Online communication between health care providers and patients can help boost patient education and satisfaction, according to a small provisional study published this week in the journal BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, FierceHealthIT reports.
Study Details
For the study, researchers in Denmark created a Web-based tool, called the Online Patient Book, that allowed asynchronous online communication between health care providers and their patients.
The patients — men with prostate cancer who had been treated with surgery in a short-stay hospital setting — were able to use the online tool to send messages to their health care providers and were promised a response within 24 hours.
Researchers evaluated the use of the tool between June 2010 and September 2010.
Study Findings
The study found that 33 out of 34 patients who used the online tool reported having a positive experience, while one patient provided a natural evaluation of the tool.
Participants reported that the tool provided them with freedom and a “feeling of security” because they were able to get in touch with their health care providers when necessary, but they were not limited by a particular time or location to meet.
The researchers said, “The patient users could both take as long as they needed to ask the ‘right ‘ question, but also do so without feeling the stress in relation to taking someone’s time” (Bowman, FierceHealthIT, 9/5).
Source: iHealthBeat
In a comment letter submitted to CMS on the proposed rule for Medicare’s 2013 physician fee schedule, the Medical Group Management Association argues that duplicative reporting requirements in Medicare’s electronic prescribing program unfairly penalize physicians who participate in other federal quality reporting initiatives, such as the meaningful use program or the Physician Quality Reporting System, Health Data Management reports.
Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
MGMA noted that the federal government has acknowledged the overlap of reporting requirements and has proposed additional e-prescribing exemptions for certain health care providers who participate in the meaningful use program. However, it argued that “this proposal fails to eliminate the burden on providers to fulfill requirements in each separate program” (Goedert, Health Data Management, 9/5).
MGMA said, “As proposed, these new exemptions will require providers to first determine if they are eligible to claim an exemption based on the registration and attestation criteria and time frames set forth in the proposed rule,” adding, “We urge the agency to automatically deem those providers who are participating successfully in meaningful use to have fulfilled both the e-prescribing and PQRS requirements, rather than placing the burden on the provider to claim hardship exemptions to avoid duplicative penalties” (MGMA letter, 9/4).
Source: iHealthBeat
Most physicians currently use an electronic health record system or are in the process of implementing one, according to a new survey by Medscape, FierceEMR reports.
The survey suggests that the widespread use of EHRs can be attributed in large part to the meaningful use program.
Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
Methodology
For the survey, researchers interviewed 21,202 physicians from 25 specialties (Hirsch, FierceEMR, 8/28).
Researchers asked physicians what they liked and disliked about their EHR systems, as well as how the systems affect their practices (Reese, Medscape, 8/23).
In addition, researchers asked doctors to rank their EHR systems in several categories relating to issues such as ease of use, value and reliability (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 8/30).
Increase in Use of EHR Systems
According to the survey, 82% of respondents reported using an EHR system or being in the process of installing one. Meanwhile, 6% of respondents reported having no plans to adopt an EHR system in the next one to two years (FierceEMR, 8/28).
A 2009 Medscape survey found that 38% of respondents reported using an EHR system, while about 33% said they had no plans to purchase one Importance of Meaningful Use Program (Medscape, 8/23).
The new survey found that 44% of respondents reported already attesting to meaningful use and that 31% said they expected to within the next year.
Leslie Kane — executive editor of Medscape‘s Business of Medicine division, said that the rapid increase in physician adoption of EHRs this year is directly related to the meaningful use program.
In addition, Kane said that pressure from other physicians has had an effect on EHR adoption. She said, “The number of doctors stonewalling against EHRs has dropped, and people are getting on the bandwagon” (Terry, InformationWeek, 8/29).
Physicians’ Satisfaction With EHRs
According to the survey:
In addition, the survey found that:
Popular, Highest-Ranked Systems
The survey found that the EHR vendors most commonly used by respondents were:
According to the survey, the brands ranked highest by respondents were:
Source: iHealthBeat
On Friday, HHS released a final rule that would delay the ICD-10 compliance date until Oct. 1, 2014 and implement Health Plan Identifiers, or HPIDs, Modern Healthcare reports (Modern Healthcare, 8/24).
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement said, “These new standards are a part of our efforts to help providers and health plans spend less time filling out paperwork and more time seeing their patients.” She noted that the efforts aim to cut health care costs by $6 billion over 10 years.
