No Time to Slow Down

There has been no discernible lull in activity when it comes to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). ONC is full-steam ahead on multiple fronts despite calls for a slowdown. Those seeking a delay in programs such as Meaningful Use are likely to continue to be disappointed if the pace of ONC’s output continues at the same level.

While ONC moves forward with ICD-10, Meaningful Use, quality reporting and more, the staff continues to offer new tools and resources. Most recently, ONC is focusing on the safety of health IT and patient engagement and privacy and security are key elements of that issue. This month, we offer a review of patient matching efforts to date and the debate on how best to improve patient matching going forward to aid in care coordination and information exchange. Social Security numbers? Algorithms? Standards? There are many factors to consider. Learn more.

Also on the health IT safety front, ONC has issued the SAFER Guides, a suite of self-assessment tools, checklists and recommended practices that focus on the safe use and safety of EHRs. Laura Pedulli provides an overview of the new materials here.

Clean, accurate data are so closely linked to the ability to improve patient outcomes and patient safety. Clinical decision support (CDS), for example, requires appropriate alerts, cooperative clinicians and a healthy interest in the opportunities the tool presents. David W. Bates, MD, MSc, senior vice president for quality and safety at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, shares his thoughts and research on effective CDS here.

Up close and personal with patients is the rapid blossoming of wearables. Speaking of no delays, the future is now when it comes to some of these devices. The annual Consumer Electronics Show, held in January, has a healthcare edge, having expanded in recent years to include numerous companies offering products that passively and noninvasively monitor and sensor everything from body temperature to sleep patterns to toothbrushing skills. As these technologies advance, how will patients and providers integrate the cutting-edge tools into their daily routines? See the story.

Hopefully, you have returned from the HIMSS14 conference with lots of new ideas and information to empower your patients and providers. We, too, feel rejuvenated by all the exciting presentations and exhibits and look forward to sharing many lessons learned in these pages over the next few issues. And by the way, happy spring. It’s been a long winter here in the Northeast so I hope things have warmed up wherever you are.