InformationWeek Stories by Michelle McNickle

InformationWeek Stories by Michelle McNicklehttp://www.informationweek.comInformationWeeken-usCopyright 2012, UBM LLC.2013-02-20T13:05:00ZIn ICD-10 Transition, Training Trumps Tech ConcernsClinical readiness is a top concern among providers regarding the ICD-10 transition, says recent KLAS report.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/in-icd-10-transition-training-trumps-tec/240148918?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href=" http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Providers aren't worried about what IT is doing to help smooth the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 -- in fact, most providers, despite the size or type of their organization, are pleased with current ICD-10 offerings, like computer-assisted coding (CAC) technology. Instead, many are concerned with training and clinical readiness, according to a recently released KLAS report. <a href= "https://www.klasresearch.com/Store/ReportDetail.aspx?ProductID=753">"ICD-10 Perception: Can Technology Relieve Readiness Issues?"</a> explored whether the new ICD-10 deadline was impacting provider priorities, said author Lois Krotz in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. Krotz and her team were curious to see if providers were looking to bypass processes -- like readiness assessments, creating internal committees and investing in new technology -- to make the transition smoother. Instead, said Krotz, "all these processes are the same for all provider organizations, and a key finding was it's time to hunker down and go through them." With that in mind, the report explored how providers viewed technology in regard to the transition. "One surprising finding for us is, IT isn't a concern for hospitals or clinics," said Krotz. "It's the people side of it." Physician documentation and training for coders and providers is top of mind. "A lot of EMR uses and end coders expressed confidence they've received a good amount of assurance from their vendor," Krotz said. "Their technology is ready." [ For the latest developments on Meaningful Use, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/meaningful-use-stage-2-rules-finalized/240006128?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Meaningful Use Stage 2 Rules Finalized</a>. ] Providers are looking to utilize IT to address productivity issues associated with the transition. The use of CAC technology, for example, is projected to become widespread; 75% of providers are considering using one form or another of CAC because they're anticipating the drop-off in productivity on the coder side, said Krotz. The reason for this IT implementation is to give coders enough time and help to prepare. And this use of CAC technology and others like it is needed among coders, according to another recent KLAS report focusing on ICD-10 consulting firms. Eric Westerlind, author of <a href= "https://www.klasresearch.com/Store/ReportDetail.aspx?ProductID=774">"ICD-10 Consulting: Roadmap to a Successful Transition"</a> told InformationWeek Healthcare that one CIO expressed concerns regarding their top coder -- when asked to perform the coding changes from ICD-9 to ICD-10, the coder performed at a 60% level in terms of productivity. "That was a concern, and that gives some color behind the use of technology," Westerlind said. "It's about making up for that gap, and that's where CAC comes in." The transition also is going to incentivize many coders to take an early retirement, Krotz pointed out, leaving another gap for CAC technology and other resources to fill. "The average coder age is 57," she said. "Organizations aren't just thinking about CAC technology, but also about outsourcing coder services." This way, she said, current coders won't have to battle yet another learning curve. By outsourcing services, Krotz said, "results could be better." As large healthcare providers test the limits, many smaller groups question the value. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/021813hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Big Data Analytics</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Ask these six questions about natural language processing before you buy. (Free with registration.) 2013-02-19T11:35:00Z5 Ways To Improve Healthcare Information ExchangesDefine the problem you want to solve with an HIE -- and be ready for incompatibility headaches, say experts. http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-ways-to-improve-healthcare-information/240148735?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href=" http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Recent comments made by a number of leaders throughout the industry show clear discontentment with the state of health information exchanges. As William Yasnoff, MD, PhD, president of the Health Record Banking Alliance, recently pointed out, the current nationwide network of health information exchanges is an <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/health-information-exchange-debate-gets/240147803?queryText=HIE">"unmitigated disaster,"</a> due primarily to obstacles in privacy, stakeholder cooperation and financial stability. Four experts sat down to discuss current data exchange trends and best practices at the eHealth Initiative Annual Conference. Among the panelists were Chris Hobson, MD, CMO at Orion Health; Arien Malec, VP of strategy and product marketing at Relay Health; David Horrocks, president of Maryland HIE <a href="http://www.crisphealth.org ">Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP)</a>, and Eric Thieme, VP at the Indiana Health Information Exchange. [ How has the election affected HIEs? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/obama-victory-re-energizes-health-inform/240142717?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Obama Victory Re-Energizes Health Information Exchanges</a>. ] Here are five ways ways to improve healthcare data exchange, according to these experts. 1. Keep It Simple. Health information exchange is a difficult domain, said Relay Health's Malec. EHR adoption is making the HIE challenge harder because prior to the implementation of electronic records, connections from hospital to hospital were few and far between. "You could spend more time on connections," said Malec. To share data related to electronic health records, a hospital or physician's practice today needs an average of five to seven connection points -- between physician offices, payers and hospitals -- he said. "We need to figure out how to standardize … and keep it simple." 2. Have A Clinical Governance Board. A clinical governance board is typically used to maintain quality throughout an organization. According to Hobson, a clinical governance group is key to a functioning HIE. Some of the most successful HIEs have similar groups that have been in place for years, he said. "You want to … add more things to keep users interested," he said, and a clinical governance group can help make this happen. "It has to be dynamic," he added. 3. Determine Best Data To Pursue. Horrocks suggested when first deploying an HIE, talking to peers and figuring out what uses of data to pursue is a good place to start. Based on his experiences at CRISP, there was more value than expected in getting the discharge and ADT data complete from every hospital they were working with. It wasn't the highest priority when they started, Horrocks said, but it "proved to be the easiest to pull off and delivered more value to participants." 4. Define The Problem You're Solving. Indiana Health's Thieme and his team decided a top problem to address was getting people to use a primary doctor instead of the emergency room for routine healthcare. The solution included emergency department alert notifications, which sent admission alerts and discharge summaries to primary care physicians. Over a year, ED visits decreased by 50% and primary visits went up 60%. A key issue CRISP's Horrocks is still wrestling with is readmission rates. "One of the things we're asked [to do] is predictive analytics and risk scoring: figuring out who's most likely to be admitted, but [we] can't do that," Horrocks said. Right now, an <a href= "http://www.crisphealth.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=il3hGyhhNVs%3D&tabid=172&mid=780">encounter notification system</a> is the most valuable service they're providing, he said. "It's simple and straightforward," he said. 5. Recognize EMR Incompatibility Is Real. Thieme said getting data out of EMRs is one of the biggest components of Indiana Health's service. "To map it into common language takes effort; lab interfaces coming out of one vendor is different than another, and we spend a lot of time whipping interfaces into shape so we can consume data." If he were to ask one thing of EMR vendors, Thieme said it would be to have interfaces "looking the same." The other panelists agreed that a turnkey, well-documented standard for all EMRs is needed. "It's like pulling teeth to get that standard and configure an interface," said Malec. "We need people on the ground to get that done." Can data analysis keep students on track and improve college retention rates? Also in the premiere all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/012813ed/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Analytics' Big Test</a> issue of InformationWeek Education: Higher education is just as prone to tech-based disruption as other industries. (Free with registration.) 2013-02-14T10:20:00ZDoctors Push Back Against Health IT's Workflow DemandsDoctors are angry that accountable care organization workflows seem more like manufacturing, less like healthcare, say panelists at eHealth Initiative conference.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/doctors-push-back-against-health-its-wor/240148522?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  There's a powerful force working against the spread of health IT: physician anger, as doctors resist adopting workflows that can feel to them more like manufacturing than traditional treatment. This was one of several big ideas explored during a panel discussion at the eHealth Initiatives annual conference in Orlando, Fla. Anger within the physician community is creating "significant backlash" in furthering the use of health IT within an accountable care environment, said Simeon Schwartz, MD, president and CEO at Westmed Medical Group, one of the panelists. Schwartz was joined by Keith Hepp, CEO at non-profit HealthBridge, and Matt Hoffman, medical informatics manager at Utah Health Information Network (UHIN), in a panel titled "Current Health IT Practices in Accountable Care." But the focus quickly shifted to challenges healthcare organizations face under federal accountable care organization (ACO) rules with regard to the implementation of IT to drive down costs and changing physicians' mindsets. [ Meaningful Use adoption makes slow progress against docs' resistance to change. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/tech-center/gov-cloud/meaningful-use-slowly-increases-ehr-use/240146903?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Meaningful Use Slowly Increases EHR Use In Hospitals</a>. ] "We understand now that we have to change workflows," said Schwartz. "Physicians have to put in pathways of care that look more and more like manufacturing in terms of accountability." Schwartz said organizations need to transition from a guild-like mindset to that of a "manufacturing organization," where physicians can use their skills in combination with data at the point of care. When that happens, Schwartz said, "that change is going to be profound." The resistance to changing workflows among physicians was echoed by Hoffman. ACOs move healthcare from a workflow model to where it's the physician's job to treat a disease as quickly as possible. "If they can get information from IT ... then they can intervene and get treatment as soon as possible," he said. This also enables physicians to prevent large-scale events, such as heart attacks, that cost money, Hoffman said. Hoffman added that behavioral change is a key factor in the use of health information exchanges in meeting accountable care requirements. Physicians aren't quick to connect their electronic medical records to an HIE, he said, since "they don't get a lot after that." Instead, physicians and clinics need to have incentives to connect these tools and, at the same time, be shown how connected data can result in better and easier care for patients. "We're working with physicians to show them there is benefit," he said. "But there is resistance to changing workflows." Patient engagement remains a prominent challenge facing organizations trying to meet accountable care standards as well. The process for caring for patients is broken, said Schwartz. When it comes to addressing workflow issues and patient involvement, "you can fix as many pieces as you want, but until you bring those pieces together into a new workflow, that won't change the patient experience ... Experience isn't synonymous with customer service, and it's not synonymous with IT or doctors or providers." Instead, he said, the patient experience should be centered on solving problems, which occurs when "we're direct with [patients], and that's where we're failing," Schwartz said. Instead of presenting patients with clear, timely information in regard to diagnoses, for example, said Schwartz, physicians tend to sugar-coat. However, in a day and age when patients can turn to alternative means of gathering information, like the Internet, it's pertinent that a patient-physician exchange meet the new, more direct demands of the patient. "We're [still] not creating the experience they want," Schwartz said. Can data analysis keep students on track and improve college retention rates? Also in the premiere all-digital <a href="hhttp://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/012813ed/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Analytics' Big Test</a> issue of InformationWeek Education: Higher education is just as prone to tech-based disruption as other industries. (Free with registration.) 2013-02-13T10:07:00ZHealth IT Needs Moneyball Technique To SucceedBig data in healthcare should copy the movie's analytics strategy, says eHealth Initiative Annual Conference keynote speaker.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/health-it-needs-moneyball-technique-to-s/240148408?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href=" http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>The healthcare industry needs to "professionalize" its analysis of big data; in other words, create a "moneyball technique," said Andrew Slavitt, group executive VP of Optum, at the eHealth Initiative Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla. As care shifts from traditional outlets to non-traditional settings, such as at-home services, the industry needs a better big data strategy to manage the change. "…[T]he urgent needs of today are well beyond the four walls of the hospital," Slavitt said, but the industry continues to build IT for the old world of care. This new world, he said, or the "new care," involves a large portion of the population that he called "dual eligible," patients who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. "The average dual eligible consumes $36,000 [of healthcare services] per year," he said. "That's $360 billion [nationwide]." As health disparities between dual eligibles and the rest of the population grow, Slavitt noted the cost burden is shifting to those taking care of the dual eligibles. Driving down healthcare costs to address this trend is where better healthcare analytics and a moneyball strategy come in. [ Not everyone is impressed with healthcare's latest trend. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/big-data-analytics-wheres-the-roi/240012701?