It is day ten of our 12 Days of Christmas Posts and as is our custom every month, we have compiled our Top 10 most read posts that deserve a second read. This list takes those lists just one step further. Here are the most read and shared posts of the year. Plus a special shout-out to our dependable contributors who have written about some very interesting topics and have us leaping for joy! Thank you to all these authors that have shared their thoughts with us and our readers.
10 – Q&A How Do You Handle Negative Online Reviews from Patients?
By Gavin Baker, President, Baker Labs
Twitter: @BakerLabs
Nearly 70% of patients who read healthcare reviews are influenced in the selection of their next physician, hospital or medical practice, according to PwC Health Research and almost 3 out of 4 of adults search online for a doctor. PwC’s Internet & American Life Project revealed that 72% of internet users say they purposely searched online for health-related information or for a doctor or health professional near them who could best treat their symptoms. Continue reading…
9 – The Problem With Machine Bias
By Dr. Nick van Terheyden aka Dr. Nick
Twitter: @drnic1
On this episode I am talking to Brian Powers, MD, resident physician at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. As you will hear he has already achieved a great deal as an emerging voice in American Medicine but we focused on the recently published paper “Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations” where he is a co-author, that studied predictive algorithm’s that are widely used for population health management but exhibit racial bias. Continue reading…
8 – MIPS: Final Scores Released
By Jim Tate, EMR Advocate, MACRA/MIPS Subject Matter Expert
Twitter: @jimtate
After numerous delays the MIPS final scores for the 2017 reporting year have been released. These scores are based on a foundation on four individual categories: Cost, Quality, Improvement Activities, and Promoting Interoperability. For Eligible Clinicians (EC) the score will be generated on an annual basis with a scale of 0 – 100. The score will affect Medicare Part B reimbursement and, since the scores are being made public, professional reputation. Continue reading…
7 – Closed Loop Reference Keeps PCPs and Specialists on the Same Page
By Sita Kapoor, Data Scientist & Chief Information Officer, HealthEC
Twitter: @HealthEC_LLC
As a patient, have you ever felt a bit confused about next steps after your primary care provider refers you to a specialist? Well, despite the advanced communications we all enjoy in the digital age, it just so happens that your PCP may feel the same way. Sometimes a referral might play out something like this: Continue reading…
6 – Ransomware Attack on CT Optometry Office Raises Tax Fraud Concerns
By Art Gross, President and CEO, HIPAA Secure Now!
Twitter: @HIPAASecureNow
Cybercriminals target businesses of all industries and sizes, however, it seems as though their sights are set more on small and medium-sized businesses than large corporations. While there are many factors that may influence the shift of attention to small businesses, one explanation stands out, and really is quite simple. Cybercriminals target small businesses, in large part, because they don’t expect to be targeted. Continue reading…
5 – What’s Next for Healthcare?
By John Halamka, MD
Twitter: @jhalamka
Recently I had the honor of keynoting at a major announcement from Apple, Aetna and CVS/Caremark. I’d summarize the message as “Digital Health has arrived and is now mainstream, fully embraced by the major stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem.” Here’s the upshot. The history of healthcare and payment has been risk pool based and focused on paying for sickness. Continue reading…
4 – HIPAA Complaints, OCR Investigations, and Security Risk Analysis for Healthcare Delivery Organizations – A Common Thread
By Rich Curtiss, Principal, Healthcare Risk Assurance Services, Coalfire
Twitter: @CoalfireSys
Many HIPAA covered entities (CEs) and business associates (BAs) may not be meeting the regulatory mandate as defined in §164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A) of the HIPAA Security Rule. This implementation specification requires that healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) “Conduct an accurate and thorough assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information held by the covered entity or business associate.” Continue reading…
3 – Summary of New ONC and CMS Notices of Proposed Rulemaking for Health IT
By William Hersh, MD, Professor and Chair, OHSU, Blog: Informatics Professor
Twitter: @williamhersh
During the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) each dropped a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) concerning functionality, interoperability, certification, and others aspects of electronic health record (EHR) use. Continue reading…
2 – The Single Most Important Technology for Healthcare in 2019 – and its NOT Blockchain
By Edward Yang, Chief Operating Officer, NextGate
Twitter: @NextGate
As the new year ushers in, many health IT leaders are finding themselves at a critical juncture to make 2019 a transformative time for their organizations. In response to massive consolidation, healthcare reform and competitive pressures, hospitals and health systems are undergoing dramatic change. To support their organizations, CIOs and other IT decision-makers must invest in technologies that can drive efficiencies, foster innovation and maximize impact for patients. Continue reading…
1 – Overlays: Eradicating One of Healthcare’s Greatest Patient Safety Issues – Part One of Two
By Beth Haenke Just, MBA, RHIA, FAHIMA, Founder, CEO & Karen Proffitt, MHIIM, RHIA, CHP, Vice President of Industry Relations/CPO, Just Associates, Inc.
Twitter: @PatientMatching
Twitter: @kproffitt2
An overlay is one of healthcare’s most dangerous misidentification problems, in part because its infiltration into the medical record system can be so subtle that it often goes unnoticed until it’s unleashed in the form of an adverse event, HIPAA violation, or billing error. The co-mingling of two patients’ information within one medical record (overlay) and the dangers it presents have intensified with the proliferation of electronic health record (EHR) systems capable of rapidly infecting multiple internal and external systems with erroneous data. Over-reliance on technology centric solutions to resolve possible duplicates has compounded the problem. Continue reading…
And as a bonus, Part Two of Overlays: Eradicating One of Healthcare’s Greatest Patient Safety Issues – Part Two of Two also made the Top 10! So read on!
Note from the Editor: It is with sad hearts that we pass along this news regarding our guest author, Beth Just, Just Associates Announces the Passing of our CEO and Founder, Beth Just. Our sympathies go out to her family and all of her colleagues at Just Associates. – Roberta Mullin