing that patients who participate in electronic exchange and use these tools are more engaged, more likely to adhere to prescribed therapies and treatment plans, and more likely to enjoy improved outcomes

and quality of life.”

Study Participant Demographics

Of the 184 patients who completed the six-month study, 70 percent were 56-74 years old. About 64 percent were covered by Medicare, and the majority were college educated. There was also a high prevalence of diabetes in the study population (33 percent).

Specific Study Results

  • Active PHR users and super users experienced significant declines in HbA1c percentages. The mean hemoglobin A1c reduced from 6.25 percent to 6 percent.
  • Patients with a history of diabetes showed a significant statistical improvement in glycemic control.
  • Patients with access to a PHR had a greater understanding of their conditions and adopted healthier lifestyle behaviors.
  • Over the duration of the study, data has been imported from Parkview’s EHR to patient PHR accounts more than 600 times, and patients have logged into the PHR more than 2,400 times. On average, patients logged in 8.7 times over a six-month period. Approximately 15 percent of the patients are using the health diary to self-report and share health measures.

“In addition to quantitative results, we also learned several big picture lessons from this study,” said Donnell.  “Clinicians often tell us that tools like PHRs are a great idea for others, but certain patient populations won’t use these tools based on age, income or inability to use technology. Our experience in this study — and with other clients who serve patients on the wrong side of the digital divide — tell a different story.”

AboutNoMoreClipboard
NoMoreClipboard is a leader in electronic patient engagement, connecting consumers and clinicians to improve communication and foster collaboration. NoMoreClipboard gives consumers portable, interoperable personal health records to access, manage and sharehealth information. Provider solutions include branded patient portals designed to integrate with clinical workflow, enhance efficiency and contribute to improved patient outcomes. Visit www.NoMoreClipboard.com for more information.

 

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April 30, 2013 I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

Filed Under: EMR
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MTBC Introduces Business Intelligence Reporting and Analytics Module to Support Physician Practice Management; Enhance Performance

SOMERSET, NJ, April 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) MTBC, a leading electronic health record (EHR), practice and revenue cycle management company, today announced the launch of its business intelligence and reporting module (BI Module) to enhance reporting capabilities for practices of all sizes.  The BI Module is fully integrated with MTBC’s PracticeProTM suite of services and supports in-depth longitudinal and granular analysis of key performance indicators and revenue drivers.

“While powerful business analytics tools are leveraged by many of America’s largest physician groups to support strategic business planning and decision-making, these important tools have, until now, remained out of reach for most small physician groups,” said MTBC President Stephen Snyder. “Our new BI tools are powerful enough to support the largest and most complex physician groups, yet so intuitive and flexible that they can be used by virtually any small practices to better understand its business, improves its bottom line, and mitigate audit risk.”

MTBC’s BI reporting and analytics module was designed to support benchmarking, short-term and long-term planning, together with compensation program development and management.  It is fully integrated with MTBC’s EHR and PM platform.

“This analysis provides an administrator with a holistic view of his or her practice, and can help practices identify opportunities to increase productivity, maximize revenue, reduce expenses and streamline workflows,” explained John Cox, Vice President of Hospital and Consulting Services at MTBC. “Our BI module caters not only to the needs of small practices, but also those of medium to large sized hospital-based and independent groups.”

MTBC’s BI module has an all-inclusive fee of five percent of collections and includes MTBC’s EHR, PM, RCM and mHealth applications. It will enable providers to:

·         Compare provider E&M level utilization to local and national benchmarks to identify and manage audit risk.

·         Analyze payer-level payment trends to support contract negotiations and payer participation decision-making.

·         Examine collections & billing cycle patterns to identify bottlenecks and accelerate reimbursements timeframes.

·         View performance by provider, group, location and more.

·         Create customized reports to support compensation plan development and administration.

·         Optimize the revenue cycle by gaining an insight into performance gaps to improve profit margins.

·         Examine overall patient encounters per provider or practice to identify opportunity for revenue maximization.

·         Improve and accelerate the decision-making process with transparent financial operations.