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Big Data Analytics: Where's The ROI></a> ] The Michael Lewis book Moneyball laid out how <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/10/26/big-data-big-payoff-delivering-moneyball-results-to-business/">the Oakland Athletics</a> used deep analytics to win two-thirds of its games in 2001. Baseball always had reams of data and statistics, but the A's figured out which data matters most. "They eliminated noise and clutter from data," Slavitt said. "…They tested baseball in simple terms, and anything that didn't create an 'out' had value. … They built consistent winning teams by selecting players who excelled at the right stats." Applying the same concept to healthcare, said Slavitt, means focusing on "how do we get value out of data?" Slavitt said a good role model is Tucson Medical Center in Arizona. The small, rural center built an accountable care organization and professionalized how it looked at data. After launching its ACO, the center selected groups of patients and used data analysis to determine where it could drive down costs. Within a group of 230 patients, Slavitt said the organization invested in ways to create "unique and proactive ways to take care of them," such as increased home visits and primary care visits among other initiatives. As a result, the center saw a decrease of 5% in readmission rates and a 5% increase in market share due to primary care referrals. "To get IT on top of your CEO's agenda, you need to speak two things: margin and market share," he said. "As soon as IT and data speak that, knowledge and movement is accelerated." Slavitt closed his keynote by asking if big data is hype, fad or trend. Although most attendees responded with "fad," Slavitt insisted on "hype," and maintained there is potential for big analytics to have a lasting impression in healthcare. Today, there's a key piece missing from the big data discussion, he said. "Our lack of interoperability and standards hurts patient care and drains usefulness out of data," he said. "We need to do this with a money ball view -- we need to link data. The verdict is big data is hype, until collaboration comes in." Can data analysis keep students on track and improve college retention rates? Also in the premiere all-digital <a href="hhttp://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/012813ed/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Analytics' Big Test</a> issue of InformationWeek Education: Higher education is just as prone to tech-based disruption as other industries. (Free with registration.) 2013-02-07T14:13:00ZCan Avatars Improve Patient Outcomes?Use of avatars that reflect patients' ethnic and educational background can help drive engagement, says study.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/can-avatars-improve-patient-outcomes/240148117?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href=" http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div> In 2007, an animated character named Louise was designed to communicate discharge plans to patients with low health literacy in an effort to reduce the number of adverse events experienced after these patients left the hospital. The use of Louise, also known as a Virtual Patient Advocate (VPA), <a href= "http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304474804576369452547349050.html">proved to be effective</a> in reducing readmission rates, and now researchers have started using avatars to improve preconception care. A recent <a href= "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23286652">study</a> called "Reaching Women Through Health Information Technology: The Gabby Preconception Care," published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, looked at the use of an online interactive animated character named Gabby in identifying and modifying preconception risks in young minority women. Gabby emulates face-to-face conversational behavior similar to that of an empathetic clinician and can display nonverbal communicative behavior such as gazes, postures and hand gestures. In an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare, Christina Thielst, vice president at patient experience consulting group Tower Strategies and author of the blog <a href= "http://thielst.typepad.com/">Christina's Considerations</a>, said that since the creation of Louise, she's been waiting to see the use of avatars increase. "They're going to be a huge part of our future in healthcare," she said, "and there are a couple reasons for that." [ Minnesota telehealth study shows promising results for online consults. Read more at <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/online-medical-consults-save-money-study/240147836?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Online Medical Consults Save Money, Study Says</a>. ] The use of avatars, for example, is a form of closed-loop communication -- something video and audio programs can't offer. Tools like avatars allow for this closed-loop, evidence-based communication, in which an organization doesn't simply offer information to patients but also ensures that patients understand what's being told to them. In this case, Gabby takes it one step further by communicating back to patients based on their responses, Thielst said. According to the study, Gabby had four goals: screen women for their PCC risks, assess their readiness for behavior change in regard to each risk, educate them about their risks, and help develop a "My Health To-Do List." Content differed for each interaction, based on the risks discussed with each patient. Gabby was tested with two focus groups. One included African American women between the ages of 15-25, each of whom participated in a 90-minute session with Gabby. Then a group of women enrolled in the Office of Minority Health Preconception Peer Educators (OMH PPE) program were given access to the VPA, nine of whom were given unique usernames and password to access the avatar online. These women had access to Gabby for two months and were encouraged to use the system weekly. According to the report, participants identified an average of 23 health risks and discussed an average of 11 of those risks with the system. Participants added a majority of their risks to their "My Health To-Do List" and took action to partially or fully mitigate 83% of the risks on their list. The women agreed they preferred VPA characters with similar racial and ethnic backgrounds, and they unanimously agreed they would be more comfortable discussing PCC topics with a young female VPA that could be "symbolized" as a health professional through the use of a uniform or stethoscope, for example. However, they also highlighted the need for VPAs to have "style and layers" -- for example, resembling a friend, wearing makeup and having a stylish haircut and accessories. When participants were asked if they would prefer to speak to Gabby or a clinician, responses were mixed; some preferred the VPA for her anonymity while others viewed her as supplemental to a visit with a doctor. "The system isn't replacing human staff," Thielst said, explaining that there is still a role for the nurse to follow up with questions or, "based on what Gabby picks up, see if there are things they need to address with the patient specifically. But it can take a big chunk of that education time and put it into the hands of patients, rather than have it guided by staff." The study's authors concluded that the use of a VPA system like Gabby is promising in its ability to provide care to minority women. "It addresses problems that we identified as barriers to translating PCC best practices to clinical care -- and that might be important in addressing racial disparities." Finally, they added, "VPAs can be used across a range of healthcare, educational, and community settings." According to Thielst, VPAs are becoming fundamental to making the patient part of the care team. "Sometimes we're not quite sure how to include [the patient] in the process," she said. "But by using these techniques to better communicate with patients, we further the goal not only of patient safety, but also quality of care and patient experience." Mobile applications are the new way to extend government information and services to on-the-go citizens and employees. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Anytime, Anywhere</a> issue of InformationWeek Government: A new initiative aims to shift the 17-member Intelligence Community from agency-specific IT silos to an enterprise environment of shared systems and services. (Free registration required.)2013-02-05T14:08:00ZInfosys Partners With Device Company In Healthcare PushInfosys provides cloud-based portal to help NovaSom better manage sleep apnea diagnostics.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/infosys-partners-with-device-company-in/240147888?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href=" http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Infosys, known for its business consulting and IT services, recently partnered with NovaSom, a maker of sleep apnea diagnostic tools, as part of its push to get more U.S. healthcare business. NovaSom is using Infosys' cloud-based portal MediTrack to diagnose patients with sleep apnea at home, process data more quickly and help manage insurance claims. For India-based outsourcer Infosys, this is yet another attempt to tap into the U.S. healthcare market, after <a href="http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-15/software-services/30401052_1_infosys-rupee-estimates-budget-cuts">recent reports</a> tell of the company's slowing growth and slow entry into the healthcare space. Through the use of Infosys' cloud-based portal, NovaSom has seen a 66% reduction in time for processing test results, a 60% reduction for pending order backlog, and 43% reduction of test interpretation cost thanks to better efficiency using the cloud, according to the company. NovaSom offers sleep apnea home testing as well as service programs used by payers, employers, primary care and sleep specialist physicians. The company partners with sleep centers and helps specialists offer patients an alternative, at-home testing option, expanding access to diagnosis and treatment. [ To see how patient engagement can help transform medical care, check out <a href= "http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597?itc=edit_in_body_cross"> 5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>. ] With the use of the MediTrack portal, NovaSom's physician partners have access to a single interface that helps deliver services, process diagnostic data and manage insurance claims. The portal provides Web interfaces with third-party applications to access and analyze patient data immediately upon wireless receipt of the completed home sleep test. The Ruth Group has been using MediTrack, and the biggest improvement has been the faster diagnosis times. Test result processing has been reduced by two days, Lisa Cook, Ruth Group assistant VP, told InformationWeek Healthcare. More timely diagnoses are particularly valuable for patients who are about to undergo surgery because they help anesthesiologists better minimize respiratory risk. The portal also links orders to the patient's insurer and medical equipment provider. A physician ordering a test is prompted to input information required by the patient's insurance company. With the use of the portal, Cook said, "they get what they need and nothing extraneous," allowing the order to be processed more quickly. If the patient has a positive test result, the physician can also use the portal to order the appropriate therapy. Dheeshjith V.G., senior VP and global head of life sciences at Infosys, said in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare that the portal is also helping sleep specialists, surgeons and anesthesiologists develop patient management plans that reduce the risk of respiratory problems and other OSA-related complications during and after surgery. Infosys is looking to expand in the healthcare market to tap into a growth market and lessen dependency on its traditional markets such as financial services. A recent <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-16/obamacare-opens-outsourcing-window-for-infosys-corporate-india.html">Bloomberg</a> article credits Obamacare for giving Infosys some momentum; the company has won four state contracts and is vying for business in four more before the 2014 deadline to build online exchanges that link customers to insurance plans, according to the article. This demand for exchanges is helping Infosys and its rivals counter slowing business from banks and manufacturers. However, "Infosys just hasn't been fast enough to tap the healthcare industry, which is why their share of revenue is so low," said Harit Shah, an analyst with Mumbai-based Nirmal Bang Institutional Equities in the article. Our four business scenarios show how to improve disaster recovery, boost disk utilization and speed performance. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/120312smb/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Storage Virtualization Gets Real</a> issue of InformationWeek SMB: While Intel remains the biggest manufacturer of chips in the world, the next few years will prove vexing for the company. (Free registration required.)2013-02-05T11:15:00ZMobile Health Challenge: Only Open Apps Need ApplyNew challenge aims to improve interoperability within healthcare through use of open architecture.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/mobile-health-challenge-only-open-apps-n/240147825?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href=" http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>A recent challenge posed by Heritage Provider Network, in partnership with UCLA, is calling for developers to create mobile health applications using open software architecture developed by non-profit company <a href="http://openmhealth.org/">Open mHealth</a>. Although there are many <a href= "http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/onc-design-challenge-humanize-electronic/240062682">similar challenges</a> out there, this one is aimed less at simply developing mobile apps and more at promoting the use of open architecture to increase integration in healthcare. "Healthcare data, technology, health IT, EMRs -- everyone's talking about it and its use is exploding, but the problem is none of it talks to each other," said Jonathan Gluck, senior executive at Heritage Provider Network, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. "We have a million applications out there and none of it is integrated. We have a big mess of what could be useful technology, but it's difficult to use it in any integrated fashion." The goal of the challenge, Gluck explained, is to increase the uptake of an open architecture that developers can create applications on. "It's a public awareness prize as much as anything else." Open mHealth, a non-profit startup, builds open architecture software purely to promote integration in mobile health. The company uses a shared set of APIs, allowing applications data to be mixed and matched. This then pulls more valuable information from reusable data processing and visualization modules. [ For the latest developments on Meaningful Use, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/meaningful-use-stage-2-rules-finalized/240006128?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Meaningful Use Stage 2 Rules Finalized</a>. ] "We've worked for years to promote an open architecture in mobile health," said Deborah Estrin, co-founder of Open mHealth. "The inability of diverse mobile applications to be integrated with one another to serve particular patient needs has greatly hampered the progress in patient-centered disease management." Gluck said development teams have until May 1 to submit their designs. A prize of $100,000 will be awarded in June at the 2013 <a href= "http://healthdatapalooza.org/">Health Datapalooza</a> in Washington, D.C. Submissions must be mobile apps using the Open mHealth architecture and must be hosted on a server selected by the development team. According to the challenge <a href= "http://heritagechallenge.openmhealth.org/heritage/details">website</a>, submissions won't be limited to health conditions, but to "optimize the success of the projects," each team is required to have a member with clinical expertise. For Gluck and the team at Heritage Provider Network, which provides care to approximately 700,000 people in California, the challenge is an opportunity to offer value to clinicians and gather real-time information from patients. The winning application will allow patients with multiple conditions to input information simultaneously. Although there's a frenzy of mobile app development, Gluck hopes that an open, Web-based architecture can channel it to be more useful for patients. Some apps are great, he said, "But patients who use them, including ours who have multiple [conditions], have to enter information into a number of different applications throughout the day. That becomes unwieldy, data doesn't integrate, and eventually they give up and don't want to use it. But this can change that." Mobile applications are the new way to extend government information and services to on-the-go citizens and employees. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Anytime, Anywhere</a> issue of InformationWeek Government: A new initiative aims to shift the 17-member Intelligence Community from agency-specific IT silos to an enterprise environment of shared systems and services. (Free registration required.)2013-02-04T15:20:00ZWill Doctors Embrace Tibbr Enterprise Social Networking Platform?Social media tool draws on Facebook-style features to streamline communication and do away with paper processes.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/will-doctors-embrace-tibbr-enterprise-so/240147795?