HIX review, new innovation efforts

Innovation and health insurance exchange were the top stories in health IT this week.

The Health Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS) officially opened its 30,000 sq.-ft. Innovation Center, which is now part of the Global Center for Health Innovation in downtown Cleveland. The center features two elements: a Health IT Simulation Center for testing interoperability and a year-round Healthcare Technology Showcase with rolling exhibitions on information exchange, patient engagement, mobile health and other topics.

Sandra Vance, senior director of HIMSS' interoperability initiatives, said 12 collaborators are on board, including the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, which she said is committed to bringing systems in play from other agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and the Social Security Administration. Other collaborators include Alego Health, Fujitsu, IHE USA, ICSA Labs, Total Voice Technologies, Cardinal Health, Juniper Networks and Concur.

What ultimately distinguishes the innovation center is that it's not just associated with one vendor or one provider, but a place where many companies can test the interoperability of their platforms.

With numerous reports about the computer glitches plaguing the new health insurance exchanges (HIX), Angela Sherwin, program director of the Brown University executive master of healthcare leadership program and former employee involved in Rhode Island's insurance exchange, says the glitches were minimal.  

In most cases, those building the federal exchanges were tasked with substantial IT builds within nine months. During her days working on the Rhode Island implementation, “all of the experts kept saying the kind of IT initiative and business process transformation you’re undergoing usually takes three to five years. So, for anything to be pulled off in nine months is a miracle, I think.”

The tight timeline was due to many states not having their technology vendor on board and ready to go until late 2012 or early 2013. But, they all worked toward the Oct. 1 deadline at a “lightning pace.”

States will go through a continuous improvement process, she says. “With every new application, we’ll learn something new about the system.”

Looking ahead, the exchanges have the potential to connect and engage insurance companies in more meaningful dialogue that directly impacts consumers, Sherwin said. With ongoing debates about the rising costs of care and who is responsible for those increases, “the exchange can serve as a table to facilitate that dialogue in a way that other entities can’t as well.”

In other news, I want to make sure you have our Healthcare Leadership Forum on your calendar. The Nov. 14-15 meeting in Chicago is designed to foster innovation in evidence-based medicine and promote sharing of evidence-based medicine best practices. Join us for insights and experience from industry thought leaders and opportunities to network with your colleagues across the country.

Beth Walsh

Clinical Innovation + Technology editor