Background on ICD-10 Delay, HPIDs
U.S. health care organizations are working to transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 code sets to accommodate codes for new diseases and procedures. The switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 code sets means that health care providers and insurers will have to change out about 14,000 codes for about 69,000 codes.
In April, HHS released a proposed rule that would delay the deadline for complying with ICD-10 standards by one year, to Oct. 1, 2014. HHS said it decided to push back the compliance date partly in response to health care providers’ concerns that they would not be able to meet the initial deadline.
The proposed rule also included a provision to establish a unique HPID for all health insurers that would be a standard length and format to facilitate routine use in computer systems (iHealthBeat, 8/9).
Final Rule Details
The newly released rule finalizes the ICD-10 delay and the establishment of HPIDs.
According to HHS, the implementation of HPIDs will “greatly simplify” health care providers’ processes for billing health insurers (HHS release, 8/24).
Source: iHealthBeat
Following a 10-month investigation, the FBI has arrested a former employee of Florida Hospital Celebration Health for accessing patients’ emergency department records and selling them to a solicitor for attorneys and chiropractors, WFTV reports (WFTV, 8/17).
Details of Breach
Dale Munroe — who registered ED patients at Celebration Health — allegedly accessed the files of patients who were treated for injuries resulting from automobile accidents at multiple hospitals across the state, according to the FBI investigation (Goedert, Health Data Management, 8/22).
According to the complaint in U.S.A. v. Munroe, Munroe accessed about 763,000 patient records from late 2009 through mid-2011. The complaint stated that Munroe sold the information to firms that then contacted the patients and asked if they needed a referral to a lawyer or chiropractor.
Munroe and his wife allegedly were paid approximately $10,000 for information from the records.
Hospital, Authorities Respond
The hospital fired Munroe in July 2011 after officials discovered that he had improperly accessed the file of a physician who had been killed.
However, his wife and another hospital employee continued accessing patient records after Munroe’s firing.
Officials discovered the scheme in August 2011 when a hospital employee received a solicitation call and reported the issue to the hospital.
The hospital then:
The FBI started investigating the incident after the hospital reported the data breach to HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (Health Data Management, 8/22).
Source: iHealthBeat
Personal genomics services company 23andMe is using social media and advanced data analysis as part of a large-scale research effort focused on Parkinson’s disease, NPR’s “Shots” reports.
In 2009, the company started recruiting individuals with Parkinson’s disease at conferences and through social media channels. Participants were asked to donate a sample of their DNA for genetic research, and in exchange, 23andMe offered its personalized genetics services to participants at no cost.
Hank Greely, a Stanford Law School professor, said the strategy could allow 23andMe “in theory…to involve 10,000 people with Parkinson’s disease, and do it cheaply and easily.”
Emily Drabant, 23andMe research director, said that collecting genetic data from many thousands of people could help the company identify the genes involved in the disease. She said, “[T]he idea is when you aggregate across many thousands of people, you can start to see genes that have perhaps a small effect on risk for Parkinson’s.”
According to Drabant, the study’s Internet-based approach might make some scientists uncomfortable, but it also could help researchers make important genetic discoveries faster and cheaper than in the past.
Robert Green of Harvard Medical School said, “[T]here’s no reason why social media and the Internet can’t revolutionize some aspects of medical research,” adding that the study is “part of a larger trend, not something that’s really restricted to genetic testing companies” (Cuda-Kroen, “Shots,” NPR, 8/20).
Source: iHealthBeat
The final rules for Stage 2 of the meaningful use program are expected to be released by the beginning of September, according to a CMS official, Bloomberg/BNA reports (Bloomberg/BNA, 8/15).
Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
Background on Stage 2
Earlier this year, CMS released a proposed rule outlining requirements for hospitals and health care providers seeking to attest to Stage 2. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT also released a proposed rule on the standards and criteria for the certification of EHR systems under Stage 2 of the program.
On July 16, CMS sent the Stage 2 final rule for health care providers to the Office of Management and Budget for review. On July 31, HHS sent to OMB the final rule outlining standards and criteria for the certification of EHR systems under Stage 2.
OMB review is one of the last steps before a rule is published in the Federal Register (iHealthBeat, 8/2).
CMS Official’s Comments
Robert Anthony — a specialist with CMS’ Office of E-Health Standards and Services — discussed the potential Stage 2 timeline during a Tuesday webinar sponsored by CMS and the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management (Bloomberg/BNA, 8/15).