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href=" http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>There's no denying the appeal of Facebook -- with more than <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/10/04/facebook-has-a-billion-users-and-a-revenue-question/">a billion users</a> worldwide, the social network has revolutionized communication. Now Tibco is testing whether doctors will use social functions for electronic health record collaboration, teaming with iHealth Exchange to offer its Tibbr enterprise social networking platform in a healthcare setting for the first time. iHealth Exchange is a health information exchange that lets 12,500 Houston-area doctors make referrals and share health record information. Too many healthcare records still are faxed between providers despite the existence of electronic records, and attempts to replace that practice with portals haven't done much to change the situation, said Ram Menon, president of social computing at Tibco, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. "There's been little innovation at the point of service in healthcare -- the point of service still lives in the 80s," Menon said. <a href="http://www.ihealthex.com/">iHealth Exchange</a> has been able to replace its paper and fax workflow with the Tibbr platform, letting providers communicate in real time. Enterprise social collaboration tools are "a new platform to deliver modern care," iHealth Exchange CEO <a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/press-release/healthcare-technology-company-ihealth-exchange-selects-tibbr-modernize-patient-care">Chris Stephens said</a> in a statement, describing information exchange as one of the biggest challenges in healthcare. [ For another point of view on health IT, read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/patient/232400272 ?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Why Personal Health Records Have Flopped</a>.] Menon said Tibbr's creation stemmed from the idea that, in the working world, social collaboration platforms need to allow more than "like" and "share" activity; people take action and make decisions, such as approving a purchase order, forwarding an invoice or reviewing and approving a report. "If a social network is going to work, it has to be useful and deliver ROI in terms of collaboration," he said. "We have to bring the information from your transaction systems to your wall." Tibbr acts similarly to Facebook with its use of a wall -- what Menon called "one seminal way to aggregate information." Physician users of the platform, for example, log in to the tool and see referrals and similar information on this wall. The platform also lets users follow people, subjects or "machines," which, according to Menon, could be supply-chain inventory, patient information, approval and other workflows. The platform integrates into an electronic health record and is HIPAA compliant, Menon said. Users can also restrict who -- doctors, specialists or nurses -- sees what. Tibco's partnership with iHealth brings it healthcare expertise. "We understand social, and they understand all the requirements around Meaningful Use, [health information exchange] and being a neutral stakeholder," said Menon. "They understand how to manage communication between doctors, patients and payers securely." Tibbr is available on mobile devices using a Wi-Fi connection and a browser. After four months of use by Houston doctors, "we're seeing how it goes," Menon said. "We're doing this at the user level, so it's important to make sure it's not only me saying it's easy to use, but users like it too." Feedback so far has been promising, Menon said. Our four business scenarios show how to improve disaster recovery, boost disk utilization and speed performance. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/120312smb/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Storage Virtualization Gets Real</a> issue of InformationWeek SMB: While Intel remains the biggest manufacturer of chips in the world, the next few years will prove vexing for the company. (Free registration required.) 2013-01-31T12:16:00ZEHR Accuracy Remains Problem, CHIME SaysCollege of Healthcare Information Management Executives warn technology and workflow burdens make EHR reporting nearly impossible.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/ehr-accuracy-remains-problem-chime-says/240147454?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Recent comments made by members of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) make clear the organization doubts hospitals' ability to submit accurate and complete data through electronic health records (EHRs). CHIME members' comments were made in response to a Jan. 3 <a href="http://www.himss.org/ASP/ContentRedirector.asp?type=HIMSSNewsItem&ContentId=81762">Request for Information</a> (RFI) issued by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In <a href="http://www.cio-chime.org/advocacy/resources/download/CHIME_Response_to_CMS_IQR_RFI.pdf">a statement</a>, CHIME members commended federal efforts made toward "reaching a harmonized approach" for electronic clinical quality measurement and reiterated its support for aligning EHR-based reporting and hospital quality reporting programs. But the "number one thing" the organization wanted to convey to CMS is that quality measurements through EHRs are "extremely time intensive and difficult," said Jeffery Smith, assistant director of public policy at CHIME, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. "We want to make sure they understand that as far as data coming together in an electronic format, it doesn't seem like sending data electronically will be difficult," Smith said. "But getting accurate and complete measures is really difficult." [ For another point of view on healthcare technology, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/patient/232400272 ?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Why Personal Health Records Have Flopped</a>. ] Smith added this concern builds on an ongoing conversation that originated with the formation of Meaningful Use. "It is a concern that hospitals submit data or attest to clinical quality measures, even though they know them to be incomplete and inaccurate," he said. Although Smith recognized the idea behind Stages 1 and 2 of Meaningful Use is to make sure reporting is possible – not necessarily accurate, -- "you can see where hospitals and clinicians are nervous whenever they click on a button saying, 'I attest to these measures coming out of the EHR, even though these measures aren't correct.'" In addition to questioning the readiness of electronic reporting, Smith said CHIME's second concern was in regard to CMS' <a href="https://www.qualitynet.org/dcs/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=QnetPublic%2FPage%2FQnetTier2&cid=1228771190900">volunteer pilot program</a>, which allows hospitals to submit <a href="https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/CQM_QA_Transcript_2011_10_17.pdf">clinical quality measure</a> (CQM) data electronically as part of the EHR incentive payments program, rather than through attestation. In CHIME's statement to CMS, the organization urges CMS to broaden the program to more hospitals, while using results from pilot participants to better gauge hospital and vendor readiness of EHRs to support electronic quality measurements. "We want to support the program," Smith said. However, CHIME believes CMS could do more to endorse it. "We tried to say, go back to the pilot program and find a way to promote it more," he said. "That can help push the ball forward in terms of readiness assessment and getting people to do this. The scary thing in our mind is everyone has to do this in 2014 -- we're not concerned the technology and capabilities won't be there to do it, but the technology and capabilities won't be there to do it in a complete and accurate way." Lastly, Smith said CHIME wants to reiterate the workflow implications of designing measures for paper that are now meant to transition into an EHR. "Just because there's a note section of the EHR doesn't mean that section is coded in a structured way," he said. "[This is] a plea for CMS to make sure ... they understand and have some sense of what the problem is."2013-01-30T12:33:00ZQuality Measure Reporting For EHRs Needs WorkMistakes indicate a need for redefined quality measures suited for EHRs, say researchers who conducted Weill Cornell study.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/quality-measure-reporting-for-ehrs-needs/240147317?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href=" http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/943/Cerner-patient-portal_tn.png" alt=" 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" title="1 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Portals Powering Patient Engagement</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Although most clinical quality measures remain accurate when measured electronically, some need to be refined to better suit documentation patterns in an electronic health record, concluded a recent study done by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College. And with providers and hospitals being offered up to $27 billion in federal incentives to electronically demonstrate improvements in care quality, the study reveals how challenging it can be to measure quality in an "electronic era," said Rainu Kaushal, MD, report author, in a <a href= "http://weill.cornell.edu/news/releases/wcmc/wcmc_2013/01_15_13.shtml">statement</a>. The study, recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), sought to gauge the accuracy of electronic reporting for 12 quality measures <a href="http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/2014_ClinicalQualityMeasures.html">released</a> by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last fall. Nine of the 12 measures proved to be reliable, but three failed to remain consistent. In an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare, Lisa Kern, MD, a director of research at Weill Cornell, said this variation in quality measurement proves there is a need for redefined quality measures suited for EHRs. She and her team identified 1,154 patients who received care at a network of clinics. For every patient they identified which quality measurements were applicable to them. [ For another point of view on PHRs, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/patient/232400272 ?itc=edit_in_body_cross"> Why Personal Health Records Have Flopped</a>. ] For every patient, the team collected data in two different ways: with a manual review of electronic record data, and with automated reporting through a program designed to extract data from an EHR. This program, she said, allowed researchers to view data all at once, and see agreements between the manual review and the automated report without having to individually review quality measurements for each patient. "We looked at the two methods of review; they were fairly consistent for nine of the 12 measures, but for three measures, there was a significant disagreement between the two methods," she said. For example, electronic reporting resulted in one measure underestimating the percentage of patients receiving prescriptions for asthma and vaccinations to protect against pneumonia. Another measure suggested more patients with diabetes had their cholesterol under control then actually did. Part of the problem, researchers suggested, could be that physicians and nurses inputting information are doing so in places in the EHR system that aren't being captured by quality reporting algorithms. The report concluded that there is substantial "measure-to-measure variability" when it comes to the accuracy of electronically reported clinical measures, leaving room for practicing physicians to become increasingly concerned with the ability of quality reports to accurately represent the care they provide. "If electronic reports are not proven to be accurate, their ability to change physicians' behavior to achieve higher quality, the underlying goal, will be undermined," the report read. In conclusion, researchers suggested national programs that link financial incentives to quality reporting should require EHR vendors to demonstrate the accuracy of their automated reports. Mobile applications are the new way to extend government information and services to on-the-go citizens and employees. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Anytime, Anywhere</a> issue of InformationWeek Government: A new initiative aims to shift the 17-member Intelligence Community from agency-specific IT silos to an enterprise environment of shared systems and services. (Free registration required.)2013-01-29T09:58:00Z7 Portals Powering Patient EngagementMeaningful Use has put new strains on providers in terms of patient engagement, but these portals help ease the burden, says recent KLAS report.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/7-portals-powering-patient-engagement/240147137?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcareBetween Meaningful Use and the concept of accountable care, patient portals went from behind the scenes to front and center in 2012, according to a recent <a href="http://www.klasresearch.com/news/pressroom/2013/PatientPortals">KLAS report</a>. Since this transition, the healthcare industry is seeing more engaged patients. In fact, a recent <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/do-patient-portals-ramp-up-cost-of-healt/240142867">study by Kaiser Permanente</a> showed that patients who had access to their online records and who may have taken advantage of other features on a patient portal used the healthcare system more than those who opted out of a portal. As the use of patient portals increases and health information networks look to spur the innovation of patient portals through <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/new-york-challenges-developers-to-create/240146604">design challenges</a>, KLAS looked at the leading patient portals already on the market. According to the study, MU requirements have increased the urgency of patient portals, but that hasn't changed providers' approach to adopting these systems. KLAS interviewed 104 providers on what portals are being used or considered, and what role they're playing on the healthcare stage. More than half of those interviewed -- 57% -- already have a portal in place. "Most continue to use the portal aligned with their EMR, valuing the opportunity for easier integration," read the report. "Few [respondents] mentioned functionality as a driver for portal selection. Community hospitals and physician groups faced with the need to integrate disparate EMRs often go with best of breed." EMR-based portals are a given for many who implemented these systems. According to the study, 71% of respondents who have a portal chose a product from their EMR vendor, and 68% of those without a portal planned to select one based on their EMR vendor. Portals that are either bundled or integrated with an EMR system not only save providers time and money, they also eliminate the need to invest in a new vendor relationship, learn a new system and build interfaces. What's interesting, though, is that few respondents cited functionality in their portal selection criteria. Despite the onslaught on Meaningful Use Stage 2, this trend suggests that either today's portals have strong functionality or expectations are low, said KLAS. "In either case, current portal users appear satisfied," the report read. "When asked to assess the strength of their portal in six areas, average ratings ranged from 3.9 to 4.5 on a 1-5 scale." Given the satisfaction many respondents have with their system, KLAS took a closer look at the top seven portals powering patient engagement. Click through to see solutions from Epic -- whose MyChart system accounted for 42% of respondents using portals in the study -- Cerner, McKesson, and more.According to the KLAS report, Epic is a "highly regarded portal product with robust functionality." The portal is available only to Epic clients for data from Epic EMRs, yet it accounted for 42% of total portal users in the report's interview sample. In the report, Epic MyChart had the highest percentage of clients sharing clinical data and provider messaging. It was also ranked as easy to use and popular among patients. Some respondents said they want to implement more advanced functionalities into the system, like connectivity with home health devices. Overall, the report concluded Epic holds an advantage in its customer base due to integration benefits and its single-vendor strategy. Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/medical-compliance-app-proves-power-of-f/240146390"> Medical Compliance App Proves Power of Friends, Family</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/internet-has-yet-to-replace-family-docto/240146335"> Internet Has Yet To Replace Family Doctors </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/meaningful-use-slowly-increases-ehr-use/240146903"> Meaningful Use Slowly Increases EHR Use In Hospitals</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/ehr-vendors-join-chorus-against-federal/240146818"> EHR Vendors Join Chorus Against Federal Deadlines </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/telehealth-to-grow-six-fold-by-2017/240146847"> Telehealth to Grow Six-Fold By 2017 </a>Early feedback for Cerner's patient portal suggests good functionality and integration to Cerner outpatient and inpatient EMRs. Its most-offered features are patient clinical records, patient scheduling, and provider messaging. Cerner's portal was also most considered for future rollout, according to the report. However, the report showed that more providers are considering Cerner's portal than are actually using it. While early feedback from Cerner users is positive, the primary driver to Cerner is the single-vendor strategy. One respondent said, "Our strategy has been if Cerner has it, we will use it. If not, we will go elsewhere...I had the money budgeted, and it was more natural to go that way." Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/medical-compliance-app-proves-power-of-f/240146390"> Medical Compliance App Proves Power of Friends, Family</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/internet-has-yet-to-replace-family-docto/240146335"> Internet Has Yet To Replace Family Doctors </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/meaningful-use-slowly-increases-ehr-use/240146903"> Meaningful Use Slowly Increases EHR Use In Hospitals</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/ehr-vendors-join-chorus-against-federal/240146818"> EHR Vendors Join Chorus Against Federal Deadlines </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/telehealth-to-grow-six-fold-by-2017/240146847"> Telehealth to Grow Six-Fold By 2017 </a> Intuit Health, known for being an EMR-agnostic solution, was rated as having good functionality, especially when it comes to bill payment. Satisfaction, though, was split between very positive and very negative experiences. Some respondents saw negative impact on company support after the Medfusion acquisition, while integration challenges exist for some communities with disparate EMRs. Intuit is typically used by physician groups, who find it user-friendly and appreciate its ability to handle physician referrals. Difficulties with interfaces, though, and slowdown in support have hurt the vendor's most recent KLAS scores. Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/medical-compliance-app-proves-power-of-f/240146390"> Medical Compliance App Proves Power of Friends, Family</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/internet-has-yet-to-replace-family-docto/240146335"> Internet Has Yet To Replace Family Doctors </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/meaningful-use-slowly-increases-ehr-use/240146903"> Meaningful Use Slowly Increases EHR Use In Hospitals</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/ehr-vendors-join-chorus-against-federal/240146818"> EHR Vendors Join Chorus Against Federal Deadlines </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/telehealth-to-grow-six-fold-by-2017/240146847"> Telehealth to Grow Six-Fold By 2017 </a>According to the report, Jardogs' FollowMyHealth system is the most-used best-of-breed portal in the study. The vendor is EMR-agnostic; however, most clients are Allscripts sites. Jardogs also claims to be "provider-agnostic form a patient point of view, as the system can function as a PHR and combine data from unrelated providers." Respondents said the vendor has proactive service and support as well as easy implementations. There are concerns regarding the social networking-based login, though, especially regarding privacy and accessibility for older patients. Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/medical-compliance-app-proves-power-of-f/240146390"> Medical Compliance App Proves Power of Friends, Family</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/internet-has-yet-to-replace-family-docto/240146335"> Internet Has Yet To Replace Family Doctors </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/meaningful-use-slowly-increases-ehr-use/240146903"> Meaningful Use Slowly Increases EHR Use In Hospitals</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/ehr-vendors-join-chorus-against-federal/240146818"> EHR Vendors Join Chorus Against Federal Deadlines </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/telehealth-to-grow-six-fold-by-2017/240146847"> Telehealth to Grow Six-Fold By 2017 </a> Medseek is an EMR-agnostic vendor, and most of the study's respondents considered it the best-of-breed portal in the study. The vendor has few live sites -- in fact, only one respondent surveyed was actually using the Medseek portal -- but according to the report, it has garnered significant mindshare. Initial feedback was mixed, with some users having success with the tool and others still working through issues. The most-mentioned concerns among users were long implementations and limited technical support. Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/medical-compliance-app-proves-power-of-f/240146390"> Medical Compliance App Proves Power of Friends, Family</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/internet-has-yet-to-replace-family-docto/240146335"> Internet Has Yet To Replace Family Doctors </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/meaningful-use-slowly-increases-ehr-use/240146903"> Meaningful Use Slowly Increases EHR Use In Hospitals</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/ehr-vendors-join-chorus-against-federal/240146818"> EHR Vendors Join Chorus Against Federal Deadlines </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/telehealth-to-grow-six-fold-by-2017/240146847"> Telehealth to Grow Six-Fold By 2017 </a> NetGen is a default option for many NextGen EMR users due to its native integration. The portal has competitive functionality, but cost remains an issue for some clients who feel nickel-and-dimed. The portal, however, is viewed as innovative by users, and some customers mentioned NextGen as an additional option for gathering patient data. Of those participating in the study, about 7% opted for NextGen's portal over other prominent portals like Cerner, Allscripts and eClinicalWorks. Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/medical-compliance-app-proves-power-of-f/240146390"> Medical Compliance App Proves Power of Friends, Family</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/internet-has-yet-to-replace-family-docto/240146335"> Internet Has Yet To Replace Family Doctors </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/meaningful-use-slowly-increases-ehr-use/240146903"> Meaningful Use Slowly Increases EHR Use In Hospitals</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/ehr-vendors-join-chorus-against-federal/240146818"> EHR Vendors Join Chorus Against Federal Deadlines </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/telehealth-to-grow-six-fold-by-2017/240146847"> Telehealth to Grow Six-Fold By 2017 </a>RelayHealth is the second most-used vendor and is also considered a best-of-breed vendor according to the study. The portal, RelayAccount, is widely adopted for bill pay and statements, but it doesn't support clinical activities. Other users opt for RelayHealth's HIE-based portal for sharing clinical data with patients, and a handful of clients use both solutions. In addition, a large portion of RelayHealth's portal clients are also clients of RelayHealth's parent company, McKesson. However, neither of the RelayHealth portal options are tied to McKesson EMRs. Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/medical-compliance-app-proves-power-of-f/240146390"> Medical Compliance App Proves Power of Friends, Family</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/internet-has-yet-to-replace-family-docto/240146335"> Internet Has Yet To Replace Family Doctors </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/meaningful-use-slowly-increases-ehr-use/240146903"> Meaningful Use Slowly Increases EHR Use In Hospitals</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/ehr-vendors-join-chorus-against-federal/240146818"> EHR Vendors Join Chorus Against Federal Deadlines </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/telehealth-to-grow-six-fold-by-2017/240146847"> Telehealth to Grow Six-Fold By 2017 </a>2013-01-25T13:37:00ZHospital Logs Productivity, Revenue Gains From Desktop VirtualizationTallahassee Memorial Healthcare turned to Dell's mobile computing tool to increase physician productivity and simplify single sign-on.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/hospital-logs-productivity-revenue-gains/240146995?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ss01081310mobilehealthappsunclesam/240145790"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/937/01_Opening_Image_tn.jpg" alt="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" title="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare had a problem with mobility. The hospital system needed to let its doctors and nurses use tablets and smartphones to share clinical data throughout the organization in a secure and viable way. By using desktop virtualization, the system is poised to see projected risk-adjusted benefits of $636,235 over the next three years and get increased productivity from physicians, said Dr. Ron Machado, faculty at TMH's residency program, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. "We had to come up with a solution in light of HIPAA and hospital policy, and we had to make it happen where doctors and nurses were going to interact with the clinical data going back and forth," said Machado. One key decision was to "keep as little data as possible on a device," he said. "With that came this pilot and our implementation." TMH, a not-for-profit system serving 16 counties in North Florida and South Georgia, began a pilot implementation of Dell's Mobile Client Computing (MCC) software, which includes desktop virtualization and identity access management tools. TMH tested it with 55 physicians using the system throughout their day for seven months. In turn, TMH achieved a risk-adjusted ROI of 83%, with a payback period of 13 months, a recent <a href="http://content.dell.com/us/en/healthcare/d/public~solutions~healthcare~en/Documents~total-economic-impact-mcc-solution.pdf.aspx">Forrester study</a> said. Much of the projected benefit will come from increased revenue due to higher doctor productivity, the study concluded. [ Is it time to re-engineer your clinical decision support system? See <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/healthcare/clinical-systems/232300511?itc=edit_in_body_cross"> 10 Innovative Clinical Decision Support Programs</a>. ] TMH began its desktop virtualization pilot in January 2012. The system's IT department was considering developing a virtual desktop solution itself, however, it determined it didn't have the bandwidth to do so. In addition, the system estimated developing, designing, creating and implementing a virtual desktop in house would have taken an additional 1,200 hours. Although the cost of hardware, software, services and training for an in-house implementation would have remained the same as Dell's, Dell's approach avoided $54,000 in staff time. Dell's MCC software includes single-sign-on, a smartcard for sign-on authentication and roaming session transfer, which allows access to a virtual desktop from any location. The study projected increased revenue of $1,474,000 from better physician productivity and patient interaction. Machado said the software's single-sign-on feature was a main driver of increased productivity among physicians. The standard for physicians using a clinical system is having to go through multiple layers of log-in to maintain security, he said. "If you implement a system of that nature, you're going to get a lot of frustration and slowed down productivity," he said. "... [M]obile clinical computing with single-sign-on functionality speeds up that process; you're able to [sign on] more rapidly. Physicians don't realize it because it's quite simple, but they're passing through and the security is simplified, and that's where they capture that extra patient interaction per day." Due to increased productivity rates, the Forrester study estimates that TMH will eventually be able to schedule an additional "one or two patients per day, per physician." The Forrester study also warned that to get similar results as TMH, organizations need to have a shared storage (SAN) environment, have started virtualizing their data center environment, have a "relatively sophisticated IT staff," and be planning to adopt an electronic medical records system with a virtual desktop infrastructure as an implementation vehicle. Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/111212hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.)2013-01-23T14:20:00ZHIPAA Changes Could Create New Bureaucratic BurdensModifications to HIPAA may take the focus off patients and pile on administrative work.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/hipaa-changes-could-create-new-bureaucra/240146842?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ss01081310mobilehealthappsunclesam/240145790"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/937/01_Opening_Image_tn.jpg" alt="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" title="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Changes coming to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule mean added administrative work, and they could mean additional reporting, said Lisa Sotto, head of Hunton & Williams' global privacy and data security practice in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced what Office of Civil Rights (OCR) director Leon Rodriguez called "sweeping changes" to HIPAA that will strengthen the OCR's ability to <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/01/20130117b.html">enforce HIPAA</a>. The changes, also known as the final omnibus rule, are broken down into four parts, HHS explained in a PDF document</a>. Among the four parts are modifications to the HIPAA security rule first proposed in July 2010; changes to HIPAA enforcement to incorporate the tiered civil monetary penalty structure provided by the HITECH Act; a final rule on breach notification for unsecured protected health information under the HITECH Act; and a final rule modifying the HIPAA Privacy Rule as required by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) to prohibit health plans from using or disclosing genetic information for underwriting purposes. [ For the latest developments on Meaningful Use, see <a href=" http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/meaningful-use-stage-2-rules-finalized/240006128?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Meaningful Use Stage 2 Rules Finalized</a>. ] The final rule focusing on breach notifications creates a "significant shift" in the new issuance from a harm-based standard to a focus on the probability that data is compromised in any data leak, Sotto said. The interim final rule had used a harm threshold that meant companies had to notify patients of a data loss if there was a significant risk of patient harm. That threshold has been replaced by a presumption that data privacy is compromised when data is exposed, unless the organization can demonstrate there was a low probability that personal health information had been compromised based on a set of factors. "The focus on harm to the individual and any injury the individual may suffer has been eclipsed by the question of whether the PHI has been compromised," she said. OCR considers this a more objective standard, but "I like the idea of the assessment focusing on the individual, rather than thinking about a breach in a vacuum without strong reference to the individual," Sotto said. The new rules also could force organizations to know how data is handled by business partners. A "business associate" amendment was part of HITECH when it was first enacted in 2009. What's changed as part of the first rule, said Sotto, is that HHS has imposed an obligation "all the way downstream" to every subcontractor that has access to PHI. This results in "some very long chains of custody for data," she said. "There's a huge bureaucratic burden that's about to hit because every business associate agreement in place needs to be amended, and a huge wave of businesses in the U.S. will be hit with business associate-like agreements because they're subcontractors," said Sotto. "They could be the subcontractor of a subcontractor to the business associate of a covered entity." IT organizations will have to let all their subcontractors know they're directly responsible for HIPAA compliance, she said. "This is an enormous administrative burden that's about to happen," Sotto warned. Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/111212hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.)2013-01-22T15:07:00ZSocial Media Changes Healthcare LandscapeNew book explores the shifting role of the patient thanks to Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, and warns that this phenomenon shouldn't be ignored.