One of the ways that HealthIT Answers is different from other media sites is the sense of community. The thought leaders in our community are good about sharing their thoughts on the issues of today. We publish at least eight guest posts a week now, so in case you missed some, here are the top ten read and shared guest posts in the month of December. You can also read previous month’s Top Ten Lists. Thank you for contributing and reading.
Most Played Radio Episode in December
Join Day Health Strategies (@DayHealthStrat) as they discuss how to improve access, quality, equity and cost within the U.S. healthcare system with thought leaders in academia, research, and healthcare delivery. On this episode of Unlocking Accountable Care: Insurers and providers often see each other as adversaries, but ACO arrangements offer a unique opportunity to align interests and bring them onto the same team. Sarah sits down with Mike Nickey of Fallon Health to discuss how insurers and providers are being more collaborative than ever to implement value-based care.
Most Read Thought Leader Posts in December
Conducting a Risk Analysis – What You Need to Know
By Art Gross, President and CEO, HIPAA Secure Now!
Twitter: @HIPAASecureNow
You’ve likely heard of a risk analysis. Hopefully, you’ve also performed one for your organization. Whether you’ve been helping your organization work on its HIPAA compliance for years, or you’re new to the world of HIPAA, performing a risk analysis should be a high-priority item on your business’s to-do list. Continue reading…
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…
Advancing Interoperable Social Determinants of Health Data
By Alicia Morton, DNP, RN-BC, Al Taylor, MD, Sam Meklir, MPA and Wes Barker, MS, ONC
Twitter: @ONC_HealthIT
The ability to capture, use, and exchange many aspects of electronic health information has greatly advanced with the increased adoption of health information technology (health IT). Yet the use of data reflecting social determinants of health (SDOH) – the conditions in which people live, learn, work, and play – remains much more limited across healthcare. Continue reading…
20 Years After ‘To Err is Human,’ NLP Offers a New Way Forward for Patient Safety
By Elizabeth Marshall, MD, MBA, Linguamatics, an IQVIA company
Twitter: @Linguamatics
With late 2019 marking the 20th anniversary of the landmark report on medical errors “To Err is Human,” now is time for a renewed focus on novel ways to improve patient safety. The report launched the modern patient safety movement by shedding some much-needed light on the prevalence of medical errors and preventable deaths in the U.S., spawning many improvements to patient safety over the subsequent two decades. Continue reading…
The Growing Threat of Ransomware
By Clyde Hewitt, Executive Advisor, CynergisTek
Twitter: @cynergistek
Breaking news – ransomware is significantly disrupting healthcare organizations. This headline should appear flippant to senior leaders, especially when we are receiving weekly reports of yet another healthcare organization falling victim. Unfortunately, we still witness too many of our peers standing like a deer in the headlights waiting their turn to be the next target. Continue reading…
Day 4: “Four Calling Birds” Highlight Four Use Cases for Future HIE Success
By Buff Colchagoff, CEO, RosettaHealth
Twitter: @rosettahealth
Twitter: @BuffColchagoff
Did you know that there has been a long-term debate about whether or not it’s “four calling birds” or “four colly birds” in the classic Twelve Days of Christmas? I only recently discovered this in doing research for my annual “12 Days of Christmas” column for our friends at Answers Media Network. Continue reading…
How EHR Priorities Have Shifted — and Why It Matters to Physicians
By Roland Therriault, President, InSync Healthcare Solutions
Twitter: @inSynchcs
What do physicians want in an EHR? If you asked doctors ten years ago, they would likely have listed many different features, applications or factors that shaped their technology purchases. In 2010, CMS’ EHR Incentive program drove physicians to purchase technology that would help them demonstrate Stage 1 of “meaningful use.” Continue reading…
Q & A: Digital Transformation in Healthcare with CEO Gus Malezis
By Gus Malezis, CEO, Imprivata
Imprivata Twitter: @Imprivata
Gus Twitter: @malezisg
Digital transformation and the shift to value-based care are fundamentally reshaping healthcare. Today’s care delivery ecosystem is no longer confined to the four walls of the hospital. The proliferation of cloud-based applications, databases, and mobile devices, as well as an increasingly decentralized workforce, have eroded the once well-defined network perimeter – and all of this benefits the patients and improves and accelerates the delivery of healthcare. Continue reading…
The AMA Says Improving the Usability of HealthIT Should Be a National Imperative
By Bennett Lauber, Chief Experience Officer, The Usability People
Twitter: @UsabilityPeople
In November, 2019 the AMA calls EHR fixes a ‘national imperative’ after doctors give ‘F’ for usability. The capacity of the human brain to process information has remained not changed—even as the number of types of users for software-based Internet connected devices has increased at an exponential rate. The field of psychology, especially cognitive psychology has, among other things, focused on understanding the processes by which we store information, make decisions, and communicate with others. Continue reading…
Does HIPAA Matter for Health and Life Insurance?
By Kayla Matthews, HealthIT writer and technology enthusiast, Tech Blog
Twitter: @ProductiBytes
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is legislation that defines the privacy and security standards surrounding health information. There’s also a component of HIPAA called the privacy rule. It gives people rights regarding which parties can view or receive their health-related content. Continue reading…