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CCR

CCHIT Should Support BOTH the HL7 CCD and the ASTM CCR for PHRs.

The federal government sponsored Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT ) is undertaking a certification process for personal health records (PHRs) . The CCHIT PHR Work Group has invited public comment on the First Draft of the PHR Certification Criteria .

The current draft of the PHR Certification Criteria specifies use of the HL7 Continuity of Care Document (CCD) as the only endorsed standard for interoperable exchange of information to and from PHRs.  This is extremely short-sighted.

I wrote a comment to […]

Heartburn Relief: UnitedHealth Joining Google Health and MSFT HealthVault?

From the August 6 edition of HISTalk — Healthcare IT News and Opinion:

"Re: UHG. Was at the Healthcare Quality Conference yesterday in Boston. Got to talking to a United Health exec who informed me that they have signed an agreement with Google Health and have a pending agreement with HealthVault. This backs up UHG’s previous statement that member records would be made portable. Individual made mention that the Google Health relationship extends beyond just claims records transfer and includes a […]

Untangling the Electronic Health Data Exchange

by David C. Kibbe MD, MBA

The purpose of this post is to help a non-technical audience untangle some of the confusion regarding health data exchange standards, and particularly come to a better understanding of the similarities and  differences between the Continuity of Care Record (CCR) standard and the CDA Continuity of Care Document (CCD). But what I’m most interested in is getting beyond the technical, political, or economic positions and interests of the proponents of any particular standard to arrive […]

Cerner Disses Google Health. Surprised?

Vince Kuraitis and David C. Kibbe, MD, MBA

We’re not.

From the Kansas City Business Journal :

Google Inc. has approached Cerner Corp. about a partnership, but Cerner officials don’t sound eager to entangle themselves with the Web-search Goliath.

That’s because […]

Is the Medical Establishment the Best Guardian of Your Medical Data?

David C. Kibbe, MD, MBA and Vince Kuraitis

Drs. Mandl and Kohane begin their recent article in NEJM with the statement that “large corporations are seeking an integral and transformative role in the management of health care information,” and then warn that this “will profoundly affect the biomedical research enterprise.”   

At issue for the authors is who controls the information about you and me, our health and healthcare data. Without coming right out and saying it directly, they worry that data in […]

Healthcare Informatics Webinar: Google, Microsoft, & Dossia Create the Personal Health Information Network

What are companies like Google, Microsoft, and Dossia (sponsored by Intel, Wal-Mart, AT&T and others) hoping to accomplish in health care?
What is the emerging Personal Health Information Network (PHIN) and why should you care?
What’s the Continuity of Care Record (CCR) Standard, and how is it destined to become an initial focal point of data exchange initiatives?
Why is the PHIN potentially disruptive to many business models? What types of companies or organizations could be affected the most?
What are opportunities and threats to major health care players — hospitals, […]

Search Engines Using Your Personal Health Information: Creepy or Cutting Edge?

When using a search engine, should results be customized based on your personal health information (PHI)?  Should your search engine of choice take into account your previous history of medical searches, or even provide results tailored from data about your personal medical history?

Two companies — Aetna and Microsoft — have come up with 180 degree different answers.

In this post, I will:

Describe how Aetna’s and Microsoft’s approaches differ
Speculate on why their approaches make strategic sense for the respective companies
Explore how technology and expectations about […]

Birth Announcement: the Personal Health Information Network (PHIN)

Vince Kuraitis and David C. Kibbe, MD MBA 

The Internet and digital technologies have transformed many aspects of our lives over the past twenty years.  We can get cash at ATMs all over the world; we can book our own airline reservations; we can shop and get best prices over the Internet.

Why hasn’t this happened in health care?  Something is missing.

Recently, major global information and communication companies have announced their intention to bring their technologies and business models to health care.  […]

21 Surprising Ways Wal-Mart Clinics Will Affect US Healthcare

Jessica Hupp at RN Central writes a thought provoking article titled 20 Surprising Ways Wal-Mart Clinics Will Affect US Healthcare.

#20 is “Decreased Continuity of Care”.  I think this one is debatable, and I’ll offer as #21 “Increased Continuity of Care”.  

Jessica writes:

With traditional doctors, patients have charts and medical records, but at in-store clinics, diagnosis is a one-off deal. Problems that could be caught over multiple visits and diagnosis could go unearthed unless the patient works to inform practitioners.

I’m picking up […]

Health 2.0 Deserves Careful Watching

by David C. Kibbe, MD MBA

Dear Colleagues:

Thursday I attended a wonderful one day conference, entitled “Health 2.0 — User Generated Health Care.” One of the most interesting events of 2007. Held in San Francisco. I had a chance to talk with Adam Bosworth and Missy Krasner of Google, with Peter Neuport of Microsoft, and with David Brailer, among many others. It was particularly good to see Drs. Walter Lim and Rick Chan, with the Ministry of Health in Singapore, who came […]