In The Know - MEDSEEK News and Expert Opinion on the eHealth Industry

Consumer Reports for Hospitals

When you are looking for reviews on cars, electronics, appliances or other consumer products, what is a source of truth? Consumer Reports, of course. But is this where you would go to check out a hospital? Now you can.

This is a huge shift for the organization. Why would a trusted publication spend the time, effort and finances to launch a new offering? Because the consumer demands it. 

What will they publish? Patient satisfaction ratings, review of hospitals, inside information.

ePatients are here and they want access to health information. They come armed with only a browser and a keyboard. What will they find when they visit your website? What will they say about their experience in hospital?

To find out more, visit www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.

What happens when the government asks for your expert opinion?

This week we have a special guest, Gale Wilson-Steele, MEDSEEK’s founder. Gale has and continues to be active in improving the delivery of healthcare information to all Americans. We are very proud of her accomplishments and honored to have her voice heard at the AHRQ.

So Gale what was it like?

“Have you ever wondered how the government comes up with the proposals and policies that drive our nation’s laws, spending and practices?  It does not happen in a vacuum behind the beltway, as I learned at the Building Bridges Workshop that I attended last week at the invitation of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(AHRQ).This arm of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, gathered together 20 researchers, policy thinkers and industry leaders to help determine the best ways to engage consumers in their personal health information management (PHIM).  We broke into work groups, offered our experience and expertise, and then argued and collaborated until reams of notes, hours of taped conversations and dozens of slides of distilled thought were offered for further compilation into recommendations to the AHRQ.  How rewarding to bring the voice of MEDSEEK and our customers into the process of defining the future of PHIM!”

Gale Wilson-Steele
Founder/Chief Strategy Officer
MEDSEEK

Where can consumers find information about PHRs…from the government??

Recently a notice in the Federal Register describes a proposed project called “Facts for Consumers about Health IT Service for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology” (ONC).  The abstract says in part: “A new health information technology, the personal health record (PHR), seeks to provide consumers with the capability to directly manage their own health information. Although PHRs can exist in different formats or media (i.e., paper or electronic), the term usually refers to an online record containing an individual's personal health information. PHRs typically include information such as health history, vaccinations, allergies, test results and prescription information. Given the newness of the electronic PHR concept, the different ways to establish PHRs and the sensitivity of personal health information, ONC is taking steps to establish that useful facts about PHRs and PHR privacy policy information be made available to consumers so they can make informed decisions about selecting and using PHRs. Toward this end, ONC has a project to develop an online model for PHR providers…”

We have already seen that within the definition of “Meaningful Use” EHRs are a part of the plan, but did you know PHRs are as well? With the notice in the Federal Register, the government is taking steps to develop a Website to inform consumers of choice and education related to what is available. This serves as a call to hospital executives to begin thinking about incorporating a PHR strategy as they develop their upcoming plans.

Follow the link to read the complete notice in the Federal Register:

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-12023.htm

The Power of the Browser

Just like in 1776 with our Declaration of Independence, a new Web site is advocating a “Declaration of Health Data Rights.’ It states that we the people:

• Have the right to our own health data
• Have the right to know the source of each health data element
• Have the right to take possession of a complete copy of our individual health data, without delay, at minimal or no cost; if data exist in computable form, they must be made available in that form
• Have the right to share our health data with others as we see fit

Google Health, Microsoft, 23andMe, Dossia, the Personal Genome Project, and The Centre for Technology and Democracy are just a few of the organizations endorsing the Declaration.

Consumers have come to expect the level of service they receive from other industries - using the power of their browser to get information, conduct a transaction and take advantage of general communication tools to make everyday life easier. If I can get my online credit report (which includes private information and access to multiple systems), why is this is not the case with healthcare? I should be able to securely access my information from multiple systems and know that the information is specific to me, includes a complete overview of all available information and most importantly, is kept private.

Keep an eye out for many more grassroots movement to expand the capability of eHealth. Healthcare - it is time to join the 21st century.

Follow this link to for more information on the Declaration, www.healthdatarights.org.

How Meaningful is “Meaningful Use”?

We finally get an explanation of “Meaningful Use” on June 15th, then it’s pulled before the ink could even dry on my printed pages.

Was it pulled because it lacked information? Many are applauding the committee for listening to various groups in the healthcare industry, and keeping the definition simple. Remember this is the government and a specially formed committee working on this. Keeping anything uncomplicated is a challenge for them.

The issue really came down to timing, as most suspected would be the biggest challenge in the very beginning. So while the committee listened to some, they didn’t listen to others. Two years should be plenty of time to get an EHR and a CPOE system up and running, according to the committee. Implementing an EHR is tough enough, but executing a CPOE at the same time?

The question before them to consider: Is this plan overly aggressive? As I was told many years ago, “If it were that simple, I would have been done it already.” So if it is that simple, why don’t we already have these systems in place? I think I know the answer.

Joseph Conn has an interesting article in this month’s issue of Modern Healthcare that discusses the question of timing: “Under the Gun: Providers would have to jump through higher and higher hoops to qualify for IT payments the longer they wait.” Follow the link below to read the article.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20090622/REG/906199981

Two words that have changed health care forever…“Meaningful Use”

Until a few months ago I had never heard of, or even thought about, the words “meaningful use”. Maybe it’s because I just take some things for granted.