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/social-media-changes-healthcare-landscap/240146670?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ss01081310mobilehealthappsunclesam/240145790"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/937/01_Opening_Image_tn.jpg" alt="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" title="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Although meeting federal Meaningful Use requirements remains a critical focus for health IT professionals, authors of the new book <a href="http://www.springerpub.com/product/9780826195883">Social Media for Nurses</a> say the social media phenomenon warrants equal attention. "They can't go off into Meaningful Use and miss this," warned co-author Ramona Nelson, professor at Slippery Rock University, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. Nelson wrote the book along with coauthors Debra Wolf, PhD, associate professor of nursing at Chatham University, and Irene Joos, PhD, associate professor of information systems and technology at La Roche College. Nurses need to be good communicators, Nelson contends, and increasingly, that will include communicating via online, social communities, including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Social media, Wolf predicts, will become a "large part of healthcare" due to the number of people with chronic illnesses who can't access care other than in a virtual setting. "We need to begin preparing the population and future healthcare providers for this road," she said. [ For another point of view on PHRs, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/patient/232400272?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Why Personal Health Records Have Flopped</a>. ] As patients increasingly turn toward social media to access healthcare and self-diagnose, the patient-provider relationship is changing, the book argues. The first step in this change came when patients gained access to medical information online. Now they're adding the power of crowd sourcing, which means the healthcare industry isn't just seeing a more educated patient but also patients interpreting information and, essentially, becoming a member of their healthcare team. "Patients are becoming our colleagues," said Nelson. "It's changing relationships and the kinds of questions and services a patient asks for." Some providers believe that healthcare can be provided only in a face-to-face visit, said Nelson. Although that sometimes is the best means to quality health care, she said, "it's not the only means and can actually limit the value of healthcare delivery if practiced exclusively. … Social media has become so integrated into our lives and health care, and we believe it must be incorporated into health care [curricula] and policy." With healthcare becoming increasingly virtual, said Wolf, it's becoming the provider's responsibility to direct patients to the best online resources. Looking ahead, Wolf advises that nurses and practitioners need to incorporate social media into a strategic plan to determine how they're going to use different platforms and extend services through them. This plan, she said, should be created from a clinical perspective as well as an IT perspective, allowing for an interdisciplinary approach. "Clinicians in services may not understand websites or synchronized information versus unsynchronized information," she said. "They need the wisdom of an IT person to get them out there virtually." Mobile applications are the new way to extend government information and services to on-the-go citizens and employees. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Anytime, Anywhere</a> issue of InformationWeek Government: A new initiative aims to shift the 17-member Intelligence Community from agency-specific IT silos to an enterprise environment of shared systems and services. (Free registration required.)2013-01-18T12:38:00ZNew York Challenges Developers To Create Patient PortalPortal to let New Yorkers access their health data is "tip of the iceberg" for future state-wide consumer health applications, says contest sponsor New York eHealth Collaborative.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/new-york-challenges-developers-to-create/240146604?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ss01081310mobilehealthappsunclesam/240145790"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/937/01_Opening_Image_tn.jpg" alt="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" title="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Designers and developers are invited to create a new patient portal to give New York residents access to their health information online. The portal is important -- a way for New Yorkers to access their health information online -- but it's just the "tip of the iceberg" for letting developers build applications that use New York's statewide network of e-health data, said David Whitlinger, executive director of New York eHealth Collaborative, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. <a href="http://nyehealth.org/"> NYeC</a>, a non-profit organization, manages the State Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY). The network has now pulled enough data from regional health information organizations that NYeC, in partnership with health IT catalyst Health 2.0, is opening it up to the design of a patient portal and the future possibility of additional apps. "Part of the way we've established the network is we've built it as a platform, so it allows us to create a programmatic environment, and we can build an ecosystem of applications," said Whitlinger. "….[W]e're launching this challenge, and the opportunity is large, but we think this is going to spur many applications for the consumer, the patient, the New Yorker." [ For another point of view on PHRs, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/patient/232400272 ?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Why Personal Health Records Have Flopped</a>. ] Designers and developers have until April 11 to submit mockups for the challenge, and they already can access a "sandbox" where designers and developers can get dummy patient data. The sandbox has all the programming attributes of building an application against it, and Whitlinger said NYeC is looking for mockups that express how users can interact with their health records in an <a href= "http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-health-tools-to-get-patients-engaged/240008652">engaging</a> and interactive way. Mockups must let patients log on with a user name and password, view a full layout of their health record, and access a list of medical professionals. The portal also will provide an overview of patient privacy rights. "So today, we're able to reach out to the developer and creative community and say 'Okay, we now have a platform that's built up enough records and is programmatically available -- come with your best and brightest," he said. "We want those mockups to be really innovative with the user interface and the user experience -- so how to not represent data in a dull and static way so it doesn't have value beyond the folks who crave that utility, but an engaging application or set of applications." After the April 11 deadline, New Yorkers can vote on the mockups online and in a series of webinars, Whitlinger said. NYeC might also open up voting in a larger, in-person forum to hear opinions directly. Since NYeC was formed, Whitlinger added, the collaborative has received numerous phone calls from state residents asking for access to records. "Anyone with a disease and who has the less-than-desirable need to carry around their paper records … they can't wait for this functionality," he said. "We're really anxious to be able to tap into that pent-up demand and say, 'Okay, here are 20 great ideas from the design community. Tell us what you like, don't like, mix and match: give us your thoughts and become part of one of the largest user focus groups ever launched." Once winners are determined, the challenge will award $25,000 in prizes to first, second and third place. NYeC also will work with a vendor to build the portal and run it on behalf of the state via its health information exchange network. Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/111212hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.)2013-01-16T11:44:00ZMedical Compliance App Proves Power Of Friends, FamilyMediSafe's mobile "pillbox" app drives up medication adherence rates by sharing information with patients' loved ones.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/medical-compliance-app-proves-power-of-f/240146390?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ss01081310mobilehealthappsunclesam/240145790"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/937/01_Opening_Image_tn.jpg" alt="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" title="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  By letting friends and family know when a patient has not taken his or her meds, the <a href= "http://www.medisafeproject.com/">MediSafe Project</a> is seeing significant rises in adherence rates after its launch in November 2012. Users of the mobile app have reported an adherence rate of 81%, with Statin users' adherence at nearly 85%, according to MediSafe. According to the World Health Organization, average adherence rates remain near 50%, 31% below MediSafe's numbers. Omri 'Bob' Shor, MediSafe Project CEO, said in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare that the idea for the MediSafe app was inspired by his father, a diabetic patient who experienced a potentially fatal double dose of insulin after failing to remember whether or not he took the medication earlier in the day. "We understood taking medication was based on memory," Shor said. "We wanted to find a way for people to adhere to their medication … and we started to think about how we could differentiate MediSafe." [ For the latest development on Meaningful Use, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/meaningful-use-stage-2-rules-finalized/240006128?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Meaningful Use Stage 2 Rules Finalized</a>. ] From there, Shor and his team developed MediSafe, a cloud-based solution that shares adherence information with a patient's friends or family members. The app is available for both Android and iOS users. A user can opt to download the app and act as an anonymous user or, after entering personal information, can sync to a family member's profile. After doing this, Shor said, a user will see both profiles side by side. "For example, my dad is supposed to inject insulin," Shor said. "A reminder from MediSafe pops up [on my phone] maybe an hour after my dad was supposed to take his medication, saying a problem may have occurred, and he may have forgotten to take his pills." From there, a family member has the option to choose the "call" function, which automatically connects his/her to their family member's phone. If the family member has taken the medication on time, the app also alerts loved ones after he/she reports it to the app. "That's the social and family support that helps people adhere to medication," Shor said. "Receiving notifications via texting, calling … it's essentially closing the loop with the family." Shor said syncing information to a Web version of the app will happen within the next three to four months. Until the Web version is available, Shor said, Android users will get access to a downloadable list of their medications, dosages and compliance rates, allowing them to share information with their doctor. Lastly, Shor and his team are also working on an automated phone system for people without a smartphone. "So if grandma is taking [medication] and doesn't have a smartphone, I can sign her up with my app," he said. The app will then generate calls to a landline number, prompting the family member to press one if he/she took her medication, two if he/she didn't, and so on. This function will also come in handy for providers without smartphones, he said, and can generate similar phone calls to report back if a patient did indeed take their medication. MediSafe was recently chosen as <a href= "http://blogs.technet.com/b/bizspark_featured_startups/archive/2012/12/04/featured-startup-on-azure-medisafe-project.aspx">Microsoft's BizSpark Startup of the Day</a> after being part of the first graduating class of the <a href= "http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/accelerator/azure/">Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure</a>, a three-month immersion program for 10 startups that were developing in the cloud. Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/111212hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.)2013-01-14T18:30:00ZGetWell Network Puts New Spin On Patient EngagementGetWell Network's patient engagement pathways are helping organizations achieve substantial drops in readmission rates and rises in Hospital Care Access Program scores.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/getwell-network-puts-new-spin-on-patient/240146260?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ss01081310mobilehealthappsunclesam/240145790"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/937/01_Opening_Image_tn.jpg" alt="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" title="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Through the use of interactive patient care technology, Maryland-based <a href= "http://www.getwellnetwork.com/">GetWell Network</a> aims to boost patient engagement across the country, a much-needed asset for hospitals and medical practices trying to meet Meaningful Use Stage 2 regs. The vendor points to provider organizations that have already seen drops in readmission rates and rises in quality and safety scores using their tools. The company functions on the premise that "a more active, <a href= "http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-health-tools-to-get-patients-engaged/240008652">engaged patient</a> is a better patient who will have better outcomes if we find a way to hardwire patient involvement in their care," said GetWell Network's founder and CEO Michael O'Neil in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. About 10 years ago, O'Neil was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and after surgery and four cycles of chemotherapy, O'Neil was cancer-free but had mixed feelings about his experience with the care process. "Throughout our journey, [my family and I] felt like we were on the outside looking in; care was being done to us as opposed to care being done with us. So we began researching and writing about this new concept of interactive patient care." From there, O'Neil launched GetWell Network, which focuses on building solutions and deploying them alongside provider partners. The technology, O'Neil said, is aimed at incorporating patient engagement into the care process and then measuring outcomes. "The most important thing about the technology is the workflow engine we developed called Patient Pathways," O'Neil said. These pathways, O'Neil explained, integrate into various steps of a patient's care process and are designed based on third-party metrics providers are required to do well with in regard to both value-based purchasing and Meaningful Use. There are about 30 pathways available through GetWell Network. The company's discharge pathway, for instance, was designed to help providers and patients better prepare prior to a patient leaving the hospital. GetWell Network integrates into an organization's EMR, and after gaining access to a patient's data, alerts him a day or two before his discharge date. The technology works through the patient's television and allows GetWell Network to overlap content, like how to schedule a follow-up appointment, on top of television programs. [ For the latest development on Meaningful Use, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/policy/meaningful-use-stage-2-rules-finalized/240006128?