In the wake of last month’s abrupt and unexpected ICD-10 delay, powerful healthcare groups remain at odds over what happened -- and what comes next. The American Medical Association (AMA), ostensibly the voice of the physician, opposes the ICD-10 mandate in its entirety. Doctors see significant costs and practice burdens associated with the coding update […]
“…Secretary of Health and Human Services may not prior to October 1, 2015 adopt The ICD 10 code sets as the standard codes.” - H.R. 4302 Never say never. On March 27, the House passed H.R. 4302: Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014. This act, among other things, defers until April 1, 2015 the SGR (sustainable […]
The complexity and interdependence of enterprise applications in healthcare settings increasingly require specialized QA and testing capabilities—automated and manual. A thorough testing program can help hospitals identify and fix business, functional and performance defects, while improving application speed, quality and usability. We see four critical drivers causing hospital leaders to evaluate and supplement their testing […]
Thanks largely to mobile monitoring services, the global mHealth (mobile health) market is expected to reach $49 billion in revenue by 2020, according to a new study from Grand View Research. Monitoring services are expected to remain the “dominant and fastest-growing” mobile health market segment, the report said. The global market was valued at $1.95 […]
Walking the halls of the Orlando Convention Center at HIMSS14 this past week, I was aware of a great divide. As one approached the vendor booths, information systems in healthcare were portrayed as successful and benefit-laden. As one walked the aisles with hands-on providers, those same systems were seen as increasingly expensive, disruptive and barren. […]
We're starting our search for the best healthcare IT blogs on the Internet, and we need your help! In advance of our Best HIT Blogs of 2014 awards, we're calling for submissions of healthcare IT blogs you read that provide information about: Electronic medical record software systems Healthcare IT industry trends Healthcare information exchanges (HIE) […]
There’s a reason why they are called vital signs. By looking at temperature, pulse, blood pressure and respiratory rate, physicians can assess the status and direction of a patient’s health. Although my practice days are over, I’m eager to check the vital signs of healthcare IT next week at HIMSS14. By most accounts, the patient […]
In just a few days, more than 37,000 healthcare IT professionals, clinicians, executives and vendors from around the world will descend upon Orlando for the 2014 HIMSS Conference and Exhibition, which features best-in-class workshops, round table discussions, thought leader sessions, health IT products and networking opportunities. It's no wonder the theme for the conference is […]
As the New Year begins, we can reflect on the past year’s technology investments’ maturation. Fittingly, the December Harvard Business Review closed 2013 with a spotlight on “Making Your Company Data-Friendly.” Three of the articles provide some edgy considerations for healthcare IT in 2014. Analytics 3.0 Thomas H. Davenport in Analytics 3.0 says to envision […]
In conversation recently with a dear old friend, who also happens to be an outstanding IT project manager in a cutting-edge hospital system, I broached the subject of their transition to ICD-10. It was progressing well, she confided. In fact, they would be ready to start testing by mid-August! I was slack-jawed with surprise. Weren’t […]
More than 450 doctors have a new credential to add to their CVs. They are the first-ever to be recognized as board-certified clinical informatics. The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) led the drive to have a clinical informatics subspecialty recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). The AMIA said formal recognition as a […]
The economic impact of the Affordable Care Act remains unclear in its early stages, but should prove a boon for healthcare job seekers and, specifically, HIT professionals. In addition, these five industry trends point to another year of opportunity and HIT job growth in 2014. HITECH Act Analysis of the healthcare job market from 2007-2011 […]