What does it mean to have meaningful use of something? For example, think of the telephone. There are hundreds of different manufacturers of phones. There are mobile phones with many added features and functions; there are office phone systems with lots of features and functions. Both types have no language barriers and can communicate country to country, without boundaries.

So how does the "meaningful use" concept apply to my phone? I can communicate with people using any type of phone, anywhere in the world. The key word as it applies to "meaningful use" of my phone? Communication.

What does meaningful use of information technology mean to me? As a respected friend and mentor once taught me, IT is valuable when...

• Data leads to information 
• Information leads to knowledge, and
• Knowledge leads to wisdom.

That is meaningful use.

I’ll make a bold assumption that at one point or another, someone in your hospital has said, “Why can’t I get the information I need from the system so I can make an informed decision?” The answer is simple: “The information resides in more than one system, and they do not communicate with each other.”

Could “meaningful use” as it applies to the HITECH Act then be considered the ability to access information? 

At the last HIMSS conference, during an HIE session, one person stood up and claimed, “I’m not concerned with an HIE connecting to the outside. I need an HIE that connects all my internal systems.” Is the answer to “meaningful use” that simple?

Hang on, let me call my colleague who has a Motorola Razor using my Apple iPhone, then we can conference in our friend who is sitting at his desk in London, and I’ll get back to you.

Ultimately, how you and I define meaningful use is irrelevant. What truly matters is how patients define it. What do patients want? In this month’s online issue of Healthcare Informatics, David Raths blogged on this very topic. “After reading through transcripts of the recent National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics hearing on trying to define "meaningful use" of health information technology, I was struck by several comments that focused on patient access to information as a central component of meaningful use,” he states. Does this mean that simply having an HIE strategy isn’t enough?

Click here to read the full blog post “Does Meaningful Use = Patient Portal?” While you’re there, be sure to check out the insightful article about the return on investment for patient portals, in the Healthcare Informatics May issue: “Footing the Bill: Patient Portals, Part I.”

Are you ready to join the “Health Information Revolution”?

When I plug an appliance in the wall, I don’t really care who made it, how big it is, how much or what kind of power it takes…I expect it to work.

This is where healthcare information fails many executives, professionals, consumers, patients and employees. CIOs are asked to provide a report or application and too often the response is “I cannot or it is difficult to satisfy the request.” This is not caused by an unwillingness on the part of the CIO. The information is contained in a number of disparate systems and it is difficult to pull from these different sources or information silos.

What is healthcare looking to do to solve these issues? Achieving system interoperability by promoting cooperation among vendors, Health Information Exchange (HIE), EMRs, PHRs, eHealth, Health 2.0…

So what’s the bottom line? We need a National Health Information Revolution!

But what can hospitals do today? Research and deploy systems that support data aggregation.

To get you started, we’ve collected some articles that might interest you.

KLAS has just published a new report “Why Hospitals are turning to data aggregation to provide help to clinicians.”  The Report in part  examines “aggregation solutions, which provide a single view of clinical data from disconnected systems.”

The report, “Beyond the CIS: Why are hospitals buying aggregation solutions?” examines why healthcare providers are deploying aggregation solutions, whether those solutions are meeting expectations, and which aggregation vendors are doing the best job delivering on the promised benefits.”
 
Likewise, HealthLeaders released an article in 2008 which clearly describes “The Power of Data Aggregation” and is good information to understand why this is important to improve the user experience.
My guess is you have already joined the healthcare information revolution… now we just have to wait for the rest of the nation to join us.

For more information on Data Aggregation, follow these links.

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/print/content/209949/topic/WS_HLM2_TEC/Collaboration-The-Power-of-Data-Aggregation.html

Some Hospitals Turning to Aggregation to Help Frustrated Clinicians

How will HIE’s play in the Economic Stimulus Package?

It appears the hottest topic of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 is Section B, Title IV of the bill, known as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. In this section approximately $20 billion is set aside for the purchase, implementation, and use of health information technology (HIT).  Health Information Exchanges  and RHIO’s are part of the discussion, playing an instrumental role in the HITECH Act.
 
In the first of a four part series from Health Data Management entitled “Lessons front the HIE front,” the series explores the perspective of a number of RHIOS and the issues they have had or currently experiencing. Among the many examples, MEDSEEK is pleased that Gary Bowers was interviewed to describe his involvement in the WNC Data Link using MEDSEEK’s portal to facilitate the data exchange among 16 hospitals in western North Carolina.
I think this series of articles is timely and beneficial to provide an insider view of various HIE initiatives.
 
Click here to read the entire article.

Obama’s Economy Stimulus package could give Healthcare $100 billion

The $775 billion economic stimulus plan being cobbled together by President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats could pump more than $100 billion into the health care sector, modernizing its delivery system and providing care to those who lost their health insurance along with their jobs, according to sources close to the planning. The package would also improve the IT infrastructure including the use of the Internet.

To read more follow the link

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17119.html