ABOUT MTBC

Founded in 1999 and based in Somerset, New Jersey, MTBC provides practice and revenue cycle management services and proprietary software solutions to private physician offices and hospital-employed provider groups throughout the United States. It’s integrated and competitively priced premium products, PracticePro™ and ChartsPro™, present a service suite unmatched in the industry in scope and value. MTBC has been consistently recognized as a Deloitte Technology Fast 500 company – 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 – and has also been recognized during each of the last three years as an Inc. 500│5000 company.

To learn more about MTBC, please visit www.mtbc.com.

To learn more about MTBC Business Intelligence module, please visit http://www.mtbc.com/business_intelligence_software.aspx.

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I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

Filed Under: EMR
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Former Mayo Executive Joins VitalHealth Software as Chief Medical Officer

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – April 10, 2013 – VitalHealth Software, a leading global provider of web-based solutions for health management established by Mayo Clinic and the Noaber Foundation, today announced that Dr. Lester Wold has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Wold will help advise the company’s long-term market strategies for care collaboration, disease management, specialty EHR applications, and patient engagement. “We are thrilled to have Les join our leadership team and help us refine and apply our industry-leading ehealth solutions in this rapidly changing healthcare delivery and reimbursement environment. Les brings outstanding leadership and clinical experience to VitalHealth, and we look forward eagerly to benefitting from his guidance and contributions,” said Blair Butterfield, President of VitalHealth Software for North America.

Prior to his retirement from Mayo Clinic, Dr. Wold served in various leadership roles over the course of his career, including as Chair of Mayo’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Collaborative Services Board, and Mayo Medical Ventures Board. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Mayo Clinic Foundation. Dr. Wold will continue to be based in Rochester, Minnesota, where VitalHealth recently established a physical presence in the prestigious BioBusiness Center.

About VitalHealth Software:
VitalHealth Software delivers web-based software solutions for health management.  The model-driven software platform is used by a growing network of partners.  VitalHealth Software has offices in the U.S., Netherlands and India.  For more information, please visit www.vitalhealthsoftware.com.

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I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

Filed Under: EMR
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NCQA to Test Pioneering Way to Measure Quality, Foster Wider Use of Prevention Strategies

Effort Aimed at Reducing Patients’ Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Uses Patient Data to Evaluate Method for Measuring Health Outcomes

Washington, D.C. – The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced a new approach to measuring quality that will provide a more sensitive gauge of risk factors and make it possible to create clinically meaningful incentives for providers to improve disease prevention.

Under a grant from RWJF, NCQA will evaluate a new measurement tool that focuses on improving the health outcomes of patients with heart disease and diabetes. The “Global Cardiovascular Risk” (GCVR) score, which is being co-developed by NCQA and Archimedes, Inc., is the “next generation” quality improvement tool that measures how well providers reduce the risk of future adverse outcomes – such as heart attacks, strokes, and diabetic complications – in the populations they serve. GCVR is also a powerful new use of electronic health records (EHRs), drawing upon clinical information from EHRs to provide the data needed to assess improvement in preventing bad outcomes.

“This new tool has the potential to become the first customized, outcomes-based electronic health record measure used by Medicare and commercial payers,” says NCQA President  Margaret E. O’Kane. “Its widespread adoption could have a profound impact on health care costs because it assesses how well providers engage in prevention and goal-setting for their high-risk patients. We believe it could become the new gold standard of quality measurement, replacing some traditional measures that have been the cornerstone of quality improvement for years.”

The traditional approach to quality measurement focuses on processes of care, and reaching clinically artificial treatment goals for biomarkers, rather than the actual disease outcomes. Traditional approaches provide little quantitative information about the outcomes that actually occur based on the care patients receive. In contrast, the GCVR measures how much patients’ risk of future adverse health outcomes have been reduced.  Unlike current measures, which focus on a particular process or biomarker, the GCVR measure is a single metric that captures what every provider can do to prevent adverse outcomes, all integrated in a medically and clinically realistic way.

