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”

In its August 19th letter to the Office of the National Coordinator, the HIT Policy Committee creates the term “meaningful consent” related to the coming choices patients will be asked to make about the sharing and use of their clinical data. In the recommendations, the committee clearly states that the recommendations apply to exchange of identifiable health information in order to meet Stage 1 meaningful use requirements. So now is the perfect time to ensure that the difference between the two types of consent remain distinct in the mind of the patient population. » Continue reading “Confusing “Consent” Terminology Emerges”

One of the underlying assumptions in this blog, The Art of Medicine and Technology, is that we will continue to gather more data, hopefully learn from it, and use it to provide continually improved care. Most of this data will be gathered using electronic medical record systems and other information technology systems that are increasingly finding their way into physician practices and hospitals. In our day-to-day lives, we use all kinds of tools that store messages, documents, websites and photos on servers outside of our physical control. We’re growing increasingly dependent on services in the “cloud” of connectivity to store, maintain and move our information. In the field of medicine, the growth of EHRs, and their eventual connectivity as part of the Nationwide Healthcare Information Network (NHIN) will add new dimensions to this concept. What they are talking about moving around however, is data about patient care, quality reporting and payment for services. What about the “knowledge” we will gain from research done on data? » Continue reading “In the Clouds”