An electronic health record system can improve care for patients with multiple chronic diseases by enabling better coordination among health care providers, insurers and patients, according to a study by the eHealth Initiative, InformationWeek reports.

The study was conducted in partnership with pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis and the Health & Technology Vector, a health IT company in Connecticut (Versel, InformationWeek, 6/23).

Study Methods

The study was based on a 12-month project at Community Health Center in Connecticut and a primary care practice associated with the Taconic Independent Practice Association in New York. The study tracked 119 patients with Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Researchers tried to identify existing gaps in care coordination, as well as how EHR systems are used for care coordination in medical homes (Manos, Healthcare IT News, 6/23).

Study Results

The study found that EHR deployment in patient-centered medical homes contributed to several process improvements, including:

• Care planning;
• Intra-office coordination;
• Larger roles for nurses;
• Manual communication content;
• More advanced use of EHRs;
• Patient coaching; and
• Substantive referral requests to specialists (InformationWeek, 6/23).

In addition, some of the specific changes at the community health center included:

• Care plan summaries built into the EHR system; and
• Drop-down boxes within the EHR interface that encouraged health care providers to offer additional information in referrals.

EHR Limitations

The study also noted areas where EHR systems were unable to support care coordination tasks considered to be essential, including the ability to facilitate electronic communication between primary care providers and cardiologists.

According to the report, the gaps in EHR system functionalities resulted in a “wish list” for future improvements (Simmons, FierceEMR, 6/23).

Source: iHealthBeat

Although many physicians are concerned about the potential hacking of cloud-based electronic health record systems, a new analysis by consulting firm Software Advice finds that most recent health data breaches involved on-site computers, devices or paper records, Becker’s Hospital Review reports (Herman, Becker’s Hospital Review, 6/21).

Cloud-based EHRs store patient data on the Web in off-site servers rather than on local devices.

For the analysis, Software Advice examined 281 health data breaches affecting more than 500 individuals that were included on a list maintained by HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (Koploy, “The Medical Blog,” Software Advice, 6/20). OCR started posting the breach information in February 2010 (iHealthBeat, 5/3).

Key Findings

According to Software Advice, OCR categorized only seven data breaches as completely or partially involving EHRs, and all of those breaches involved on-site systems (“The Medical Blog,” Software Advice, 6/20).

The analysis noted that 75% of the health data breaches on OCR’s list involved on-site computers, hard drives or paper records. About 63% of the breaches resulted from the physical theft or physical loss of health records, the analysis found (Becker’s Hospital Review, 6/21).

According to Software Advice, the majority of HIPAA violations resulted from insufficient internal security, negligence or theft. Only 6% of the data breaches were related to hacking, the analysis found.

Conclusion

The analysis concludes that although many health care providers have expressed concern about the security of EHRs, the “systems themselves — and certainly cloud-based systems — have a pretty good track record” (“The Medical Blog,” Software Advice, 6/20).

Source: iHealthBeat

The American College of Physician Executives has launched a 40-hour health IT course program for leaders at hospitals, physician groups, committees and integrated health care delivery networks, InformationWeek reports.

According to ACPE, the program provides the tools to help physician executives “be conversant on IT issues and fundamentals; develop the skills to manage the people implementing IT; and successfully strategize, plan and implement health IT changes.” Course offerings include courses on health IT fundamentals, electronic health records and clinical functionality.

All courses are available online, allowing participants to set the pace of the program (Kolbasuk McGee, InformationWeek, 6/21). The program also includes a two-day capstone course at an ACPE fall institute.

The total cost of the program is $4,800. The courses in the program can count as elective credits for ACPE’s master’s degree program, which is offered at several U.S. universities (Conn, Modern Physician, 6/20).

Source: iHealthBeat

Wireless sensors that monitor elderly patients’ physiological functions and physical activities can help reduce congestive heart failure symptoms and potentially prevent hospital readmissions, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Systems, InformationWeek reports.

Researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles Wireless Health Institute and the UCLA School of Nursing used a system called WANDA — Weight and Activity with Blood Pressure Monitoring — to track patients’ weight, blood pressure, physical activity and other data. The WANDA system:

• Uses sensors to monitor patient health and collect relevant measures;
• Transmits readings to Web servers that store and analyze data; and
• Acts as a database server for backup and recovery purposes.

Study Findings

To participate in the study, patients had to have been hospitalized with a congestive heart failure-related condition within 30 days and be at least 65-years-old.

Researchers found a small but statistically significant reduction in abnormal readings of weight and blood pressure among elderly patients who used the system.

The frequency of readings outside an acceptable range for weight and blood pressure dropped by 5.6% when using the remote monitoring system.

According to researchers, that size reduction could significantly affect patient quality of life and health care spending.

The study’s authors note that remote, real-time monitoring can prevent emergency situations and alert patients’ caregivers when there is a problem. They write, “In order to design an effective remote health monitoring system for [congestive heart failure], it is important to make an automated, real-time system for checking important values such as weight, blood pressure, heart rate, daily activity and symptom responses” (Versel, InformationWeek, 6/20).

Source: iHealthBeat

Vein recognition technology that links to electronic health record systems can help expedite patient registration and prevent duplication and fraud, InformationWeek reports.

