Diving into Health IT Policy, Medicare Advantage, and AI in Healthcare

By Dr. Jay Anders, Chief Medical Officer, Medicomp Systems
LinkedIn: Jay Anders MD
LinkedIn: Medicomp Systems, Inc.
Host of Tell Me Where IT Hurts – #TellMeWhereITHurts

On this episode I welcome Leigh Burchell, vice president of policy and public affairs at Altera Digital Health and current chair of the Electronic Health Record Association (EHRA).

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Meet the Guest

Leigh C. Burchell, VP Policy & Public Affairs, Altera Digital Health
LinkedIn: Leigh C. Burchell
LinkedIn: Altera Digital Health

Burchell took an unusual path to health IT. Graduating with a major in constitutional history, she worked in healthcare marketing early in her career, but her passion for government and policy soon led her to involvement in policymaking during the Meaningful Use era of electronic medical records.

Since then, Burchell has been at the center of healthcare IT policy, including membership in the EHRA and active in HIMSS, the eHealth Initiative, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. She was also a winner of the HIMSS Most Influential Women in Healthcare Award.

We start our conversation discussing what is likely to change under the new administration and the probable emphasis on Medicare Advantage as a cost-control program. They also reflect on whether there will be a shift away from quality measures and toward true outcomes measurement.

We also discuss the often unrealistic timeframes attached to new federal regulations on healthcare transparency and interoperability. Burchell explains why she believes there needs to be more clarity for providers around the value of many of the new requirements.

And on the topic of regulation, we discuss the proliferation of new state laws impacting health IT, AI, and interoperability and the pressing need for federal frameworks to guide policies.

Among the topics covered…

  • The future of Medicare Advantage
  • Quality measures vs measuring outcomes
  • Value-based care
  • AI and prior authorization
  • AI and fraud detection in Medicare and Medicaid
  • Federal vs state regulation of healthcare
  • Health policy goals of the new administration
  • USCDI (United States Core Data for Interoperability) requirements
  • The role of TEFCA (Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement) in interoperability
  • Unrealistic timeframes in federal health IT regulations
  • Collaboration and competition in EHRA
  • Provider noncompliance with the 21st Century Cares Act

Original source of content from Medicomp System’s blog and published here with permission.

About the Show

Join host Dr. Jay Anders as he sits down with experts from across healthcare and technology to discuss ways to improve EHR usability for end users. Dr. Anders and his guests explore opportunities to enhance clinical systems to make them work better for clinicians, reduce burnout, maximize revenue potential, and drive better patient care outcomes.

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