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Health Policy/Reform
Is HITECH Working? #3: ONC got it right on the 3 major policy interpretations: Meaningful Use, Certification, Standards
We concluded our last post in this series with a blunt prediction that “key physicians will sit on the sidelines” and that clinician non-adoption of EHR technology is a potential “deal-breaker for the success of HITECH”.
While this might sound like a criticism of the way HITECH has been implemented, it’s not intended that way — it’s a commentary on 1) the complexity and scope of change that will be required to make HITECH successful, and 2) the level of protective entrenchment existing American […]
PCMH and Healthcare Reform: Avoiding Drowning in an Ocean of Opportunity
This article appears in the April 2010 issue of Medical Home News.
First, the good news: There are a lot of pilot and demonstration projects potentially involving the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) in newly enacted Federal health care reform legislation – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Then, the bad news: There are a lot of pilot and demonstration projects potentially involving the PCMH in the PPACA.
…so many that the PCMH risks being drowned in an ocean of opportunity.
I’d […]
Is HITECH Working? #1: Hospitals are grumbling but are playing in the game; success is not guaranteed.
by Vince Kuraitis JD, MBA and David C. Kibbe MD, MBAÂ
The rationale for hospitals having to play in the HITECH game is straightforward: the financial carrots through 2015 are helpful, and the financial sticks after 2015 will be very painful.
We’ll discuss:
Financial Impacts on Hospitals
Survey Data Showing Hospitals Will Play
Why Success is Not Guaranteed
Financial Impacts on Hospitals
Even prior to HITECH, most hospital executives already had passed the threshold decision and concluded that they need to implement EHR technology. Thus, the issue for most […]
Is HITECH Working? 7 Observations Mom Could Understand
“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Albert Einstein
by Vince Kuraitis JD, MBA and David C. Kibbe MD, MBA
If you’re like many folks we talk with, you understand the importance of the HITECH Act legislation — yet feel overwhelmed by the complexity and details.
This series of blog posts is for you. We address the question “Is HITECH working?” with seven straightforward observations. We’ve worked hard to boil down the complexity and make it understandable to the casual industry […]
Pilots, Demonstrations & Innovation in the PPACA Healthcare Reform Legislation
Here’s a bit of trivia that will make you the hit of the next cocktail party you attend. How many times are the words “demonstration” and “pilot” mentioned in the newly passed Federal healthcare reform legislation — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)?
Answer:
“demonstration” — 312 mentions
“pilot” — 80 mentions
This weekend I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the question “Just what are these demos and pilots in the PPACA all about?” I have been boggled by the sheer number […]
Is Gawande Right? Are Pilot Programs the Key to Delivery System Cost Reductions?
Atul Gawande’s most recent New Yorker article “Testing, Testing” addresses the critics who lament that there is no master plan to curb delivery system costs in pending health reform legislation.
Gawande retorts: “Is that a bad thing?”
…and he answers his own question by describing the value of pilot programs contained in both the Senate and House versions of health reform legislation.
Is Gawande correct? Yes and no….
Feedback Rolls in on Halamka’s New Stance on Standards: Cats Pissed, Dogs Thrilled
Continuing his stunning reversal of long held perspectives, Dr. John Halamka’s blog post today suggests Guiding Principles for HIT Standards Committee:
Keep it simple; think big, but start small; recommend standards as minimal as possible to support the business goal and then build as you go
Don’t let “perfect” be the enemy of “good enough”; go for the 80% that everyone can agree on; get everyone to send the basics (medications, problem list, allergies, labs) before focusing on the more obscure
Keep the implementation […]
The Real Secret Sauce of Medicare’s Participation in Regional Collaboratives — Network Effects
Last week I asked whether Medicare’s Biggest Change in 40 Years is on the horizon. That post described and discussed implications of Medicare’s new direction for the medical home — the shelving of Medicare Medical Home Demonstration (MMHD) and the refocusing on the recently announced Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Initiative (MAPCI).
In that post I touched briefly on the potential for MAPCI to create effective networks at multiple levels — contracting networks, health IT networks, social and collaborative care networks. I’d like to expand […]
Dr. Blumenthal, I Mistakenly Received Your Email Intended for Judy Faulkner, CEO, Epic
David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P. National Coordinator for Health Information Technology U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Dear Dr. Blumenthal,
I was honored to receive a personal email from you today. However, after reading it, I conclude that you must have intended to send this email to Judith Faulkner, CEO of Epic Systems.
I really liked what you said about working toward interoperability:
The HITECH Act calls for the “development of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that allows for the electronic use and […]
Three Years Of Medical Home Demonstration Preparation Down the Drain?
Do you remember the scene in the movie Animal House where Bluto Blutarski laments “…seven years of college education down the drain?”
Why aren’t primary care physicians expressing similar laments about  the shelving of the MMHD (Medicare Medical Home Demonstration) in favor of the MAPCI (Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Initiative).
My colleague Jaan Sidorov, MD and I pick up on no signs of discontent. Read our essay “Three Years of Medical Home Demonstration Preparation Down the Drain?” on Dr. Sidorov’s blog.