The June 2015 HIT Standards Committee
By John Halamka MD – The June 2015 HIT Standards Committee focused on celebrating the accomplishments of those individuals who have reached their federal advisory committee term limits.
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Re-Affirming the National Library of Medicine
By William Hersh – NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins accepted a report from his Advisory Committee that set forth a strategic vision that affirmed the NLM as a strategic leader in data science, biomedical informatics, and as a library resource.
Safe Harbor: Unnecessary with Dangerous Consequences
Multiple bills have been introduced in Congress that create a “safe harbor” for physicians by prohibiting claims from being denied “due solely to the use of an unspecified or inaccurate [ICD-10] subcode” (H.R.2247) or “for errors, mistakes or malfunctions” relating to submissions of ICD-10 codes (H.R. 2652).
Shifting Our Thinking to Prepare for the Future
By Matt Patterson MD – While health systems are facing the need to provide better outcomes at a lower cost, there is only so much that can be achieved through consolidation, incentives, and standardization. Most recognize that in order to continue moving the needle on cost, hospitals and health systems will require fundamental redesign in the way care is provided.
Audits Are Only One Way of Coming Under the HIPAA Microscope
By Art Gross – Now that the 2015 HIPAA Audits have begun, organizations are reevaluating their HIPAA compliance posture. This is a good thing being that an organization will have very little time to respond to pre-audit and audit inquiries from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR).
The FHIM Receives “Two Thumbs Up” from The Open Group
In a recently released report, the Federal Health Architecture’s (FHA) Federal Health Information Model (FHIM) was reviewed by The Open Group Healthcare Forum, a forum of The Open Group – a global consortium of more than 450 organizations focused on achieving business objectives through IT standards.
Health and Electronic Security
By Matt Fisher – The rapid adoption of electronic health records (“EHR”) and other new technology in healthcare has resulted in the introduction of serious security threats. Numerous stories and reports have made it clear that hackers, criminals and others view the healthcare industry as a ripe target due to security vulnerabilities. This issue is exacerbated by the high value placed upon medical records in the black market.
Standards Alone are not the Answer for Interoperability
By David McCallie – I have been honored to have served on the HIT Standards Committee from its beginning in 2009. As I reach my term limits, I have reflected on what we have all learned over the past six years of helping to define the standards for the certified EHR technology that lies behind the Meaningful Use program.
More on Usability
By William Hyman – The recent ONC webinar on “EHR Usability & Health IT Safety” provided three interesting presentations on the design of EHRs and the influence of design on effective use.