Earlier this month, NYU Langone Medical Center went live with a biometric technology system, called PatientSecure, that converts a digital palm image into a unique patient ID.

HT Systems, the Florida-based health IT vendor that produces the system, said its technology is being used by more than 50 hospitals and hundreds of physician offices and clinics (Versel, InformationWeek, 6/17).

To use the biometric reader system, a patient places his or her hand on a small box that uses an infrared light to scan and map an image of a blood-flow pattern through the veins in the patient’s palm. The image then is converted into a unique ID that automatically registers patients and accesses their EHRs.

Benefits of Technology

The system can help lower the risk of misidentification and increase security by minimizing the need for alternate forms of identifying information, such as a driver’s license or Social Security numbers.

At NYU Langone Medical Center, patients were asked if they wanted to opt-in to using the technology.

Officials at the medical center said the scanner has streamlined the lengthy registration process and has increased patient security. The technology also has allowed medical staff to identify patients who are unconscious or unable to communicate.

Bernard Birnbaum — senior vice president of hospital operations at NYU Langone Medical Center — said the technology has cut down on the number of patient identification errors. He said the system “not only protects privacy and enhances quality, but will transform the patient experience” (Mearian, Computerworld, 6/16).

Source: iHealthBeat

Most medical practices will need software updates to transition to HIPAA 5010 data-transmission standards, according to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association, Healthcare IT News reports.

If health care providers do not successfully implement HIPAA 5010 transaction sets by Jan. 1, 2012, they could face disruptions in claims processing and other administrative issues (Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 6/16).

Key Findings

MGMA found that:

• 50.3% of survey respondents said their existing practice management software would require an update before they could use HIPAA 5010 transaction sets;
• 29% said their current practice management software would allow them to use the HIPAA 5010 standards; and
• 4.5% said their software would need to be replaced before they could use the HIPAA 5010 standards.

In addition, more than 30% of respondents said they have not had any communication with their practice management software vendors about upgrades or testing for the HIPAA 5010 transaction sets (Sullivan, Government Health IT, 6/16).

MGMA also surveyed its members about their progress in implementing HIPAA 5010 standards. The survey found that:

• 45.9% of respondents said their practice has at least partially completed implementation of the HIPAA 5010 standards;
• 45.2% said their practice has not started implementation; and
• 2% said their practice has completed implementation (Conn, Modern Physician, 6/16).

Implications

William Jessee, president and CEO of MGMA, said the survey findings suggest that “a significant number of practices have been forced to wait for their practice management system software vendors to make the required modifications before they can begin to test with clearinghouses and health plans.”

Jessee recommended that CMS “aggressively augment its outreach to both physician practices and practice management system vendors” to bolster implementation of the HIPAA 5010 standards. He also called for the government to implement a “contingency plan to avoid widespread cash flow disruption in the industry” in case numerous health care providers fail to meet the HIPAA 5010 compliance deadline (Healthcare IT News, 6/16).

Source: iHealthBeat

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A federal advisory panel is recommending that the government give hospitals and doctors offices an additional two years to get their electronic medical record systems in order.

The Health Information Technology Committee, which advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, voted 12-5 Wednesday to recommend that the department push its deadline for stage 2 “meaningful use” requirements from next year to 2014.

Meaningful use refers to a wide range of guidelines aimed at making sure health care providers are properly using electronic health records in their day-to-day operations, which supporters claim will reduce medical errors, improve overall patient care and save money.

Failure to meet meaningful-use standards could lead to cuts in Medicare reimbursement, starting in 2014.

Organizations such as the American Hospital Association have supported delaying the requirements, saying the process of switching from paper patient records to computer databases is complex and will take longer than expected.

In a Monday letter, the AHA suggested that the government not start stage 2 until three-fourths of eligible hospitals and physician providers are compliant with stage 1.

“We also urge you to be parsimonious in your recommendations for new requirements in stage 2, maintain flexibility, avoid complexity and ensure that the benefits of any new requirements outweigh the costs,” the group wrote.

In the letter, the AHA said that in a survey of its members, less than 2 percent of the 1,297 providers responding said they were able to meet minimum federal requirements in January, when incentive payments first became available.

It also noted that federal authorities have dispersed only $158.3 million of the $4.7 billion set aside by Congress to help health care providers roll out electronic medical records.

“Clearly, meeting the stage 1 requirements is challenging; raising the bar quickly and significantly in stage 2 risks limiting the success of the EHR incentive programs,” the letter said.

Source: Nashville Business Journal

On Thursday, HHS released a toolkit of cellphone text messages that state and local emergency notification systems could distribute to the public in the event of an emergency, AHA News reports.

The toolkit features text messages with safety tips relevant to earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. State and local health departments can sign up to receive updates as HHS expands the toolkit to include health tips for other types of emergencies.

During a disaster, emergency responders can download the messages and distribute them through existing cellphone emergency messaging systems. Health officials also can tailor the messages based on local needs.

The messages can be used in conjunction with radio and television public service announcements available from CDC (AHA News, 6/10).

The toolkit was developed by:

• CDC;
• FDA;
• The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response;
• The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs; and
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Barr, Modern Healthcare, 6/10).

Source: iHealthBeat