Under the project, NCQA will:

  • ·         Evaluate the feasibility of collecting data from EHRs to calculate a measurable result for different providers and provider organizations; and
  • ·         Evaluate provider views on how useful and meaningful the GCVR score is for predicting risk.

“The GCVR program will change how providers, patients, and payers think about the measurement of quality and will provide much more accurate and effective incentives for preventing adverse outcomes than has been possible in the past,” says David Eddy, MD, PhD, founder of Archimedes Inc., a San Francisco-based healthcare modeling company. “Preventing bad outcomes is the ultimate purpose of the health care system, and this measure will directly address that goal,” he says. “And because bad outcomes cause expensive admissions, tests, and procedures, this new measure will be more effective in controlling costs, at the same time that it helps improve patients’ lives.”

“The GCVR is a game-changer for measuring quality, promoting prevention, and assessing the impact of health care decisions on patient outcomes,” says RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD.  “Measuring quality in this way could have major implications for improving patient care and lowering costs because this is focused on preventing adverse health outcomes, not just on care processes or goals, which has been the standard until now.”

Over the next 18 months, NCQA will evaluate the feasibility of extracting the electronic health data it needs to calculate the measure from a number of health systems and health plans that use EHRs from around the country.  It is now in the process of recruiting organizations to participate. The data collection and analysis will occur over the summer and fall of 2013, and NCQA expects to report findings by summer 2014.

Watch the video A Pioneering Way to Measure Health Care Quality in which Helen Darling of The National Business Group on Health discusses how the GCVR will benefit employers.

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I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

Filed Under: EMR
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Health IT Advances as HIMSS Analytics Names First Stage 7 Ambulatory Clinics

CHICAGO (April 09, 2013) – Since 2005, HIMSS Analytics has tracked progress of electronic medical record implementation with its EMR Adoption Model? (EMRAM) for hospitals. Now, HIMSS Analytics announces the ambulatory clinics of NorthShore University HealthSystem as the first group of ambulatory facilities to reach Stage 7 on The Ambulatory EMR Adoption ModelSM (A-EMRAM).

Developed in 2011, the EMR Ambulatory Adoption Model provides a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for ambulatory facilities owned by hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database. These facilities include physician practices, clinics, outpatient centers and specialty clinics. Tracking their progress in completing eight stages (0-7), ambulatory facilities can review the implementation and use of IT applications with the intent of reaching Stage 7, which represents an advanced electronic patient record environment.

Stage 7 ambulatory facilities:

  • Deliver patient care without the use of paper charts;
  • Use their EMR and patient portal to drive patient engagement, and thus, improved health status through better health maintenance;
  • Use their vast database of clinical information and evidence based practice guidance to improve  outcomes using business intelligence solutions; and
  • Are able to share patient information through private and public health information exchanges (HIE), which improves communications, speeds up appropriate care delivery, and ultimately, reduces unnecessary consumption.

The validation process confirms ambulatory facilities have reached Stage 7 with a site visit conducted by an executive from HIMSS Analytics and a Chief Medical Information Officer with ambulatory deployment experience to ensure an unbiased evaluation of the Stage 7 environments.  Visiting a representative ambulatory clinic or clinics that deployed the same EMR applications and software, the validation team conducts both a comprehensive system overview and an analytics review to ensure improved health status indicators and understanding of the effectiveness of their patient engagement strategy.

“It is an honor to be recognized by HIMSS Analytics as the first organization to achieve Stage 7 with its ambulatory clinics.  It is a testament to our leadership team and the work done by our clinicians and medical group, as well as our operations, information technology, analytics and training personnel,” said Steven Smith, Chief Information Officer at NorthShore.  “Their dedication and commitment to working together and improving the safety and quality of care for our patients is what differentiates NorthShore.”

As the current data on the A-EMRAM indicates, as of March 30, 2013, HIMSS Analytics has recognized only:

  • 1.10 percent of 19,234 ambulatory facilities at Stage 6; and
  • 0.9 percent of 19,234 ambulatory facilities at Stage 7.

