Imagine a scenario in which data from a variety of disparate siloed systems could be aggregated into one repository and then used to analyze and predict patient care along the entire care continuum.

That vision of how data can transform healthcare may not be too far off in the future. Oakbrook, IL-based Advocate Health Care and Cerner have teamed up to create new data-driven models designed to improve patient health outcomes and safety.

When it came to EMR training, Michael Roebuck, MD knew it didn’t make sense to spend time, energy, and resources fighting the inevitable among his colleagues. Instead, Roebuck and his team created an intensive, customized clinician training program that is easing the transition to the hospital’s new enterprise system from Epic. “Doctors’ behavior is very
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In the two years since its inception, Adventist HealthCare’s data network now encompasses more than 100 physicians. Leaders at the Rockville, MD-based integrated healthcare delivery organization expect to connect the entire community of 1,800 affiliated physicians to the data network by 2014.

If it’s not already on your to-do list, add this item: figure out if and how exchanging health information at the local, state, and national levels fits into your organization’s overall strategic plan and goals.

That’s the advice from Jeff Burke, CHCHIO, former CIO of Richmond, VA-based Bon Secours Health System. Burke currently serves as CIO of Central Virginia Health Network, an umbrella organization for CenVaNet, a vehicle for managed care risk contracting, and MedVirginia, the state’s Health Information Exchange (HIE).

While many in the industry breathed a sigh of relief when the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans to delay Meaningful Use Stage 2 by a year, not everyone applauded the decision, contending that postponing critical components like interoperability comprises patient safety and healthcare delivery.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ much-anticipated February 22 announcement of the proposed Stage 2 Meaningful Use regulations held few surprises for those who have been following the Office of the National Coordinator’s (ONC) work for the past year.

The announcement, made by ONC head Farzad Mostashari to an overflow crowd at this year’s HIMSS conference, reflected many of the recommendations made last year by the Health IT Policy Committee and the Health IT Standards Committee.

When it comes to tackling complex projects like ICD-10 preparation and planning, outsourcing all or some of the tasks may give some much needed help to already stretched-to-the-limit hospital staffs. As with most hospitals, preparing for ICD-10 isn’t the only project on Fairfield Medical Center’s (FMC) plate. For the 222-bed hospital, located in Lancaster, Ohio, outsourcing made sense.

While Meaningful Use, Accountable Care Organizations and ICD-10 are taking up a significant portion of hospital leaders’ attention these days, there’s another strategic initiative that should be added to the list, says a veteran industry watcher. And, she adds, expect to see some major market shifts as vendors, both big and small, jump on board to take advantage of the potential opportunities.

Capturing the vast amounts of data available in biomedical devices for inclusion in an electronic medical record has been described as the Holy Grail of connectivity, and one hospital system’s quest is nearly complete as it readies itself for the first of its two go-lives later this month.

Health information systems are being implemented fast and furiously, driven by the prospect of Meaningful Use incentives. However, a growing concern among industry watchers is that when the HITECH dust settles, the outcome may be less than ideal.