Technology

The presence of inexpensive centers and new data collection tools show promise in cutting costs as providers take a new path in care delivery, says Eric Topol, MD, Director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, Chief Academic Officer at Scripps Health, Cardiologist, and Professor of Genomics at The Scripps Research Institute.

As defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), meaningful use is the implementation and adoption of EHR systems to increase the delivery of high-quality care while ensuring patient safety. However, this hasn't been the experience of many physicians whose EHR systems are viewed as encumbrances in the way of their clinical workflows.

Accountability will continue to be a key element in the future of healthcare reform. Whether in accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), or other innovative programs for coordinating care-finding a way to drive quality-focused care is essential.

Despite concerns that some providers are lagging in the adoption of electronic health records, federal officials plan to stay on schedule in requiring hospitals to meet Stage 2 meaningful-use requirements, the officials said Wednesday

Financial incentives can drive providers' adoption of health information technology, including e-prescribing.

A payer-sponsored pay-for-performance incentive for smoking status documentation prompted implementation of a systemwide electronic reminder and improved documentation among all healthcare system patients.

Medication adherence service provider HealthPrize, run by former Yale Medical School professor and neurosurgeon Katrina Firlik and lawyer Tom Kottler, hopes to raise the bar for patients' medication adherence. HealthPrize web and mobile platforms will utilize various incentives and technology to award patients for proper adherence

While there is enormous potential for big data to lead to groundbreaking insights in healthcare, realizing the potential requires specific attention to issues of data quality.

Health Information Technology (HIT) remains an increasingly integral part of healthcare reform. Now, a recent study shows that more 75% of hospitals are participating in Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, and more than half of those have achieved Stage 1 meaningful use of that technology.

With new models of care delivery, reformation of outdated fee-for-service payment systems, and collaboration of groundbreaking provider-payer partnerships, the changing landscape of the healthcare industry is irrefutable. Yet, the integration of health information technology (HIT) continues to be an area of deliberation for many managed care professionals.

While more than 75% of hospitals are participating in the federal electronic health record incentive program, small hospitals and Critical Access hospitals lag behind.

"I think it's a really exciting time from a technology perspective," said George Van Antwerp, VP, Product Development, InVentiv Medical Management.

As people increasingly depend on electronics and technology to exchange information, it seems only logical that physicians would embrace electronic health records (EHRs) in favor of their paper predecessors.

We assessed Regional Extension Centers' (RECs') progress in promoting EHR adoption among providers in rural and health professional shortage areas and found that RECs are achieving much success in enrolling these providers.

Primary care teams implementing medical homes experience professional role confusion and interpersonal conflict, and require effective administrative leadership to ensure success during this transition.

Policy makers should not expect public sector electronic medical record investments to yield substantial short-term improvements in publicly reported measures.

Although there are contentions regarding its mechanisms, health policy and managed care authorities agree that the ultimate goal of healthcare reform is to increase access, improve quality, decrease costs, and measure progress. The initiative of further integrating digital health systems and implementing health information technology continues to receive substantial support and growth in a positive direction.