An explanation of each stage appears on the HIMSS Analytics website.

”The ambulatory clinics at NorthShore University HealthSystem offer a fully deployed, multi-specialty EMR, which is utilized in a completely paperless environment with a comprehensive analytics program that combines demographics and disease occurrence for informing public health agencies. Combined with their acute care environment, these clinics represent a comprehensive view of the patient’s medical record to all caregivers in any clinic location. Their patient engagement strategy has proven to enhance market share and significantly reduce ‘patient leakage’ to other providers in the crowded Chicago market,” says John P. Hoyt, FACHE, FHIMSS, Executive Vice President, HIMSS Analytics.

Visit the HIMSS Analytics website for more information on the A-EMRAM.

About HIMSS Analytics

HIMSS Analytics is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. The company collects and analyzes healthcare data related to IT processes and environments, products, IS department composition and costs, IS department management metrics, healthcare trends and purchase-related decisions. HIMSS Analytics delivers high quality data and analytical expertise to healthcare delivery organizations, healthcare IT companies, state governments, financial companies, pharmaceutical companies, and consulting firms.  Visit www.himssanalytics.org/ for more information.

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I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

Filed Under: EMR
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Merge Announces Addition of Endpoint Adjudication to eClinical OS(TM) Platform

Solution Facilitates Efficient Endpoint Management and Adjudication Process

CHICAGO, April 9, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Merge Healthcare Incorporated (Nasdaq:MRGE), a leading provider of clinical systems and innovations that seek to transform healthcare, today announced the addition of endpoint and adjudication management to its eClinical OS™ platform, providing end-to-end study support for trials of all sizes through a single platform.

Endpoint adjudication management embedded within an electronic data capture platform facilitates the endpoint management and adjudication process, offering a collaborative and flexible workflow for all stakeholders. Significant cost efficiencies are achieved and cycle times reduced with a single, seamless system.

“Merge eClinical has extensive experience working with the largest endpoint adjudication coordinating centers in the world. These relationships give us the unique experience to develop an endpoint adjudication module that is powerful, yet flexible enough to meet the complex requirements of all our clients. Merge’s latest enhancements to eClinical OS further our vision for delivering a unified solution for all data capture, processing and return,” said Zaher El-Assi, General Manager, eClinical Solutions of Merge. “Through its single, easy-to-use interface, built-in study templates, libraries and reports, and pay-as-you-go pricing, eClinical OS enables study sponsors and CROs to manage and run studies more efficiently than ever before.”

With Merge eClinical OS’ new Endpoint Adjudication Module, customers can:

  • Expedite cycle times with redaction tool and electronic collection of source documents
  • Auto-compile dossiers from source documents
  • Reduce costs with fewer paper documents to track, ship, and review
  • Manage paired parallel, expert review and committee workflows
  • Receive instant notifications that enable quick and efficient coordination
  • Access reviewer assignments and dossiers from anywhere, at any time
  • Improve data quality through eCRFs and online edit checks

“We began using eClinical OS towards the end of last year to manage and run our studies,” explained Thomas Engels, Vice President of Clinical Affairs for CardioKinetix Inc. “We’ve already seen enhanced efficiencies and improved productivity across the board, and are excited to begin using the new endpoint adjudication module to accelerate cycle times for adjudicating events.”

As a single, web-based solution, Merge eClinical OS has the flexibility to support trials in any phase, and captures any type of data, from any source, over any modality. With a complete menu of clinical trial capabilities that can be mixed and matched, eClinical OS builds a solid foundation for each trial environment. Merge eClinical OS also has the scalability to grow if a trial increases in size, number or complexity.

Merge has seen a strong market response to Merge eClinical OS since its June debut last year at the DIA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA. The eClinical business group has seen 57% quarter over quarter growth in the number of clinical studies under contract, and 65% quarter over quarter growth in the number of sites using Merge eClinical solutions.

