By John Halamka MD – Just as I summarized the CMS Meaningful Use Final Rule last week, this week I’ll summarize the 560 pages of the ONC 2015 Certification Final Rule. Key points to understanding the rule include:
Read More
By Art Gross – The practice of medicine is a risky business. There is always the risk that a certain treatment will fail to help a patient. There is a risk of being accused of malpractice. There is a risk of being accused of incorrectly billing a patient, insurance company or government agency.
By Gajen Sunthara – For the past year, I have been honored to serve my country as a Presidential Innovation Fellow (PIF) with the ONC. As my PIF journey comes to an end, I wanted to provide a brief recap of my work and its potential for the future.
By Matt Fisher – National Health IT Week was a busy time with regard to government announcements. First, the final rule for Meaningful Use Stage 3 and Modifications was released and second, on the same day, the OIG released a reminder about information blocking concerns.
By Nina L. Hunter PhD & Robert M. Califf MD – We recently announced the first FDA Patient Engagement Advisory Committee (PEAC), supported by the Center of Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). The Committee will provide advice to the FDA Commissioner on complex issues relating to medical devices, the regulation of devices, and their use by patients.
By Ashish Jha – In July the investigative journalists at ProPublica released an analysis of 17,000 surgeons and their complication rates. Known as the “Surgeon Scorecard,” it set off a firestorm. In the months following, the primary objections to the scorecard have become clearer and were best distilled in a terrific piece by Lisa Rosenbaum.
By Keith Boone – Definitions of interoperability surround us, but all the attention in the world to definitions make very little difference in the end. I have a theory that people will believe two systems are interoperable when they can observe that the systems work together in simple ways with little to no effort, and in complex ways with some effort.
By Art Gross – The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has issued a report that is critical of the Office for Civil Rights. OIG concluded that OCR is not fulfilling its responsibility to enforce HIPAA regulations that safeguard protected health information (PHI) and to ensure that organizations protect patient’s privacy.
By Nancy Pratt – We are currently at a crossroads in the healthcare industry. Executives are working overtime to try to figure out how to connect and integrate data to best support clinical practice and patient care management. With health systems concerned about balancing both needs, they now need to figure out how to leverage data to get the best value out of their investment.