Accelerate Interoperability without Increasing Patient Burden
In a recent article by Kim Huynh and Nazim Dzabic, the authors were spot on to say that changes are needed to empower patients with their health data. But empowering patients with data appropriate for them, and leveraging patients to enable interoperability between and among providers are two very different things.
COVID-19 Healthcare Communications for the Long Haul: Testing, Tracing, & Getting People Working
The past several weeks have driven home how reliant we are on our complex healthcare system. As a doctor, I have long known this in my gut, but when the system is taxed to the extreme, we all begin to see the fragility of this critical industry.
Advisory Note: CMS Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule
Early last week, on what was to be the first day of the HIMSS20 conference in Orlando, CMS published the Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule. careMESH has published an Advisory Note to help guide hospitals about the rule and other details in considering how they will meet the requirements for Patient Event Notifications.
Closing the Referral Problem in Distributed Care Networks
February 9, 2019 — There have been any number of people and companies working tirelessly to solve healthcare’s interoperability challenges……Why haven’t current efforts yielded greater interoperability? Because in large part, they have relied on pre-planned, point-to-point integration or members-only sharing collaboratives. While each of these can be effective, they inevitably exclude significant portions of a broad network of affiliates, health workers and community healthcare organizations with whom they collaborate (primary care, specialty care, SNF, etc.).
Mind the Gap: Creating Seamless Referrals and Transitions in Care
November 14, 2018 — We are all patients and readily migrate between a wide variety of healthcare providers and settings in our lifetime. Many of us (although certainly not all of us) are born in a hospital, regularly visit primary care providers, seek out urgent care when needed, and eventually make our way to surgical and rehabilitation centers and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) as life progresses. And that is the simple case.
2019 EHR Incentives Focus on Referrals & Access to Records
By Justin Sims
August 9, 2018 — Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its Final Rule for hospital EHR incentives for 2019. Within this rule, the Promoting Interoperability Programs are all about giving providers and patients better access to digital medical records, especially in support of care transitions. And the data supporting the ongoing challenges with paper are staggering.
Addressing Inequalities in Urban Healthcare
It’s not news to anyone that urban populations are extremely diverse. Some individuals thrive in our nation’s cities with world-class healthcare, and quality education, abundant food choices, reliable transportation, and other positive social determinants of health. On the other hand, many people struggle in neighborhoods with high incidences of chronic disease, food insecurity, and homelessness. And the truth is, this same pattern repeats itself across the United States.
The Year of Universal Medical Record Sharing
January 19, 2018 — Ask any doctor if they can freely share digital patient records outside of their organization, or access patient information stored in another organization’s EMR, and the answer is typically a resounding “no”. This unfortunate reality perpetuates the use of fax and express or postal mail and contributes to frustration and burnout. In a recent study, 56% of physicians cited too much charting and paperwork as the primary cause. In 2018, this can and must change.