(This entry is also available as pdf download: see end of article for link.)

“Meaningful Use” is upon us. Hospitals around the country are scrambling to assess its implications which, aside from the obvious financial investment that must be made, will affect healthcare providers in other ways for many years to come. Since change is inevitable, this is the perfect time to look beyond the short-term aspirations of meaningful use, and identify what healthcare should look like into the future, maybe even as far as 20 years. The government however, is not likely to create that vision, so the task will be left to those providers who are bold enough to shape new models for healthcare delivery. » Continue reading “Technology as Gateway to Knowledge”

Information technology is scattered widely throughout the health reform bill that was passed in the US. In order to accomplish many of the goals stated in the bill, information technology will be increasingly investigated as one component that might offer a degree of savings or capability to the system. Whether we are talking about checking for a patient’s insurance eligibility, medical homes or improving patient access to information, technology is at the heart of the solution. And it isn’t really just technology that will be responsible for this change: what we’re really talking about is information management, using technology as a modernized means of collecting, storing and moving information throughout the system. » Continue reading “Reform is Technology Dependent”

During the 14 September, 2010 HIT Policy Committee meeting, members raised the issue of quality reporting for different purposes. Much of this focused on the difference between quality measures that are reported to health agencies for purposes of meaningful use or public health, vs. the kind of measures that might be used to analyze the individual organization. While the Committee recognizes that the two can be very different, its work will likely remain tailored, at least in the shorter term, to making recommendations that directly address “meaningful use” of EHR systems as specified in the legislation that created the Committee. » Continue reading “Creativity Required”

“Eight Information Essentials Every Hospital Board Must Know” has been published as Blueprint Healthcare IT Partner Brief #1. Earlier this month I wrote a short series noting eight essential things that hospital boards must know in order to lead their organizations through successful transformation, especially where technology is the enabler. Now, in partnership with Blueprint Healthcare IT, these eight essentials have been consolidated into a single piece.

You can download the Brief here in both Word and PDF format, or view it online at Blueprint Healthcare IT, recognized leaders in information security, privacy and compliance.

-Rod Piechowski

Copyright © 2010, Rod Piechowski, Inc., Consulting