“We are obviously pleased by the positive customer response to eClinical OS,” says Zaher El-Assi, General Manager, eClinical Solutions of Merge. “Customer feedback has been integral to the product design, and I think it reflects a renewed focus on study efficiency. Merge eClinical OS places the control back in the users’ hands, resulting in shorter build times, faster implementation, and more cost effective trial design.”

About Merge

Merge is a leading provider of clinical systems and innovations that seek to transform healthcare. Merge’s enterprise and cloud-based solutions for image intensive specialties provide access to any image, anywhere, any time. Merge also provides health stations, clinical trials software and other health data and analytics solutions that engage consumers in their personal health. With solutions that are used by providers and consumers and include more than 20 years of innovation, Merge is helping to reduce costs and improve the quality of healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit merge.com.

 

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I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

Filed Under: EMR
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Lott QA Group and HRS Partner in the Delivery of ICD-10 End-to-End Testing Services

Companies announce the first ICD-10 testing collaborative that leverages dual coded medical records, shared industry test data and end-to-end testing for ICD-10.

Naples, FL (April 22, 2013) – Lott QA Group, a professional healthcare IT quality assurance and consulting firm, and HRS, an expert clinical coding, audit services and ICD-10 implementation company, are proud to announce that they are working together in delivering the nation’s first and only collaborative test data approach for ICD-10. The Visibiledi™ dual-coded medical record database and the Interoperabiledi™ end-to-end testing solution expands the reach and reduces the cost of ICD-10 migration. The announcement was made jointly by Mark Lott, Principal, Lott QA Group, and Wendy Coplan-Gould, RHIA, President, HRS.

“Comprehensive testing of technology, people and clinical workflows prior to 2014 is essential for ICD-10 success,” explains Mr. Lott, “However most solutions are based on a technical approach using crosswalks which are not accurate enough and why we chose to implement a clinical approach to testing. This alliance with HRS allows us to deliver test data with greater accuracy, improved comprehension and full end-to-end clinically based testing services.”

Visibiledi™ is a dual-coded ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure test bed. It accurately depicts key clinical test cases and assesses functionality every covered entity needs in meeting the challenges of ICD-10. The Lott QA Group-HRS alliance incorporates a multifaceted testing approach with native dual coding, clinical documentation reviews, HIM testing, claims testing, end-to-end testing, certification and education services.

“Also unique to our solution is the use of native reviews for both coding and clinical documentation,” mentions Coplan-Gould. Many other testing services use the General Equivalence Mapping (GEMs), which do not provide exact, one-to-one code matching,” she adds. GEMs give hospitals an unclear picture of revenue impact under ICD-10. “Only by native dual coding cases in both ICD-9 and ICD-10 can hospitals get an exact prediction of 2014 case mix changes and revenue impact,” she explains.

According to Donielle Bailey, RHIA, ICD-10 Project Coordinator for Rex Health, “a peer-reviewed, dual coded medical record is the core foundation on which to build ICD-10 testing success. This testing process couples native coding with end-to-end payer claims testing, making Rex Health the most prepared we can possibly be for the upcoming level 1 and level 2 testing for ICD-10.” The new collaborative ICD-10 services include five components.

ü  Native Coding Services in ICD-9 and ICD-10

ü  Clinical Documentation Reviews at Code Level

ü  Shared ICD-10 Test Data Repository

ü  ICD-10 End-to-End Testing and Certification

ü  Coder, Billing and Physician Education

“Hospitals receive four services in one,” mentions Lott. Analysis, reports and recommendations are provided at every step. The coding forensic insights are critical for determining the key test cases. “All ICD-10 stakeholders receive the information they need to know by diagnosis, procedure and specialty about which claims may be flawed, and can then focus their ICD-10 training accordingly,” emphasizes Coplan-Gould.

About The Lott QA Group

The Lott QA Group is a professional healthcare IT quality assurance and consulting firm delivering advanced testing solutions in healthcare, HIPAA EDI and ICD-10 clinical testing life cycles. The Lott Method is the most widely used end-to-end testing process in the country and is currently in use at both the state and national levels. www.lottqagroup.com

About HRS

HRS, a health information management services and consulting company, has served the healthcare industry since 1979. The Baltimore-based business helps hospitals, ambulatory centers and group practices elevate their coding and reimbursement through strategic consulting, ICD-10 implementation, audit services and coding support. To learn more about HRS, please visit www.hrscoding.com or call 800-329-0365.

