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 of the month. You can also read previous month’s Top Ten Lists. Thank you for contributing and reading.
Phase 2 HIPAA Audits – The OCR Emails Have Begun
By Jonathan Krasner, Director of Business Development, HIPAA Secure Now!
Twitter: @HIPAASecureNow
Back in March, we reported that OCR had announced its Phase 2 Audit Program. OCR stated that they would compile a database of both Covered Entities and Business Associates to form the basis of the pool of organizations potentially targeted for audit. They have followed up on their intentions and in the last week organizations have started to receive contact emails from OCR. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
Why Apple HealthKit in iOS 10 Makes View/Download/Transmit Real
By John Halamka, MD
Twitter: @jhalamka
Meaningful Use Stage 2 has a requirement that I’ve always considered to be the “cart before the horse” – patients must be able to View/Download/Transmit their data. Viewing is great – we’ve done that at BIDMC since 1999 for all patients and all data. Download makes little sense since at the moment there is nothing a patient can do with a download. Of the 2 million patients at BIDMC, not one has ever requested a download. Transmit makes even less sense since there is no place to transmit the data to. Continue reading on HIEAnswers.net…
Patient Portals: For Patient and Provider Satisfaction, Move Beyond MU Rules
By D’Arcy Guerin Gue, VP of Industry Relations, Phoenix Health Systems – a division of Medsphere Systems
Twitter: @DarcyGue
Let’s face it, for providers, the Meaningful Use (MU) stage 2 requirements related to patient portals are not exactly onerous. With minor variations, providers are required to make health information available to half their patients within four days of a visit, and either one patient (2015 – 2016 reporting period) or more than five percent of patients (2017 reporting) need to view, download or transmit that information to a third party. Continue reading on HIEAnswers.net…
4 Tips on How to Involve Your Subject Matter Experts in Your EHR Implementation
By Susam Vang, Hayes Management Consulting
Twitter: @HayesManagement
If implementing an electronic health record (EHR) is not already challenging for most healthcare organizations, an EHR system design and implementation’s success or failure is greatly dependent on its stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs). A SME is an expert in a particular area or topic. They are the primary intended users – people who will be making decisions on the basis of the workflow analysis, system design, and are a key group of stakeholders. SMEs are important to not only assisting in the system’s development and implementation but also in maintaining the long-term use and effectiveness of the system within an organization. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
Rethinking Hospital IT Operating Models and Delivery Capabilities
By Amelia Barros, Alison Lerner and Jennifer Zheng, PA Consulting Group
Twitter: PA_Consulting
Recent regulatory shifts in the healthcare industry will jeopardize healthcare providers that do not substantially reduce costs. In response to these mounting pressures, many hospitals are turning to technology as a solution, however, this presents challenges given the unique nature of the health IT environment, such as heavily growing demand on infrastructure, interoperability and security. Taking these obstacles into consideration, many hospital CIOs are questioning how to meet increasing demands while balancing budgetary pressures. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
Reminder of Brave New Business Associate World
By Matt Fisher, Attorney and chair of the Health Law Group at Mirick, O’Connell, DeMallie & Lougee, LLP.
Twitter: @matt_r_fisher
Recent regulatory shifts in the healthcare industry will jeopardize healthcare providers that do not substantially reduce costs. In response to these mounting pressures, many hospitals are turning to technology as a solution, however, this presents challenges given the unique nature of the health IT environment, such as heavily growing demand on infrastructure, interoperability and security. Taking these obstacles into consideration, many hospital CIOs are questioning how to meet increasing demands while balancing budgetary pressures. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
Thriving During the Zombie Apocalypse (a.k.a. MIPS)
By Susan Clark, Health IT Solutions Manager, eHealthcare Consulting, Inc.
Twitter: @ehealthcareorg
Earlier this year the headlines read that Meaningful Use was dead. The collective sigh of relief was short-lived as it became apparent, as some of us already knew, that Meaningful Use wasn’t going away. It was simply changing its form to something called Advancing Care Information within the MIPS (Merit-Based Incentive Payment System) rule. What other creature appears to die yet goes on to live, eating the brains of its victims? That’s right, ZOMBIES. Without the support of survivalist, like my favorite from the Walking Dead, Daryl, how do we fight these things?? While we let CMS digest the nearly 4,000 comments on the proposed rule, there are some things we can do before they unleash the zombies. Continue reading on RCMAnswers.net…
8 Things About Healthcare Analytics That May Surprise You, Part 1 of 2
By Lisa English, Hayes Management Consulting
Twitter: @HayesManagement
Twitter: @lisasoutrunning
Yes, the terms “big data” and “analytics” are buzzwords, but they clearly highlight a shift toward data-driven decision-making with a real measurable impact on outcomes in many different industries. Savvy digital marketers now mine your digital breadcrumb trail to offer you more of what you like and attempt to discern what you need before you are aware of it yourself. This not only drives sales, but also actually helps consumers – if they aren’t “creeped out” by the “Big Brother is watching” when you post on social media then immediately see ads pick up on a word from your post. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
ONC Explains Who Isn’t Covered by HIPAA
By William A. Hyman
Professor Emeritus, Biomedical Engineering
Texas A&M University, w-hyman@tamu.edu
Discussions of HIPAA and HIPAA violations are common in these pages, and are of course important for those subject to the requirements and wrath of HIPAA. I have also heard that “What about HIPAA?” is a question that can kill an app developer’s bid for funding. In this context it is perhaps refreshing to read what ONC has to say about what types of health data, and those who collect it, are not subject to HIPAA. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
New Directions for Medicare Physician Payment
By Jordan Kiszla and Rachel Nuzum, The Commonwealth Fund
Twitter: @CommonwealthFnd
In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed rule to implement the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, or MACRA. Congress passed this bipartisan legislation last year to replace the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR)—which tied the growth of Medicare physician payments to growth in the economy—with an approach that rewards high-performing providers and supports alternative payment models. Continue reading on RCMAnswers.net…
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