One of the ways that HITECH 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 eleven guest posts a week now, on our three sites. In case you missed some, here are the top ten read and shared guest posts in the month of February. You can also read previous month’s Top Ten Lists. Thank you for contributing and reading.
Ransomware Wreaks Havoc in 2017
By Art Gross, President and CEO, HIPAA Secure Now!
Twitter: @HIPAASecureNow
Ransomware dominated the healthcare industry in 2017, with six of the top ten breaches reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services a direct result of the malicious software. An article on Security Current looks at some ransomware attacks from 2017 as well as steps you can take to help avoid becoming a victim. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
Modifications to MIPS by the “Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018”
By Tom S. Lee, PhD, Founder & CEO, SA Ignite
Twitter: @saignite
The Further Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR1892) (officially renamed the “Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018”) enacted by the United States Congress and President Trump on February 9, 2018 extends the transition years for MIPS to include 2019, 2020 and 2021. This goes beyond the 2017 and 2018 transition years CMS allocated per the original MACRA legislation. There are also some changes included in the Act that apply to the 2018 MIPS performance year. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
5 Factors To Be Considered For Successful EHR Implementation
By Ray Parker, Internet Marketer and Writer, IQVIS
Twitter: @TeamIQVIS
It has been observed that USA is encouraging the adoption of EHR system on a huge scale. Despite the adoption at larger scale, it seems like healthcare industry is not utilizing EHR system to its fullest. As a consequence, there is the big requirement to enhance EHR implementation across healthcare services. As per American Medical Association (AMA), physicians allocated 49.2% of their working daytime on deskwork and EHR. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
How Much Should Record Access Cost?: Debating HIPAA Access Rule for Entities
By Matt Fisher, Attorney and chair of the Health Law Group at Mirick, O’Connell, DeMallie & Lougee, LLP.
Twitter: @matt_r_fisher
How much should access to a medical record cost? It is a thorny and complicated question since access comes in many forms. For instance, is an individual requesting a copy of their record for personal use, or to send to another provider for continuity of care purposes, or are the records going to an attorney for potential litigation? Each of those scenarios often results in a different charge being imposed for a copy of the medical record. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
Adapting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to Nursing Communication
By Rhonda Collins, Chief Nursing Officer, Vocera
Twitter: @VoceraComm
Nurses deal with many stressful demands and constant interruptions in their work environments. A feeling of chaos breeds fatigue, and together, chaos and fatigue are part of a bigger picture that can wear down a nurse’s capacity for compassion and joy at work. The experience of a busy day with multiple urgent tasks and ongoing requests can be exhausting. The simple act of making an important call to a colleague, but not having the phone number, can even complicate a nurse’s work to the point of frustration. Continue reading on HealthDataAnswers.net…
The Management of Healthcare Data in 2018: A Look Ahead
By Stephen Matheson, VP, Product & NA Sales, BridgeHead Software
Twitter: @BridgeHeadHDM
From WannaCry to the Equifax breach, cyberattacks dominated headlines in 2017. As cybercriminals look for new ways to breach data networks, hospital IT departments will continue to be the last line of defense in the ongoing cyberwar for highly-valued patient data. Other tactical priorities faced by hospital CIOs and CMIOs include the need to increase staff productivity, and the mandate to shift a hospital’s “cost-footprint” with a “revenue-generating footprint”. But it’s not all doom-and-gloom ahead for 2018. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
Patient Engagement Technology Supports Population Health Efforts
By Allison Hart, VP of Marketing for TeleVox Solutions at West
Twitter: @TVoxSolutions
Twitter: @AlliMHart
Population health management is a healthcare concept that has gained a lot of attention in recent years. It is viewed as a solution for improving care quality, clinical outcomes, efficiency and even financial outcomes. However, many healthcare providers struggle to understand how they can implement population health strategies within their own practice. Adopting a population health management program requires efforts like analyzing clinical data, stratifying patients by risk and disease, developing personalized outreach campaigns for subpopulations of patients, regularly communicating with patients, monitoring patients between visits and taking steps to proactively help patients avoid adverse health issues. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
Outsourcing Coding Boosts Efficiency, Bottom Line
By Michael DiMarco, Chief Executive Officer, himagine solutions
Twitter: @himagineInc
Healthcare organizations of all sizes have long outsourced various functions within their revenue cycle to specialists capable of boosting efficiencies across their operation. Historically, functions that require scale and technology to make them more efficient and effective have been the domain of outsource vendors (e.g., medical advocacy, transcription, and bad-debt collections). However, other areas of the revenue cycle, specifically coding, have a much lower adoption rate. Continue reading on RCMAnswers.net…
Biometrics for Positive Patient Identification: 3 Things to Know
By Dan Cidon, Chief Technology Officer, NextGate
Twitter: @NextGate
As the need for accurate patient ID matching and improved data interoperability in healthcare continues, utilization of biometrics is an emerging trend that is giving organizations more flexibility, accuracy, and confidence when locating, aggregating, and sharing patient records. Researchers project that the global healthcare biometrics market is expected to reach 5.6 billion by 2022, up from 1.34 billion in 2015. Currently, the U.S. and Canada comprise 70 percent of the biometrics market. Continue reading on HealthDataAnswers.net…
A Tale of Two Tech Titans Hoping to Help Healthcare
By David Harlow, JD MPH, Principal, The Harlow Group LLC
Twitter: @healthblawg
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. We are awash in data. But we can’t access data when and where we need it. We are awash in dollars. But untold billions are lost to waste, fraud and abuse. Apple recently announced its foray into the personal health record market. Its initial offering is limited to a handful of health care systems, and the data collected and placed in the palms of our hands is PHR data, not full EHR data, as some outlets had reported, but the rollout has certainly engaged the commentariat in a deep dive into the pros and cons of Apple’s latest move in the healthcare sphere. Continue reading on RCMAnswers.net…
Most Played Radio Episode in February
Host Justin Barnes’, aka @HITAdvisor, guest is entrepreneur Anthony McCarley, CEO of McCarley International (@McCarleyIntl) discussing his unique techniques as a business coach and motivational speaker that originate from his experience of being one of 8 people globally to conquer the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (The English Channel crossing, circumnavigating Manhattan, and crossing the Catalina Channel in California in less than one year).
Read All Our Industry Expert Posts
- On HITECH Answers
- On HIE Answers
- On RCM Answers