Media Contact:

Beth Friedman, BSHA, RHIT

President, The Friedman Marketing Group

beth@tfmgcom.com

770.335.8570

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April 22, 2013 I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

Filed Under: EMR
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Post & Schell Appoints Paula Sanders Chair of the Firm’s Health Care Practice Group

Health Law Veteran to Lead National Team of Attorneys Serving Health Care Industry

PHILADELPHIA – April 8, 2013 – Post & Schell, P.C., a leading multi-disciplinary law firm, today announced that Paula Sanders has been appointed chair of the firm’s Health Care Practice Group. Representing a broad range of health care stakeholders across more than 35 states, the team provides representation in litigation, appellate, regulatory compliance, government inquiries and general transactions. As chair, Ms. Sanders is responsible for the strategic development and growth of the practice group and coordinating appropriate counsel for clients.

Post & Schell’s Health Care Practice Group is comprised of nearly 30 attorneys, many of whom have a national reputation for their legal expertise, while serving as stewards for specific industry causes to help shape the direction of health care.

“Health care is an industry in transition, and it is no longer sufficient for advocates to simply ‘know the law.’ It is having that in-depth understanding of our clients’ very unique industry and critical issues which are at the core of successful counsel,” said Brian Peters, president and chief executive officer for Post & Schell, and the former and founding chair of the Health Care Practice Group. “Paula holds those same ideals and has become a recognized thought leader in public policy and practice across health care – not only within legal aspects, but also as a prominent national speaker and author. Her leadership will continue to both energize the group and bring an increased client focus to such an important industry.”

“I am honored to be chosen to direct the Health Care Practice Group and help establish Post & Schell as the law firm of choice for health care,” said Ms. Sanders. “My colleagues and I share an allegiance with our industry and our clients, working in concert with their boards, executives and general counsel when and where it is needed. Our focused group brings unique perspectives from multiple practice areas – from health care law, business law, litigation and employment, to professional liability, antitrust, white collar defense and compliance and risk management.”

Ms. Sanders joined Post & Schell in 2004 and focuses exclusively on health care law. She represents clients on both substantive and procedural aspects of health facility regulation, such as surveys; licensure; Medicare/Medicaid; compliance; RAC, MIC, PERM, CERT and ZPIC audits; accreditation; payment matters; HIPAA; fraud and abuse, False Claims Act investigations and voluntary disclosures. She vigorously advocates for her clients before multiple regulatory and law enforcement agencies and is especially successful at coordinating an integrated response to her clients’ issues.  Ms. Sanders is based in Post & Schell’s Harrisburg, Pa. office.

About Post & Schell’s Health Care Practice Group

Established in 1986, the Health Care Practice Group serves a variety of institutional health care providers nationwide, including academic medical centers, hospitals, health care systems, nursing homes, continuing care retirement communities, dialysis providers, behavioral health and developmental disability providers, hospices, home health agencies, durable medical equipment providers, ambulance companies and pharmacies. In addition, the Group represents individual providers and physician groups, pharmaceutical manufacturers, medical device manufacturers, and national and state trade associations, among others.

The group represents clients on issues related to governmental oversight, reimbursement, licensure, labor and employment, fraud and abuse, medical staff issues and business transactions. In addition, the practice group also provides counsel and representation in audits and investigations as well as privacy and technology matters.

Visit http://bit.ly/11MFneb for more information.

About Post & Schell, P.C.

