| INTEROPERABILITY
INBOX |
As 2014 Begins, ICD-10 Deadline Looms
As the new year gets off to a start, the latest findings for ICD-10
remain stark. With an October 1, 2014 deadline for conversion of the
medical coding system from ICD-9 to ICD-10, some 80 percent of
participants have not begun testing, and only about half have undergone
the initial step of conducting an impact assessment, according to the
Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) survey published in
mid-December.
Become a 'Champion' of the HIMSS Interoperability
Definition
To facilitate adoption and deployment of interoperability in the
industry, HIMSS has published the interoperability definition and is
asking others to support the use of the definition in their industry
activities. “By providing one definition of interoperability, the HIMSS
Interoperability Definition Champion initiative builds on the
foundation of health IT implementation,” says Joyce Sensmeier, MS,
RN-BC, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, FAAN, Vice President of Informatics at HIMSS.
Approved by its board of directors, IHE USA became the first HIMSS Interoperability Definition Champion
in December 2013. Learn how
your organization can become a HIMSS Interoperability Definition
Champion by clicking on the headline above. For additional information,
contact Jessie Bird at 312-915-9202.
Author
Malcom Gladwell to Keynote Health Care Innovation Day
Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell will be the keynote speaker at
the Health Care Innovation Day Conference on Feb. 6, at the Omni
Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. Gladwell will speak on how
interoperability can strengthen our nation’s healthcare system. The
conference convenes policy makers, industry representatives, providers,
and consumers to discuss innovative solutions to the nation’s
healthcare challenges. There is no cost to attend, but registration is
required.
Health IT Gets New Roadmap: 10 Recommendations
By Erin McCann
Part of moving forward and progressing with health IT initiatives
involves proactively setting new goals and establishing a roadmap for
the future. The Workgroup for Electronic Data (WEDI) Interchange
Foundation has taken this to task by releasing its 2013 report that
puts forth recommendations for the health IT industry over the next
decade. The report outlines 10 recommendations in four critical areas
of
focus, including patient engagement, payment models, data exchange and
interoperability and innovative encounter models.
3rd
Annual Mobile Survey - RESPONDENTS NEEDED
For
the first time in 2011, HIMSS explored the use of mobile technology to
improve access to the information needed on a day-to-day basis in a
healthcare setting. The study is designed to collect information on an
array of items related to mobile device usage. Questions assess
organizations’ general use of mobile technology, access to patient
data, means for securing information, and the benefits and barriers
around the use of mobile technology. The current survey is built around
the six topics of the mHIMSS Roadmap: New Care Models, Technology,
ROI/Payment, Legal/Policy, Standards
& Interoperability,
and Privacy & Security. Responses for this survey are still being
collected. If you complete the HIMSS Mobile Survey by Jan. 17 you
will receive a $25 registration credit for the 2014 mHealth Summit.
|
| IHE
Junction |
Swan Song for Connectathon in Windy City
Anticipation about the 2015 IHE North American Connectathon’s move to
the HIMSS
Innovation
Center in Cleveland is running high among the event’s
organizers,
though they insist that they are not looking past their final year in
Chicago Jan. 27-31, 2014. In fact, there are many reasons for
excitement at the Windy City event, namely the rollout of the New Directions testing track, designed for
testing of innovative health IT applications still in development.
Continua Health Alliance and IHE USA Expand Product
Testing Capability
Connectathon
Continua is co-locating its upcoming U.S. Plugfest at IHE North America
(NA) Connectathon 2014, from Jan. 28-29, in Chicago. Plugfest
Registration closes on Jan. 10.
Connectathon
to Spotlight Interoperability Progress, Road Ahead
The
IHE North America Connectathon continues its work toward
interoperability.
Closer ties between Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise USA,
the Office of the National
Coordinator for Health IT and Standards and the ONC’s Interoperability
Framework is necessary for interoperability to reach Meaningful Use
Stage 3, said IHE USA President and HIMSS Vice President of
Informatics, Joyce Sensmeier. Additionally she said, “The leadership of
the ONC and S&I Framework became more involved and brought new
proposals to consider for help with Stage 3. It’s for the good of
everybody.”