He did not provide specific details about when the Stage 2 final rules would be published (Roney, Becker’s Hospital Review, 8/16).
Also during the webinar, Anthony said that CMS will audit health care providers participating in the meaningful use program. He noted that the agency will focus on providers who show substantial noncompliance (Bloomberg/BNA, 8/15).
Source: iHealthBeat
Indiana has launched a website — called MyVaxIndiana — that allows patients and parents to access immunization records from a state registry, Health Data Management reports (Goedert, Health Data Management, 8/14).
The site is an extension of the Indiana State Department of Health’s existing immunization information system for health care professionals, called the Children and Hoosiers Immunization Registry Program, or CHIRP.
Physicians with access to CHIRP control patient registration for the MyVaxIndiana site. Patients interested in registering first must request a personal identification number from their physician, and then they can go online to sign up for the program.
Peter Banks — project officer for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s State Health Information Exchange program — described the initiative in a recent “Health IT Buzz” blog post. Banks wrote that individuals who register for the MyVaxIndiana site can view certain data on themselves or their children, including:
The information can be faxed, printed, downloaded or sent to a personal health record, according to Modern Healthcare (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 8/13).
Source: iHealthBeat
Physicians have different views about whether it is appropriate to use social media tools to connect with patients, the Seattle Times reports.
Physician Proponents of Social Media
Wendy Sue Swanson — a pediatrician at The Everett Clinic and Seattle Children’s Hospital who blogs and uses Twitter — said that credible online health information often is overshadowed by sales pitches or medical anecdotes from celebrities. She said, “If celebrities are going to be online, then we educated, practicing physicians had better be there, too.”
Matt Handley — a family doctor and medical director for quality and informatics at Group Health Cooperative, a Seattle-based health care system — is a proponent of physicians using social media to connect with patients. He said that being a good doctor requires conversation, adding, “The more you understand and know about a patient, the more you can understand what matters for them.”
Concerns About Physicians’ Use of Social Media
However, other physicians have expressed concern about using social media in their profession. For example, some doctors have said that using social media tools could:
John Lantos — director of the Children’s Mercy Bioethics Center at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. — said it still is unclear how social media should be used in patient care. He said, “As we’re using it, we’re starting to figure out what it’s good for, what it’s bad for … what the risks and benefits are” (Ostrom, Seattle Times, 8/11).
Source: iHealthBeat
Advancements in health care technology are expected to lead to more career opportunities and changes in job duties over the next several years, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Demand for Health IT Workers Expected To Rise
Jonathon Heck, a Chicago-based health care recruiter, said, “New careers will emerge as we continue to get a handle on the technology and how it impacts health care.”
Colleges and universities say they are aware of the growing demand for health IT workers.
Deborah Halliday — former assistant director of career services at Boston University — said, “I don’t see [the demand for these types of jobs] going anywhere but up.”
Robin Steinmann — manager for employment and employee relations at St. Louis Children’s Hospital — said she encourages people interested in health IT careers to take internships and shadow professionals already working in the field.
Changes in Job Duties
Steinmann noted that technological advances have transformed the work of many health care professionals, including laboratory technicians.
“Before, laboratory technicians had to do a lot of the testing by hand — sit at the bench and look through a microscope,” Steinmann said. Now, a machine can test samples, she noted.
“The laboratory technicians can use their education not to count bacteria but to try to interpret [data] and work with the other staff,” she said (Chicago Tribune, 8/9).
Source: iHealthBeat
MGMA Supports ICD-10 Testing With Outside Organizations
July 30, 2013
Report: Many EHR Users Set To Replace Systems Within the Next Year
July 30, 2013
Providers, Vendors Urge Congress To Delay Meaningful Use Stage 2
July 30, 2013
Many Doctors May Find Meeting ‘Meaningful Use’ Requirements a Challenge
June 28, 2013
When it Comes to ICD-10 Physician Documentation: Collaborate and Educate
June 28, 2013
The Slow Crawl Toward Improved EHR Usability and Interoperability
June 28, 2013
Efficient Patient Communication and Engagement
June 13, 2013
ONC Issues Guidance on Stage 2 Transition of Care Requirements
May 31, 2013
Drugmakers Leverage Doctor, Patient Data To Market Their Products
May 31, 2013
Consumer Organizations Defend Meaningful Use Program
May 31, 2013