Post & Schell, established in 1968, provides litigation, corporate, transactional, regulatory, compliance, consulting and educational services locally, regionally and nationally to a broad spectrum of proprietary and not-for-profit industries. Post & Schell concentrates on providing these niche services in sophisticated, complex matters. The firm has more than 150 lawyers in seven offices: Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pa; as well as Princeton, N.J. and Washington, D.C. Post & Schell focuses on a broad spectrum of industries including: health care, pharmaceutical, medical device, manufacturing, transportation, communications, construction, energy, retail, security, social services, professional services, municipal services, insurance, banking and financial services, and hospitality. www.postschell.com

 

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April 9, 2013 I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

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HIMSS Analytics Honors Florida Hospital Carrollwood with Stage 7 Award

CHICAGO (April 03, 2013) – HIMSS Analytics announced that Florida Hospital Carrollwood, an Adventist Health System facility, has received the acute care Stage 7 award. The award represents attainment of the highest level on the Electronic Medical Records Adoption Model? (EMRAM), which is used to track EMR progress at hospitals and health systems.

HIMSS Analytics developed the EMR Adoption Model in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database. There are eight stages (0-7) that measure a hospital’s implementation and utilization of information technology applications. The final stage, Stage 7, represents an advanced patient record environment. The validation process to confirm a hospital has reached Stage 7 includes a site visit by an executive from HIMSS Analytics and former or current chief information officers to ensure an unbiased evaluation of the Stage 7 environments.

The hospital will be recognized at the 2014 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition on Feb. 24-26, 2014, in Orlando, Fla. As of Quarter 1, 2013, Florida Hospital Carrollwood, located in Tampa, Fla., is among the 106 U.S. facilities, or 1.95 percent, of the more than 5,000 U.S. hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics® Database, to be awarded the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Award.

“Florida Hospital Carrollwood is proud to be able to take the lead in patient safety through our use of electronic medical records (EMR) in Hillsborough County,” said Joe Johnson, Florida Hospital Carrollwood CEO. This level of technology integration could not have taken place without the leadership and support of Adventist Health System, which has led the way in the adoption of EMR. With an ongoing commitment from our highly skilled physicians and staff, the use of electronic medical records enables us to continue in our efforts to provide the highest quality and safest care to our patients.”

Florida Hospital Carrollwood has succeeded in implementing an entirely paperless system of medical records. Advantages to this level of technological advancement include the ability to share patient information with other health care providers via a secure standardized summary record and using a vast database of clinical information to improve care, patient safety and outcomes.

“We are excited to see the addition of Florida Hospital Carrollwood to the list of Stage 7 hospitals in the Adventist Health System,” said John Hoyt, Executive Vice President, HIMSS Analytics.

Visit the HIMSS Analytics Web site for more information on the Stage 7 award.

About Florida Hospital Carrollwood                                                                                  

 Florida Hospital Carrollwood is a member of Adventist Health System. Florida Hospital Carrollwood is a 120-bed community hospital specializing in General Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Knees and Joints, Spine Surgery, Wound Care, ENT, Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery, Occupational Health, as well as other services that meet our mission of healing the mind, body and spirit. The Radiation Department provides the only nuclear camera with low dose in the state of Florida and utilizes the first KineGraph VMA™ available in the world for Spine. It’s Knee and Bariatric Weight Loss Surgeons are known for their revision work, correcting procedures done elsewhere. Florida Hospital Carrollwood is the only hospital in the Tampa Bay area to provide spine surgery using the only minimally invasive spine robot available. In addition, its spine surgeons, part of Florida Orthopaedic Institute, perform unique, specialized procedures not available elsewhere in the world. The Hospital collaborates with its physicians and clinicians to provide wellness education for a healthier community. Visit www.elevatinghealthcare.org.

About HIMSS Analytics

HIMSS Analytics is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. The company collects and analyzes healthcare data related to IT processes and environments, products, IS department composition and costs, IS department management metrics, healthcare trends and purchase-related decisions. HIMSS Analytics delivers high quality data and analytical expertise to healthcare delivery organizations, healthcare IT companies, state governments, financial companies, pharmaceutical companies, and consulting firms.  Visit www.himssanalytics.org/ for more information

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I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 9.3 million times. John also recently launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit.

Filed Under: EMR
Tags:                                            


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