Health Information Exchange (HIE) is happening every minute of every day. Your personal health information is moving and being viewed to improve the quality of your healthcare and lower the costs. The job will not be complete until all health records are digital and interoperable. Here’s what’s happening to make that reality.
CMS Blue Button 2.0 Now Available as Part of MyHealthEData
CMS (@CMSGov) launched the new CMS Blue Button 2.0 at the 2018 HIMSS Annual Conference. Medicare’s Blue Button 2.0 is part of the new MyHealthEData initiative which empowers patients by giving them control of their healthcare information.
CMS Blue Button 2.0 is a FHIR-based API that enables Medicare beneficiaries to connect their Medicare claims data to the applications, services, and research programs they trust. More than 150 organizations have signed up for the API Developer Preview, a program in which software developers can build integrations to access four years of Medicare Part A, B, and D data for 53 million Medicare beneficiaries. Learn more about the CMS Blue Button 2.0.
Green Electronics Council & PCHAlliance to Host GEC Catalyst Awards at Connected Health Conference
The Green Electronics Council (GEC) (@GEC_org) and Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance) (@PCHAlliance), a HIMSS organization, are partnering to feature the GEC Catalyst Awards at the 2018 Connected Health Conference. The theme for this year’s GEC Catalyst Awards, “Advancing Human Wellness Through IT,” aligns with the Connected Health Conference theme, “Balancing Technology and the Human Element.”
AMA and Google Launch Health Care Interoperability and Innovation Challenge
The American Medical Association (AMA) (@AmerMedicalAssn) announced the AMA Health Care Interoperability and Innovation Challenge sponsored by Google to inspire novel examples of mobile health technology – such as wearable devices and applications – that effectively monitor and share medical data between patients and physicians to improve the management of chronic diseases.
DrFirst Launches Industry-first Community-wide Care Collaboration Networks in New York State
DrFirst (@DrFirst), the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing and medication management solutions, has launched a new service, “Connected Care Communities,” that helps provider organizations establish secure, real-time care collaboration networks that can include any or all healthcare providers in a given community, as well as patients.
New Clinical Data Repository on the Way for Health Information Exchanges
In its latest offering for the health information exchange technology stack, 4medica (@4medica) is launching a new clinical data repository (CDR) in early summer. Designed and developed for HIEs and other organizations with a stake in making patient data accessible across technology and geographic boundaries—and that want to extend into actual data storage–the 4medica CDR will also match patient records and eliminate duplicate records with powerful accuracy and speed. This is an industry imperative for HIEs that aim to be their healthcare community’s proven “source of truth.”
HIMSS18: Interoperability Showcase and CommonWell TV member videos now available!
Two weeks ago, CommonWell (@CommonWell) closed on its sixth HIMSS, celebrating 5 years since announcing their formation at HIMSS13. Throughout the conference, seven of their CommonWell members participated in the Nationwide Care Transitions use case in the HIMSS Interoperability Showcase. During the live demonstrations, the participants featured CommonWell services built into their software and showed how patient data is shared across health IT systems, provider sites and geographies. In case you missed it, you can view a video of the Interop Showcase demonstration on the CommonWell YouTube station.
Hear David Harlow at HIMSS talking to Gerard Scheitlin, Chief Risk Officer, VP Security, Risk & Assurance, Orion Health discussing interoperability and the ONC TEFCA.
News from the ONC
Now Available: 2018 Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA) Reference Edition – The Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA), an interactive catalog of standards and implementation specifications supporting interoperability in healthcare, has been updated following the public review and comment period that ended on November 20, 2017. The 2018 ISA Reference Edition incorporates many of the comments received, and is intended to provide a “snapshot in time” view of the ISA for the new year. Additional changes and functionality improvements are planned for 2018, so be sure to visit the ISA throughout the year.
Spotlighting Interoperability Proving Ground Programs
The Interoperability Proving Ground (IPG) Spotlight project of the week is: EMS Connectivity. Through their platform, Kno2 seeks to drive interoperability between the hospital and EMS agencies throughout the patient’s transport and hospital stay – impacting the quality of care, patient safety and outcomes reporting.
Share your interoperability project by submitting a new project at the IPG or update the status of a project that had been posted within the last 90 days. Once a project is submitted or updated, it will be added to the queue to be randomly selected as a featured project. Learn more about the IPG Spotlight.
News from the Sequoia Project
The Sequoia Project (@SequoiaProject) was chartered to advance the implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The ONC transitioned management of its eHealth Exchange to The Sequoia Project for maintenance. Since 2012, the Exchange has grown to become the largest health information exchange network in the country.
News from the CommonWell
CommonWell Health Alliance (@CommonWell) is devoted to the simple vision that health data should be available to individuals and providers regardless of where care occurs. Additionally, provider access to this data must be built-in health IT at a reasonable cost for use by a broad range of health care providers and the people they serve.
Blog series on FHIR
- Ready, Aim, FHIR! How CommonWell is using FHIR
- We Didn’t Start the FHIR…
- CommonWell FHIR-ing out API requests to MEDITECH
News from the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative
SHIEC (@SHIEClive) is the National Trade Association for Health Information Exchange Organizations. It is routine for important data about patients’ ongoing care to reside in multiple unconnected organizations. SHIEC member HIEs use information technology and trusted relationships in their service areas to enable secure, authorized exchange of patient information among disparate providers. By providing enhanced access to all available and relevant patient data SHIEC HIE members aim to improve the quality, coordination, and cost-effectiveness of health care provided in their communities. Read their news feed.
- SHIEC Health IT Partner Program Grew Significantly in 2017
- SHIEC’s Strategic Business & Technology Partner Grows 640% in One Year
- SA groups launch pilot project linking social factors with patient records
ONC Interoperability Pledge
Companies that provide 90 percent of electronic health records used by hospitals nationwide as well as the top five largest health care systems in the country have agreed to implement three core commitments: Consumer Access, No Blocking/Ensuring Transparency, and Standards. The ONC (@ONC_HealthIT) wants vendors to sign a pledge. Is your vendor pledging? Find out who is on the list.
eHealth Initiative Resource Center
Interoperability Files – Check out the new white paper resource in the eHealth Initiative’s (@eHealthDC) Resource Center: Pulse on the Industry: American Hospital Association Annual Survey IT Supplement Brief #2.