Attend the IHE NA Connectathon Conference 2014
The IHE North
American (NA) Connectathon Conference
2014 is a one-day educational conference held in conjunction with the
IHE NA Connectathon on Jan. 29. Attendees gain critical best practices
and learn from health IT’s top thought leaders and organizations as
they converge in downtown Chicago. Click the link above to learn more,
register and view the complete agenda.
Still Time to Become an IHE NA Connectathon
Sponsor
The IHE North
American Connectathon & Conference
2014, is the hub for interoperability and problem resolution to advance
our nation’s healthcare. With hundreds of health IT experts converging
in Chicago for a week of interoperability testing, distinguish your
organization as a leader in the health IT industry with by becoming a
sponsor for the IHE NA Connectathon or Conference 2014. Participating
sponsors extend their marketing reach, and receive complimentary badges
and discounts. Learn more about the new sponsorship packages available
for 2014 by contacting connectathon@ihe.net.
|
| HIE
Highway |
Good Staffing Critical to HIE
While lots of factors have to come together to make a
successful health information exchange initiative, none can work well
without the proper level of skilled staffing and support—regardless of
how sound its technology infrastructure might be, according to the
HIMSS and American Health Information Management Association
collaboration resulting in a white paper entitled, Trends in Health
Information Exchange
Organizational Staffing.
Interoperability — The Challenge for 2014
Click
on the link above to read a summary of the Third Annual New York
eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) Digital Health Conference held in November
2013 in New York City. NYeC
is a resource for healthcare providers adopting electronic health
records as well as the creator of the Statewide Health Information
Network of New York (SHIN-NY).
|
| Policy
Pipeline |
HIMSS & HHS Collaborate on Patient Identification
and Data Matching
Through
HHS’s existing “Innovator in Residence” (IIR) program, HIMSS and the
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services are collaborating to
move forward on the creation of a nationwide patient data matching
strategy. HIMSS is currently recruiting an IIR to develop a vision,
strategy, and implementation plan for the near-term deployment of
consistent patient data matching in health that builds on the body of
work from HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)
and healthcare community partners. The IIR will also assess the
longer-term applicability of identity management methods, processes and
technologies currently in use in healthcare and other sectors.
Senators Press for EHR Interoperability
Senators John Thune and
Mike Enzi, Republicans from South Dakota and Wyoming, added an
amendment requiring interoperability to be achieved by 2017 to the
meaningful user under the Electronic Health Record Meaningful Use
program with rules established via federal committee under the
direction of the HHS Office of the National Coordinator.
FCC Hosts mHealth Innovation Expo
The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) hosted its first-ever mHealth
Innovation Expo.
The event took place at the FCC, and featured multiple mHealth products
and solutions as well as federal government programs supporting and
leveraging mHealth to improve healthcare.
ANSI Submits Response to Office of the Federal Register on Incorporation by Reference
In its response to the October 2013 notice from the Office of the
Federal Register (OFR), ANSI reiterated its support for a flexible,
multifaceted approach to making standards that have been incorporated
by reference (IBR) reasonably available. The deadline for public
comment on the OFR’s notice has been extended to January 31, 2014.
|
|
|
| Interoperability
Interchange* |
EDITORIAL: 10 Years and 6 Czars into HIT,
Where Are We Now?
By Diana Manos
It
has been almost a decade since President George W. Bush launched the
Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). With the
announcement that New Orleans Health Commissioner
Karen DeSalvo, MD, will be filling the national coordinator position,
now is a good time to stand back and take stock.
INTERVIEW: Health Data Interoperability Woes
Could Be Solved Fast, If We Wanted
Political
forces in Washington and in the marketplace that protect the
non-interoperability of data are holding back the free flow of health
data between systems, said Anna McCollister-Slipp in this audio
interview by Don Fluckinger. Recorded at the 2014 mHealth Summit in
December, McCollister-Slipp exhorts healthcare provider IT teams to
stand up for interoperability for the benefit of patients. She also
calls on patients, especially those living with chronic diseases, to
demand interoperability in order to simplify and improve their
healthcare.
PANEL: Why We Need Medical Interoperability
On November 5, West Health IDEA Series held a live and online panel discussion entitled, How Medical Interoperability Can Improve Patient Safety and Lower Costs in Health Care. West Health is a research organization that focuses on technologies to reduce healthcare costs. Watch the one-hour panel by clicking: Why
We Need Medical Interoperability.
