HIMSS12 truly linked people, potential and progress
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| Beth Walsh, Editor, CMIO |
A focus on EHR optimization, practical use of mobile devices, privacy and security, IT staffing and clinical decision support was quickly overshadowed by Farzad Mostashari’s talk covering the just-released notice for proposed rulemaking for Stage 2 meaningful use. The national coordinator of health IT spoke to a packed ballroom and an overflowing overflow room about the rule’s highlights.
Aside from a year-long delay for Stage 1 compliance, the rule includes three main drivers: patient engagement, information exchange and clinical decision support. The proposed rule put a new light on just about every session and interaction occurring afterward.
Aside from Stage 2, several speakers made interesting declarations and predictions about the healthcare landscape. For example, John P. Glaser, PhD, CEO of Siemens Health Services business unit, said “we are entering an era of profound change,” during his opening keynote at the Physician IT Symposium. He was referring to reduced reimbursement and a shift from transaction-based EHRs to intelligence-oriented EHRs in an effort to prove that providers are delivering quality healthcare.
Another aspect of the current healthcare landscape is the financial changes driving the creation of patient-centered medical homes. Providers need to forsake the concept of owning the entire care continuum, said Paul Grundy, MD, MPH, president of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, and director of healthcare transformation at IBM, during the 2012 CIO Forum.
One of the biggest topics going into the conference was ICD-10 and the changing implementation timeline. The prospect of postponement is a plus, Robert S. Gold, MD, CEO of DCBA in Atlanta, said, likening the ICD-10 transition to the Y2K preparation scare. A longer timeline allows organizations to market the new codes to medical staff and gives vendors an opportunity to improve software to meet physicians’ needs.
Going forward, time will tell if the most recent predictions will hold true. Mostashari predicted that the majority of U.S. healthcare will be done on EHRs. As more and more providers attest for meaningful use and receive the accelerated incentive payments Mostashari mentioned, that could very well be the case in 2013.
HIMSS 2012 may represent an important crossroads for health IT, a point where people, potential and progress do truly meet.
What did you learn at the conference? Please let us know.
Beth Walsh
CMIO Editor
[email protected]
Beth Walsh, Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.