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Meaningful Use Stage 2 Rules Finalized</a>. ] "We begin to get the patient involved," said O'Neil. "And as the patient becomes engaged in the platform, we push that data back into the EMR." The technology also alerts clinicians when a patient isn't far enough along in the discharge process, allowing a clinician or nurse to help with the process if need be. "We use a series of these workflows around specific outcome areas to drive the lowering of costs and the improvement of quality and service," O'Neil said. GetWell Network worked with Banner Health's Cardon Children's Medical Center in Mesa, Ariz. to develop a pediatric asthma care program using a similar discharge pathway. The plan involves four phases of preparing patients and their parents for discharge, and according to O'Neil, the organization has seen a substantial drop in readmission rates after deploying the program. "Over an 18-month period, they've seen readmission rates go down from 4.2% within 30-day readmission rates to 0.01% -- that's a 99% reduction of people who completed the care plan," he said. "This isn't just waving a flag at how great the tool is; it's also the commitment of the organization to leverage the information and combine our tools with their staff to see these outcomes." Using similar pathways to help with HCAP scores and improvements in quality of care, Florida Hospital Celebration Health, a 174-bed facility in Celebration, Fla., saw increases like an 11.4% increase in nurse communication, a 5.3% increase in staff responsiveness, and a 24.6% increase in room cleanliness. "HCAPs impact both quality and service of care, but also the hospital's financial performance," said O'Neil. The folks at Florida Hospital Celebration Health sought to increase patient satisfaction scores and perceptions of their facility. They used a GetWell Network pathway to reach out to patients across the organization at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily to gauge satisfaction scores. "They designed a process to address concerns, and as a result, gained more interaction and commitment on behalf of their staff," said O'Neil. "What you're seeing over a 9- to 12-month period is an increase in HCAP areas that are difficult to move the needle on for hospitals." Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/111212hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.)2013-01-14T11:55:00ZE-Prescribing Growth To Pop As Penalties ApproachE-prescription adoption will grow in 2013, but challenges persist in connectivity, funding and state regulations, says Black Book study.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/admin-systems/e-prescribing-growth-to-pop-as-penalties/240146166?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ss01081310mobilehealthappsunclesam/240145790"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/937/01_Opening_Image_tn.jpg" alt="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" title="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Black Book Market Research's 2013 <a href="http://www.blackbookrankings.com/healthcare/rankings-e-prescribing.php">ranking</a> of e-prescribing systems predicts substantial growth in 2013, propelled by federal government and commercial health insurance. The use of e-prescribing has grown from 6% of physicians using these systems in 2007 to 65% in 2012, and, as penalties approach, Black Book estimates more physicians will jump on the e-prescribing bandwagon to earn incentive money and achieve Meaningful Use. "There seems to be an onslaught of clinicians trying to get implementation done in time for Meaningful Use," said Doug Brown, managing partner at Black Book, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. "People were stretched thin with everything, dissatisfaction was there, and some couldn't get a system implemented. According to what we can tell from surveying users, they're spending time looking at vendors because they're having trepidation of not meeting Meaningful Use." Black Book ranked overall e-prescribing client satisfaction scores for a number of systems and broke down its findings into five categories: Best electronic health record (EHR)/standalone e-RX product partnership; best standalone e-RX; best EHR-based integrated e-RX module; best "meaningful user" for stage 1 and stage 2 achievement; and best system for interoperability, connectivity and achievement. Practice Fusion took home the top prize for best system for Meaningful Use and EHR-based integrated module, while <a href="http://www.drfirst.com/">DrFirst</a> earned the highest satisfaction scores as the best standalone e-RX system, and for its partnership with Greenway Medical. Finally, Emdeon earned the highest satisfaction rates for interoperability, connectivity and achievement. [ For more background on e-prescribing tools, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/healthcare/CPOE/231901601?itc=edit_in_body_cross">6 E-Prescribing Vendors To Watch</a>. ] Brown said some of the findings were expected. For example, DrFirst has seen consistently high scores "since they've been around for a while and had clients using their system before EHRs; folks were just on their e-RX system," he said. "As Meaningful Use became more of an initiative for physician offices, they were already comfortable with DrFirst…[T]hose companies experience higher user satisfaction because it makes it simple to implement an [electronic medical record] on top of their e-RX system." <a href="http://www.practicefusion.com/pages/ePrescribing.html">Practice Fusion</a> experienced similar results. "Their EHR had been around for a long time and always had consistent, high satisfaction scores," Brown said. "They have the least rankings that show disruption or contemplating change by clients. For instance, some [clients] show dissatisfaction with an e-RX and their EMR as this point. Next year, we're going to see some changes being made." Given physicians' concern with meeting Meaningful Use requirements, Black Book also ranked the top 10 systems for achieving MU by measuring clients "on track" for achieving both Stage 1 and Stage 2 based on their vendor of choice. Practice Fusion topped the list, followed by Athenahealth, SRS Soft and Vitera. Brown noted an interesting trend in e-RX adoption and meeting Meaningful Use requirements. "There is some vendor flux going on, particularly with facility-based EMRs," he said. "Those who put financial investments into purchasing an e-RX system aren't seeing the support they expect as far as staff education, customization, those kinds of issues." As a result, Brown said Black Book is seeing 40% of clients who have a facility-based program expecting to increase their budget to address these issues or change to another system to help meet Meaningful Use requirements. "Sixty percent across the board, clients were happy with systems, but 40% of facility-based systems are anticipating some sort of flux with vendors," he said. Although significant growth is expected in the year ahead, the report outlined several challenges that will still persist with the implementation of e-prescribing systems. Funding is a top concern for providers. "All physicians, but particularly those in small practices, the inner city or in rural settings, may believe that the cost of a system is too high for them to ever receive a positive return on investment," the report said. In addition, connectivity poses problems. Although almost all chain pharmacies -- 97% -- are connected to the e-prescribing system, a vast majority of independent pharmacies are not. State regulations also can create challenges with their variations in who may prescribe, what may be prescribed and under what circumstances. "Reconciliation of those laws and requirements is important because many Americans live in one state and may obtain healthcare in another," the report read. "State governments … need to conduct their own analysis of laws and regulations within their own states so as to update to accommodate e-prescribing, [like] reconciling paper documentation requirements with electronic data storage, [and] facilitate e-prescribing and other health information exchange across state lines." Our 2012 State Of Servers report takes a look at three major technology trends emerging from our latest survey. Also in the new issue of <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/121712it/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">IT Trends</a>: Performance and endurance gains plus lower cost give multilevel cell flash the edge over expensive single-level cell. (Free registration required.)2013-01-11T15:19:00ZAthenahealth, Epocrates Partner To Capture Physician MindshareEHR vendor's acquisition of online drug reference pioneer Epocrates could result in better mobile tools for doctors.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/athenahealth-epocrates-partner-to-captur/240146090?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ss01081310mobilehealthappsunclesam/240145790"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/937/01_Opening_Image_tn.jpg" alt="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" title="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Cloud-based EMR provider Athenahealth recently announced the acquisition of Epocrates, a mobile health company best known for its drug reference database. Athenahealth hopes the partnership will expand its reach, while building on Epocrates' success to date in transforming the way physicians engage with clinical information," according to a company <a href= "http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130107005767/en/Athenahealth-Acquire-Mobile-Health-Leader-Epocrates">press release</a>. "No other company has been able to replicate the brand awareness, familiarity, and trust that Epocrates has across the clinical mobile user base," said Jonathan Bush, president and CEO of Athenahealth. The acquisition will benefit Athenahealth users in a number of ways, said the company. By combining Epocrates' mobile expertise with Athenahealth's cloud-based network, the companies are hoping to be better positioned to introduce new mobile apps, along with more advanced workflows. Efforts to improve workflows will initially focus on care coordination, provider-to-provider communication, and patient engagement tools, said the company. [ For another point of view on PHRs, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/patient/232400272?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Why Personal Health Records Have Flopped</a>. ] Shahid Shah, software analyst and author of the blog <a href="http://www.healthcareguy.com/">The Healthcare IT Guy</a>, said in an email to InformationWeek Healthcare that the Epocrates acquisition is a "brilliant move" for Athenahealth from a physician mindshare perspective. "If Athenahealth is able to take all of the years of goodwill that Epocrates has gained and start associating Athenahealth's brand, products, and services to the physicians [who] use Epocrates, then they'll start off well," he said. However, he warned it's still unclear whether "Athenahealth wants to or could monetize Epocrates better than Epocrates could on its own, but they have a good initial strategy." In a company conference call, Bush said both companies' "missions and cultures provide the perfect platform to fix strategic problems" in their businesses. For example, Epocrates is looking to build a stream of revenue from its market share and satisfaction among doctors who use its product. Athenahealth, on the other hand, is looking to gain more awareness but also marketshare. "There are so few physicians who know who we really are," Bush said. "For years, we've been seeking a 'light' entry point for doctors to learn about and use our services and sample our capabilities. Ideally, Athenahealth 'light' exposure would include a meaningful flight of core service sets." Bush said that assuming the deal closes, the company is planning on activating every doctor on Epocrates who opts in as an Athenahealth "sender and receiver." As a receiver, he said, physicians will receive a free sample of the AthenaClinicals applications with each inbound referral from an Athenahealth client. "…[T]hey can use the app to evaluate a patient without enduring the ramp-up exhaustion associated with a software-based EMR," he said. And if the doctor likes the experience with the app, she will have the option to upgrade to AthenaClinicals. "There's little work to deploy the simple version of the AthenaClinicals app," Bush said. In Shah's view, "The first products they will probably offer include simpler versions of AthenaClincals and mobile versions of AthenaCoordinator products," he said. However, he said, not all Epocrates users will automatically jump to Athenahealth products or services, "so long-term value remains questionable but, given the chance for top-line growth, the risks are tolerable. Overall, it was a good acquisition." Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/11112hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.) 2013-01-09T16:00:00ZCES Keynote: Health Innovation Barriers TopplingInformation technology will close healthcare gap for poor and push other big changes, says Verizon CEO Lowell McAdams.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ces-keynote-health-innovation-barriers-t/240145935?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/ss01081310mobilehealthappsunclesam/240145790"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/937/01_Opening_Image_tn.jpg" alt="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" title="10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Barriers to innovation in healthcare are finally coming down, said Verizon CEO Lowell McAdams in his 2013 International CES <a href="http://cesweb.org/Events/Keynotes.aspx">keynote presentation</a>. McAdams foresees research growing, organizations connecting and gaps in under-served communities being filled thanks to the use of IT in the years ahead. "Can you really use technology to motivate people to exercise? Eat their veggies? Take their meds?" Lowell asked. "…[W]hat makes this a transformational moment is the barriers to innovation in the industry are coming down," McAdams said. For example, Verizon now has a network that can handle bandwidth demand for sending MRIs and CAT scans over the Internet, he said. "We're working with [a company] to put a radiology platform in the cloud that takes two-dimensional images and enhances them. With 4D, we can see a heart beating, or track the growth of a tumor over time," said McAdams. He outlined several initiatives the company has underway, including gaining FDA clearance for its mHealth platform that will give patients and physicians tools to manage chronic diseases. A HIPAA-secure platform, he said, "is a secure way for doctors and insurance companies to exchange information and share medical records in a mobile environment," while a <a href= "http://www.mobilehealthcaretoday.com/news/2011/11/verizon-fraud-detection-aimed-at-government-private-health-insurers.aspx">Verizon big data platform</a> is helping the government "root out" fraud within healthcare. [ To see how patient engagement can improve medical care, check out <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597?itc=edit_in_body_cross"> 5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>. ] "In a report to Congress three weeks ago, HHS cited the fact that Verizon's system was up and running within 60 days," McAdams said. In the first year of running its big data platform, Verizon processed more than a billion claims and saved the government $3 for every $1 invested, he said. "In another case, we used our system to analyze 2.5 million claims in a single day and found more than 13,000 suspicious claims, representing more than $200 million in possible fraud," McAdams said. Verizon also is working with the company <a href="http://healthspot.net/">HealthSpot</a>, which launched at CES, to create virtual examining rooms. The rooms act as private kiosks that will be installed in big box stores or pharmacies and come equipped with telehealth platforms. "You can video conference with doctors, view medical records, and use tools that capture vitals, and do it all in real time," McAdams said. McAdams said IT will close gaps in access to healthcare. "More than 50% of what government spends in diabetes and poor nutrition goes to under-served communities," he said. The <a href="http://www.clintonfoundation.org/main/clinton-foundation-blog.html/2012/11/26/announcing-the-launch-of-clinton-health-matters-initiative/">Clinton Health Matters</a> initiative, which launched in November, will help manage health in medically disadvantaged communities over the next three years, McAdams said. The company's first project within the Clinton Health Matters initiative is in Coachella Valley, Calif., where 25% of adults and 70% of children are living in poverty. The company already has "people on the ground" in Coachella, McAdams said, to see how they can deploy solutions that address these disparities. "The objective is to turn these communities into working laboratories and creating healthcare solutions for the future," he said. In closing, McAdams announced the <a href="http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2013/01/verizon-powerful-answers-award.html">Verizon Powerful Answers Awards</a> for innovators and anticipates that this will drive social change. The company is looking to award $10 million total and a top award of $1 million to companies that develop innovative solutions in healthcare, education and more. "We'll also work with the winners to help bring their ideas to market and make sure we do the maximum amount of good," he said. Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/111212hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.)2013-01-09T08:36:00Z10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle SamNew mobile apps from the Department of Health and Human Services, for consumers and doctors alike, let you search medical literature, locate health centers, fight drug abuse and much more. http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-mobile-health-apps-from-uncle-sam/240145790?