VIDEO: Challenges of Interoperability in
Healthcare
At
AHIMA’s annual conference, John Lynn (@techguy) had a chance to sit
down
with Steve Bonney, VP of Business Development and Strategy at BayScribe.
In this video interview, Steve and John discuss the challenges of
getting structured data in healthcare and how you can use good
technology to get the healthcare data without disrupting the physician
workflow. Steve also discusses some of the benefits of having
interoperable data in healthcare. If you’re
interested in healthcare data exchange or interoperability, then you’ll
enjoy this YouTube
video.
BLOG: HL7 is as Open as a Fax Machine
By Stanley Crane
I’ve blogged a lot about Open from a technical perspective. But there
is a market perspective of Open, too. As international standards bearer
for interoperability, HL7 plays a vital role in healthcare today. But
that doesn’t mean that HL7 fosters an Open marketplace. Why? Because
transactions in an Open system shouldn’t be so costly. Open can help
solve two of the chief complaints about Health IT 1. the cost of
interfaces, and 2. the lack of scalability. There’s more to Open than
standard forms.
*The views expressed in the above Interoperability
Interchange opinion section are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the views of HIMSS. |
| Solutions
Central |
CDISC Standards - Available for Use
The Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium
(CDISC) has recently made standards available for use and has published
them for download. Click on the headline to download the PDF of
available standards. Additionally, CDISC SHARE, which is a cornerstone
of the CDISC
technical roadmap, is a global electronic repository for developing,
integrating and accessing CDISC metadata standards in electronic
format. To learn more about CDISC SHARE click on the video about the
metadata repository.
HIMSS Analytics Report: Importance of
Strategic Interoperability
A recent HIMSS Analytics survey reveals that hospitals and health
systems are focusing on achieving interoperability with their
information systems in order to deliver high-quality, safe patient
care. As these initiatives are being implemented, healthcare
organizations are beginning to understand the importance of strategic
interoperability. Not only will strategic interoperability meet current
needs, including meaningful use Stage 2 and participation in
accountable care organizations, but it will position hospitals and
health systems to be able to meet unanticipated and future needs for
securely sharing patient information—all with the goal of driving
high-quality, cost-efficient, patient-centered care and improved
clinical outcomes. Click on the headline about to visit the Strategic
Interoperability Knowledge Center and download the report.
Happtique Suspends mHealth App Certification
Program
Less than two weeks after Happtique approved the
first set of mobile health apps as part of its certification program,
it suspended the program.
|
| UPCOMING
EVENTS |
Jan.
23-14
HL7 Working
Group Meeting
Long-Term Care CXO
Summit, Las Vegas, NV
Jan. 27-31
IHE NA
Connectathon 2014
Hyatt Regency, Chicago,
IL
Jan. 29
IHE NA Connectathon Conference 2014
Hyatt Regency, Chicago,
IL
Feb. 6
Health Care Innovation Day 2014 (HCI/DC2014)
Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
Feb. 10-14
IHE Domain Volume One Meeting
Technikum Wein College
Campus in Vienna, Austria
Feb. 23
Pre-conference
Symposia at HIMSS14
-The
Interoperability Explosion: Where We Are and Where We're Headed
-Delivering
on the Promise of HIE: Realizing Value through Innovation
Orlando, FL
Feb. 23-27
HIMSS14
Orlando, FL
Feb. 24-26
HIMSS
Interoperability Showcase at HIMSS14
Orlando, FL
Feb. 24
VIP
Showcase Tour & Break - hosted by Interoperability
& Standards (I&S) Committee
Orlando, FL
Feb. 25
IHE
Networking Breakfast at HIMSS14
Orlando, FL
Feb. 26, 2014
I&S
Committee Networking Breakfast and Panel at HIMSS14
Orlando, FL |
| RENEW
YOUR HIMSS MEMBERSHIP? |
| To ensure the continuation of your HIMSS
member benefits, login to the Member Center to renew
your membership today. If you need a paper invoice, request one via
e–mail to the Member Services department. You can also renew by phone
at 312-664-4467 (option 8, then 2). |
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