Five things to know about health IT this week

From more data breaches and an update on progress (or lack thereof) toward ICD-10 implementation to the ONC’s proposed 2014 budget, a lot happened in the health IT realm this week. Here are five things you need to know.

1. The ONC's proposed 2014 budget included an unwelcome surprise.

The proposed 2014 budget for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) includes $1 million from a new tax on health IT vendors. The office said the fee would “provide ONC with the necessary resources to meet the increasing demands of health IT vendors and sustain the impact of its certification and standards work on the health IT marketplace and the healthcare system.”

Of course, it didn’t take long for organizations to register their protests. The HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association said, “EHR developers are already devoting extensive resources to successful implementation of the EHR Meaningful Use incentive program and other healthcare delivery reform efforts, including the significant fees associated with EHR product certification."

The association suggests that the Department of Health and Human Services "evaluates whether all requirements in the Meaningful Use program and the associated certification activities are valuable and consistent with available federal and industry resources, and then streamline where appropriate."

2. Not everyone supports the Meaningful Use program.

We’ve heard criticisms of MU before but this time, six Republican senators have published a critical report and called for a halt to the program and re-examination of its strategies.

“We seek comments on whether it would be in the best interest of CMS, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, vendors, providers, taxpayers and other stakeholders to hit ‘pause’ while re-examining the current procedures put in place to safeguard and ensure meaningful use of EHRs prior to forging ahead with Stage 2 and 3,” the senators wrote.

3. Stakeholders are making slow progress toward ICD-10.

Despite assurances that there will be no further delays in the implementation date for ICD-10, a survey from the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) on ICD-10 finds a disturbing lack of industry progress during the past year. Half of responding providers did not know when they would complete an impact assessment and make business changes, or when they would start to test.

4. The laptops of those employed by healthcare organizations are hot theft targets.

Although the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) recently announced the release of new guidance for healthcare providers wishing to assess their level of preparedness for cybersecurity threats, physical theft continues to be a problem for healthcare providers. The theft of another two laptops containing patient data was announced this week.

5. A new mobile app hints at exciting changes for healthcare.

Seeking a better, more efficient way to see his patients, William C. Thornbury, Jr., MD, RPh, CEO and medical director of Medical Associates of Southern Kentucky, found a way to do housecalls by smartphone. Thornbury launched Me-Visit, a web portal that offers around-the-clock access to patients using a mobile device or computer.

He learned the root cause was that 30 to 40 percent of the patients did not need to be seen in the clinic but the fee-for-service model called for them to come in for a follow-up visit. That “doesn’t make it the right thing to do,” he said. After using the tool for about a year, Thornbury said 97 percent of his patients said they preferred it to going into the office. And, even though e-visits are not appropriate for all patients, the ones who did use the service lowered the cost of care for everyone by 15 percent, he said. 

How do you feel about these top five topics this week? Please share your thoughts--we'd love to hear from you.

 

Beth Walsh

Clinical Innovation + Technology editor

 

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.

Around the web

CMS finalized a significant policy change when it increased the Medicare payments hospitals receive for performing CCTA exams. What, exactly, does the update mean for cardiologists, billing specialists and other hospital employees?

Stryker, a global medtech company based out of Michigan, has kicked off 2025 with a bit of excitement. The company says Inari’s peripheral vascular portfolio is highly complementary to its own neurovascular portfolio.

RBMA President Peter Moffatt discusses declining reimbursement rates, recruiting challenges and the role of artificial intelligence in transforming the industry.