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcareWill 2013 be the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/5-trends-will-reshape-health-it-in-2013/240006254">year of the mobile app</a>? Pundits seem to think so, and the prediction holds true for healthcare professionals and consumers alike. Although developers have come up with several apps to help clinicians <a href= "http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">diagnose and manage disease</a>, the use of medical apps among consumers is set to take center stage, especially in light of new patient engagement requirements that are part of the government's Meaningful Use Stage 2 program. With apps like Novo Nordisk's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/hemophilia-monitoring-app-puts-patients/240144149">HemaGo</a> already on the market, patients are finding it easier to take control of their care. Included in the <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/digitalstrategy/mobile/mobile-apps.html">list of apps</a> sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are similar tools, such as Health Hotlines, which acts as a directory of almost 9,000 organizations focusing on diseases, disorders, mental health and substance abuse, along with their toll-free phone numbers; and NCI QuitPal, designed to help users stop smoking. On the physician side of the equation, a recent <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS survey</a> sheds light on doctors' attitudes toward mobile usage in daily practice. Nearly half of the health IT professionals surveyed believe mobile technology will "substantially" affect healthcare delivery in the years ahead, while 16% of respondents said it will "dramatically" change the future of healthcare delivery. Physicians use mobile apps in two main areas: viewing patient information and looking up medical information or other professional health-related information. The HHS' list includes apps that fall into these categories, such as PubMed, which allows users to search a huge database of biomedical literature; ask questions; and read abstracts of articles. CDC Field Triage, on the other hand, is an app that tests users' knowledge of injury response. Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER) helps first responders identify hazardous substances and get containment advice. Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM) provides healthcare professionals with useful tips when diagnosing radiation injuries that could occur after events such as dirty bombs or nuclear disasters. Click through to see more HSS-sponsored apps that can help your clinicians, and their patients, make better health-related decisions.HHS designed the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mobile/Applications/CDCGeneral/promos/cdcmobileapp.html">CDC iPad</a> app as a way for users to quickly access health information. The app includes popular medical journals and access to social media features that coincide with important health concerns and events that occur throughout the year. Additionally, users can listen to and view CDC podcasts on their iPad, and they can view both press releases from the CDC newsroom and health images available in the app's image library. There's even a "disease of the week" feature. In addition to being available in <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cdc/id487847188?ls=1&mt=8">iTunes</a>, the app is also available for Android and Windows 8 devices. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>The <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/fieldtriage/mobile.html">CDC Field Triage</a> app is an educational tool for EMS professionals and those teaching injury response. The app uses descriptions of scenarios to test knowledge and reasoning skills. It provides easily accessible links to the CDC's Field Triage website, as well as downloadable materials. The app also delivers the latest information on the CDC's Injury Center's field triage initiative and research. The app is designed for both the iPhone and the iPad and is available for <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/2011-guidelines-for-field/id509521539?mt=8">download</a> in the ITunes app store. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>Oxycodone abuse has received a lot of attention in the press and has reached near epidemic proportions in the U.S. This <a href="http://apps.usa.gov/samhsa-treatment-locator.shtml">treatment locator app</a>, developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), addresses the problem. It gives patients, family members and professionals access to reliable information on nearby mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities, including those that provide specialized treatment for patients dealing with opioid drugs. Users have access to four different treatment locator databases: The Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator, the Mental Health Services Locator, the Buprenorphine Physician and Treatment Program Locator, and the Opioid Treatment Program Directory. The app also lets users search for treatment centers within a specific radius, bookmark information for retrieval later on, and copy and send information using email or text messaging. The app is available for free from <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/samhsa-treatment-locator/id447851463?mt=8">iTunes</a>. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>The <a href="http://pubmedhh.nlm.nih.gov/">PubMed</a> app, developed by the National Library of Medicine and available on the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android, offers several ways to search the free PubMed archive of more than 22 million references to biomedical literature from bioscience journals and online books. Users can ask general questions, search for keywords in specific fields and read abstracts of articles. The iOS version lets users search in 13 different languages. There's also a function called the PICO search, which stands for results based on patients, interventions, comparisons or outcomes. PICO is available on the main screen of the PubMed app and uses a fill-in-the-blank and menu format. Users also have the option of providing feedback through this feature, with a feedback link included at the bottom of the search page. PubMed is free from <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pubmed4hh/id544354407?mt=8">iTunes</a>. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality designed the <a href="http://epss.ahrq.gov/PDA/index.jsp">Electronic Preventive Services Selector (ePSS)</a> app to help primary care doctors identify preventive services for their patients. It's available on multiple platforms, including Android, iPhone, Blackberry and iPad. The app can be used to find U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations for patients based on specific characteristics, such as age, sex and selected behavioral risk factors. The app lets users bookmark recommendations or topics for later viewing, and there's a feature called ePSS Recommendations RX, which lets users print or email patient-specific customized recommendations. The app is available for <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/ahrq-epss/id311852560?mt=8">download</a> from iTunes. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/health-hotlines/id376404746?mt=8">Health Hotlines</a> is a community service mobile app created by the National Library of Medicine to help the public locate health information. The app acts as a directory of nearly 9,000 organizations and includes toll-free telephone numbers. Subject areas include AIDS, cancer, and other diseases and disorders; as well as maternal and child health, aging, substance abuse, disabilities and mental health. Organizations included in the app's directory are separated into categories including government agencies, information and referral centers, professional societies, support groups and voluntary associations. The app is available for free at iTunes. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a><a href="http://www.hrsa.gov/about/mobile/">Find a Health Center</a>, an app by the HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration, lets users instantly locate nearby federally funded health centers by entering a zip code. The app uses mapping software in smartphones to locate the centers, which tend to be in most cities and in many rural areas. Consumers also can choose how far away they are willing to travel to reach a health center and tailor results to their preferences. The app is available for the iPhone and Android and is available as a free <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/find-a-health-center/id379940321?mt=8">download</a> in iTunes. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a><a href="http://smokefree.gov/apps/nciQuitPal/default.aspx">NCI QuitPal</a>, created by the National Cancer Institute, is available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. The app helps users quit smoking by offering proven strategies. It includes a calendar to set a quit date, financial goals by date, and reminders; the ability to track daily smoking habits with a log; and graphic features that track the money saved and the number of packs users haven't smoked since using the app. The app also provides health milestone alerts and craving tips, as well as Facebook and Twitter integration. With the video diary feature, users can even receive personalized video messages from friends and family. The app is available as a free <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nci-quitpal/id561732676?mt=8">download</a> in iTunes. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>The <a href="http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov/">Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER)</a> app, developed by the National Library of Medicine for the iPhone and Android, is designed to help first responders who must deal with hazardous materials. The app provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances, including identification help, physical characteristics, health information, containment advice, suppression advice and treatment. The app is available for download as a standalone application on Microsoft Windows PCs as well as on Apple devices, Windows mobile devices and Blackberry devices. There's also a Web browser version available, WebWISER, which supports both desktop PC and smartphone and Blackberry browsers. This gives mobile users access to the full standalone application. The app is available for <a href="http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov/choose_platform.html">download</a> on the WISER site. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>The <a href="http://www.remm.nlm.gov/downloadmremm.htm">Mobile Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM)</a> app, designed by the National Library of Medicine and the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Nicole Lurie, M.D., helps doctors and others treat radiation injuries. The app runs on Android, iPhone, Blackberry and various other devices. Information covers injuries patients might sustain after a dirty bomb or nuclear attack. According to the HHS, the app's recommendations are understandable enough to be useful to those without formal radiation medicine training. Users can download information in advance so it's accessible even if cell phone networks are down. The app is available as a free <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id372600451">download</a> in iTunes. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-wearable-health-tech-devices-to-watch/240012613">10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient/7-e-tools-to-keep-patients-engaged/240008652">7 E-Health Tools To Get Patients Engaged</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/12-expert-health-it-predictions-for-2013/240144564">12 Expert Health IT Predictions For 2013</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/halamka-knows-perils-and-promise-of-heal/240144414">Halamka Knows Perils and Promise of Healthcare BYOD</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/himss-survey-future-belongs-to-mobile-te/240144328">HIMSS Survey: Future Belongs to Mobile Technology</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/9-mobile-ehrs-fight-for-doctors-attentio/240144143">9 Mobile EHRs Fight for Doctors' Attention</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/personal-mobile-heart-monitor-gets-fda-o/240144518">Personal Mobile Heart Monitor Gets FDA OK</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>2013-01-08T16:22:00ZEHRs Don't Ensure Speedy Lab Test ResultsEHRs don't make patient notification all that easy, according to latest Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association survey.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/ehrs-dont-ensure-speedy-lab-test-results/240145771?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/7-big-data-engines-look-to-reinvent-medi/240144641"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/930/Opener_image_tn.jpg" alt=" 7 Big Data Solutions Try To Reshape Healthcare" title=" 7 Big Data Solutions Try To Reshape Healthcare" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Big Data Solutions Try To Reshape Healthcare</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Even the best EHR on the market can't combat the social and technical challenges that hinder delivery of test results, a recent JAMIA <a href="http://jamia.bmj.com/content/early/2012/12/24/amiajnl-2012-001267.full.pdf+html">report</a> said. Out of 2,590 primary care practitioners (PCPs) surveyed within the Department of Veteran's Affairs nationwide, 55.5% believe EHRs don't have convenient features for notifying patients of test results. Additionally, more than a third of those surveyed said they need more staff support for notifying patients of test results, while only 45.7% reported receiving adequate training on using an EHR test result notification system. In an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare, Hardeep Singh, chief of health policy for the quality and informatics program at the Houston VA Health Services Research Center of Excellence, said he and his team set out to create a survey that they could use across multiple VA facilities, but, at the same time, was "connected to the rest of the world. …[W]e wanted to avoid the critique the work was only relevant to a VA setting. Years ago, EHRs weren't as commonly used in the private world, but now they are," he said. Singh said the survey was developed with both social and technical issues affecting test management in mind. His team administered the survey online and included <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/dissatisfaction-rampant-among-community/240145549">EHR</a> test management content related to hardware, software and user interface; people; workflow and communication; organizational features; external rules and regulations; system measurement and monitoring; and new features and functions. "So technical dimensions, non-technical dimensions, organizational issues, monitoring issues -- we wanted to make sure we addressed them all," he said. [ For another point of view on PHRs, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/patient/232400272 ?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Why Personal Health Records Have Flopped</a>. ] Consistent with previous studies, the report found that 46.1% of providers rely on additional patient visits to notify them of normal test results, while 20.1% rely on a next visit to relay abnormal test result information. What was surprising, said Singh, was that 85.6% of PCPs reported having to stay after hours or come in on weekends to address EHR test result alerts; only 30.1% of respondents reported receiving "protected time," according to the report. "Very few have time to take care of [alerts], and that's an organizational issue," he said. "PCPs are spending so much time on this, and this was one of the things we were able to quantify." Considering the fact that the VA has "good training overall," Singh and his team thought providers would have undergone adequate training as well on alerts and systems. But in fact, less than half reported having received sufficient training on the VA EHR system, and only 13.7% reported receiving "refresher training." The survey suggested a series of interventions to better manage test results within an EHR system. For example, according to the report, the ability to "easily retrieve and readily access critical test result data is an absolute requirement for safe and efficient care, and the ability to do so was endorsed by a large majority of respondents." Therefore, EHR design should better allow for PCPs to return to a deleted notification or an alert processed some time ago, the report suggested. The study concluded that a "comprehensive, socio-technical approach" is needed to help improve EHR test result management. Key components of this approach include the better design, development and testing of features to support physician workflows; new policies and procedures regarding appropriate methods and timeliness of patient notification; and commitments from leadership to support the additional non-face-to-face work required to provide care for patients in an EHR-enabled system. Feedback from provider organizations outside the VA seems to confirm the report findings. "They're saying the same things, and they agree EHRs have a way to go before they can have an impact on important things, especially Meaningful Use efforts on structured lab reporting," said Singh. Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/111212hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.)2013-01-07T14:02:00ZHealthcare Settlement Highlights Risk Analysis, Encryption ImportanceHIPAA breach settlement proves size doesn’t matter when failing to safeguard sensitive patient information.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/security-privacy/healthcare-settlement-highlights-risk-an/240145682?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/7-big-data-engines-look-to-reinvent-medi/240144641"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/930/Opener_image_tn.jpg" alt=" 7 Big Data Solutions Try To Reshape Healthcare" title=" 7 Big Data Solutions Try To Reshape Healthcare" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Big Data Solutions Try To Reshape Healthcare</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced the first HIPAA breach settlement involving fewer than 500 patients. The <a href="http://www.honi.org/">Hospice of North Idaho</a> (HONI) agreed to pay $50,000 after an investigation found the organization had violated the HIPAA security rule. HHS' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) began its investigation after HONI reported an unencrypted laptop containing electronic personal health information on 441 people was stolen in June 2010. During the course of its investigation, OCR found HONI failed to conduct a risk analysis to protect personal health information throughout the organization, according to an <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/01/20130102a.html">HHS statement</a>. In addition, the hospice didn't have "in place policies or procedures to address mobile device security, as required by the HIPAA security rule," the statement said. However, since the 2010 theft, the organization "has taken extensive additional steps to improve their HIPAA privacy and security compliance program." OCR director Leon Rodriguez said in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare that since the settlement was the first of its kind, he hopes it draws attention to OCR's overall monetary enforcement program, which "effectively delivers the message to the healthcare industry that we take privacy and security seriously," he said. "We're willing to work with providers and provide technical assistance to provide clear guidance and work with them on how to best provide education. But, at the same time, enforcement is now a reality throughout the industry." [ To see how patient engagement can help transform medical care, check out <a href "http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/5-healthcare-tools-to-boost-patient-invo/240062597?itc=edit_in_body_cross">5 Healthcare Tools To Boost Patient Involvement</a>. ] Rodriguez added the settlement doesn't reflect a newfound focus on small breach reports on behalf of OCR. "Generally, we identify monetary enforcement cases by looking at situations we become aware of after a long-standing pattern of systematic non-compliance that correlates with the risk of the breach, not necessarily the breach itself," he said. "That's what brings out attention to a provider; it's more of what we see in terms of behavior of the provider once we look." In regard to HONI, Rodriguez said two main issues came to light throughout the investigation. For starters, he said, the organization had <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/security-privacy/encryption-shortfalls-plague-healthcare/240144606">failed to encrypt</a> the device. "Lack of encryption is what's called an addressable requirement; it's a requirement but one that can be satisfied by applying a credible alternative ... [A provider] can do just as well with strong security or password protection." The second issue, he added, was failure to conduct a risk analysis. According to Rodriquez, all organizations need to look at business processes and places where personal health information is stored, and take steps to mitigate risks of a breach. An inadequate risk analysis is a "global issue" among organizations, he said. Additionally OCR has found that, although there are alternatives to encryption, like HONI many organizations will either encrypt or "not do anything at all," he said. "In my semi-educated hypothesis about that, a lot of providers find at the end of the day that encryption is the safest and most cost-effective thing they can do to protect the information," he said. A new educational initiative launched by HHS in December highlights other practical ways to protect patient data. The initiative, called "Mobile Devices: Know the Risks. Take the Steps. Protect and Secure Health Information," involves a <a href="http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/your-mobile-device-and-health-information-privacy-and-security">set of tools</a> providers and organizations can access online. Videos, fact sheets and posters that promote best practices to safeguard information are available for download. Tech spending is looking up, but IT must focus more on customers and less on internal systems. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/121012/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Outlook 2013</a> issue of InformationWeek: Five painless rules for encryption. (Free registration required.)2013-01-04T12:25:00ZDissatisfaction Rampant Among Community Hospital EHR UsersOne in three customers who went live with an EHR in the last year believe they made the wrong decision, says KLAS report.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/dissatisfaction-rampant-among-community/240145549?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/7-big-data-engines-look-to-reinvent-medi/240144641"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/930/Opener_image_tn.jpg" alt=" 7 Big Data Solutions Try To Reshape Healthcare" title=" 7 Big Data Solutions Try To Reshape Healthcare" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 7 Big Data Solutions Try To Reshape Healthcare</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div> One in three community hospitals that deployed an electronic health record (EHR) system within the past year are dissatisfied with their vendor of choice, says a new <a href="https://www.klasresearch.com/Store/ReportDetail.aspx?ProductID=738">report</a> from health consulting firm KLAS. A third of those surveyed believed they made the wrong decision and reported they wouldn't buy the product again. Although vendor performance wasn't a focus of the study, KLAS reported vendors such as Healthland, Cerner, CPSI and Meditech have a high number of newly live, unsatisfied customers. The report broke down the community hospital clinical information system market share for 2012. In it, report author Paul Pitcher wrote the market has been seeing "incredible churn" throughout the community, whether it was due to smaller hospitals buying for the first time, consolidation driving more single-vendor strategies, or hospitals replacing outdated or failing systems. "KLAS has measured clinical market share in the larger hospital space for a number of years … but starting two years ago, we felt there was a need based on feedback from providers to measure the community hospital space as well," Pitcher said in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. "This is a reiteration of our first publication on community market share, which was released in 2011 and [documented] 2010 measurements." [ C. Peter Waegemann, founder of Medical Records Institute, believes there is <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/not-one-successful-ehr-system-in-whole-w/240144526?itc=edit_in_body_cross"> 'Not One Successful EHR System In Whole World'</a>. ] Featured in the report is a ranking of vendors based on four main areas: Those that are deemed "healthy" by KLAS, those that fall into the "revolving door" category, those that are "new entrants" to the market space, and those vendors that are "at risk." Based on participant feedback, KLAS created a formula of wins and losses to determine vendor placement into these categories. For example, said Pitcher, a "win" for a vendor would be if a hospital that had no clinical information system adopts one, or if a hospital upgrades from a piece of revenue cycle technology to more clinical technology. "There can be various definitions for a 'healthy' vendor, but essentially, they're experiencing a lot of wins relative to losses, and there's a lot of market energy around those vendors," said Pitcher. Vendors in this category included Epic, Cerner and McKesson's Paragon system. Vendors that fall into the "revolving door" category experience a lot of wins with their customers, continued Pitcher, yet they have some dissatisfaction among users, particularly those in smaller, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/feds-want-1000-rural-hospitals-on-ehrs-b/240008361">critical access</a> hospitals. These organizations tend to be dissatisfied "not exclusively, but they best represent what's going on with the revolving door vendors," he said. "These customers think the grass is always greener, and they're a little dissatisfied with [their systems]." Revolving door vendors included Healthland, CPSI, HMS, Siemens and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/allscripts-files-complaint-against-nyc-h/240009176?queryText=allscripts">Allscripts</a>. New entrant vendors, said Pitcher, are those "we weren't talking about two years ago but are beginning to gain market share and presence within healthcare." These vendors include Prognosis, NextGen and RazorInsights. "Now, there's more energy around them. They'll be the vendors to watch going forward because they bring newer IT, which gives them a leg up in winning market share," Pitcher said. Last, at-risk vendors include those that have "no energy" around their offerings. Vendors in this category included McKesson's Horizon suite, QuadraMed and Meditech, said Pitcher. "They had no energy or, like Meditech, have as many wins as they do losses," he said. In addition to one in three customers dissatisfied with their recently deployed system, key findings in the report included new players gaining traction in the market. "It's interesting to see these vendors we haven't talked about getting market share and deals from more well-established vendors, etc.," said Pitcher. "It's an opportunity for new vendors with newer IT to displace these older legacy vendors, where poor performance is causing dissatisfaction," he said. Market consolidation was a last key finding, and Pitcher said similar to other industries, such as airlines, healthcare is seeing consolidation among vendors due to larger organizations adopting smaller hospitals. "That becomes a way for the hospital to survive, but then their system may be displaced…. [W]e anticipate that trend will continue," he said. Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/111212hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.)2012-12-19T13:25:00ZMaine HIE Prepares For Pay-For-Performance WorldHealthInfoNet and Arcadia Solution's new partnership will marry insurance claims to clinical data in Maine's health information exchange.http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/interoperability/maine-hie-prepares-for-pay-for-performan/240145023?cid=SBX_iwk_related_news_The_Patient_healthcare <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/10-medical-robots-that-could-change-heal/240143983"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/920/RP-VITA_tn.jpg" alt="10 Medical Robots That Could Change Healthcare" title="10 Medical Robots That Could Change Healthcare" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Medical Robots That Could Change Healthcare</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) </div>  Nonprofit organization <a href= "http://www.hinfonet.org/">HealthInfoNet</a>, which operates Maine's health information exchange, recently announced a partnership with <a href= "http://www.arcadiasolutions.com/">Arcadia Solutions</a>, a provider of data-driven health IT solutions, to develop a platform for clinical data warehousing. The platform will also test the linkage of clinical data from the state HIE with claims data from the state's All-Payer Claims Database. Although the project will prove whether or not this can be done effectively, the goal is to give the state's HIE organization access to integrated clinical and claims data, which in turn will support new models like accountable care organizations (ACOs) and Share Savings contracts. "We're testing this -- it's not something that's going live tomorrow -- but this is the beginning stage to see if we can do this, and if we can, figuring out what may need to change in the state of Maine as far as regulations," said Devore Culver, executive director and CEO of HealthInfoNet. "Right now, it's a pilot process." Michael Gleeson, vice president of quality improvement and analytics at Arcadia Solutions, said they need to address two main challenges to make the platform a success. For starters, he and his team need to take what's essentially a transactional database in the HIE and normalize it. Then they need to put that information into a data structure capable of offering "longitudinal access," he said. "HIEs are really good at saying, 'Hey, I want some information about this event' -- they capture information and send it to someone who asks about it. But there's a lot of work in taking data structures that excel at that process and turning them into data structures that allow for deep analysis, trending, and things along those lines," Gleeson said. [ For more on the role of EHRs in clinical research, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/clinical-systems/health-its-next-big-challenge-comparativ/240005790?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Health IT's next challenge: Comparative Effectiveness Research</a>. ] The second challenge, according to Gleeson, is matching the data within the payer claims database, or other claims data sources, with clinical data. "That linking and match up process can get difficult in terms of finding the right identifiers," he said. For example, the challenge comes with deciding whether the information needed is a name, age, or date of birth, or whether you have to go further and match up clinical history in the HIE with encounter and claims history within the claims data files? Additionally, Gleeson and his team need to make sure they're not duplicating transactions within data sets and that they're truly getting a more complete picture from linking the data sets together. Ralph Johnson, CIO at Maine-based <a href= "http://www.fchn.org/fmh/">Franklin Memorial Hospital</a>, said that from an organizational perspective, he hopes this process will "take healthcare informatics to the next level…. [I]f you think about it, data has always been siloed within the provider organization, where they can see all the clinical data." Or, he continued, data is siloed in the payer model, where you can only see the "payment side" of the data. "You're not able to see across providers and across payments. This is going to bring this together for us." Culver said HealthInfoNet and Arcadia Solutions will begin work on the warehouse in January and February, validating the matching of data across the claims and clinical databases. "At the same time, we'll do work on the early reporting functionality," he said. "There's a set of data that hospitals contribute to the state [regarding] inpatient and outpatient discharge, and that data is flowing into the exchange…. [W]e want to make that available as soon as we can in 2013 so hospitals can use that." The problem with the [current] data structure is that it's delayed as much as a year, Culver said. "We think hospitals can get to that data within days of it being generated. So there's opportunity to start building some early return on this effort by spring." Clinical, patient engagement, and consumer apps promise to re-energize healthcare. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/111212hc/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Mobile Power</a> issue of InformationWeek Healthcare: Comparative effectiveness research taps the IT toolbox to compare treatments to determine which ones are most effective. (Free registration required.)