February 2011 - The Health Care Blog

The Power of a Network: Health Information Exchanges

By JACK BUXBAUM The idea behind a network is that it grows stronger as more participants join it. A basic example is a cell phone provider that allows its members to make free calls to other members – the policy becomes more valuable as more people join...

Published Thu, Feb 24 2011 9:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: EHR, Jack Buxbaum, HIMSS 2011, HIE

Getting DIRECTLY to the Point

By RICH ELMORE and ARIEN MALEC A patient’s health records are no longer confined to a doctor’s office, shelved inside a dusty file cabinet. With the advent of the Nationwide Health Information Network, a framework of standards, services and policies that...

Published Mon, Feb 21 2011 8:03 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Front Page

Is Economic Credentialing A Tool for Primary Care to Lead ACOs?

By VINCE KURAITIS, JD Is economic credentialing — the use of economic factors such as loyalty and utilization rates in the physician credentialing process — a potential tool for primary care physicians to lead ACOs? and reestablish the vitality of primary...

Published Thu, Feb 24 2011 8:06 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: primary care, Vince Kuraitis, Front Page, Economic credentialing

Earl Jones @ HIMSS11

Matthew spoke wih GE Healthcare IT’s SVP and General Manager of eHealth Earl Jones about the health IT giant’s hopes and dreams in 2011. Tweet this Share on Facebook Read More...

Published Thu, Feb 24 2011 10:31 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Tech, HIMSS, Video, Earl Jones, GE Healthcare

Direct Project Implementations Take Flight

By RICH ELMORE and PAUL TUTEN The Direct Project has taken off, with the first-in-the-nation production use of the Direct Project for secure direct clinical messaging. Arien Malec, ONC’s Direct Project Coordinator, announced today that pilots in Minnesota...

Published Wed, Feb 02 2011 1:35 PM by The Health Care Blog

Glen Tullman @ HIMSS11

Glen Tullman, CEO of Allscripts, talked with Matthew about mergers, consolidation and payment changes taking place in the healthcare system. Tweet this Share on Facebook Read More...

Published Mon, Feb 28 2011 2:04 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Tech, HIMSS 2011, Allscripts, Glen Tullman

mHealth – Potentially Valuable, But Not Ready For Primetime

By TED DRISCOLL, PHD mHealth – otherwise known as mobile healthcare – sounds like just what the doctor ordered to help make healthcare delivery cheaper and more effective. And since the Internet today essentially resides in everybody’s pocket, it would...

Published Thu, Feb 17 2011 1:02 PM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Tech, Ted Driscoll, mHealth, Mobile healthcare

Why Consumer-Driven Health Care Will Fail

By DAVIS LIU, MD The creation of consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs), health insurance policies with high deductibles linked to a savings option and with more financial responsibility shouldered by patients and employees and less by employers, was completely...

Published Wed, Feb 23 2011 9:27 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Employers, Davis Liu, Front Page, High deductibles, CDHP, Consumer-driven health plans

Are Academic Medical Centers Toast in a Post-Healthcare Reform World?

By BOB WACHTER, MD My hospital, UCSF Medical Center, is thriving. Our profits this year will be nearly $200 million. We’re building a sparkling clinical complex – a combined women’s, children’s, and cancer hospital – adjacent to our new downtown biomedical...

Published Mon, Feb 28 2011 8:39 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Bob Wachter, Front Page, academic medical centers, Teaching centers

What’s In a Word?

By MARK FRISSE, MD The “HIE” at HIMSS 2011 appears noticeably different than the “HIE” of HIMSS 2010 or 2009. HIE will be ubiquitous. It is not just a topic for a Sunday session any more. Of the 26 sessions listing HIE as a topic...

Published Tue, Feb 22 2011 10:55 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: HIEs, Front Page, HIMSS, Mark Frisse

Jonathan Bush @HIMSS11

We caught up with always outspoken athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush backstage in Orlando. Tweet this Share on Facebook Read More...

Published Thu, Feb 24 2011 6:00 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Jonathan Bush, Front Page, HIMSS, Video

Tectonic Forces at Work

By PAUL LEVY We are about to witness the clash of two tectonic plates in health care. The creation of Accountable Care Organizations, combined with a movement towards capitated and other types of bundled payments, will be forces towards integration.....

Published Tue, Feb 01 2011 8:01 AM by The Health Care Blog

2011 Predictions: MU Goes Tactical, ACO Strategic

By JOHN MOORE In the Healthcare IT (HIT) market, 2010 was the year of meaningful use (MU). Healthcare organizations (HCOs) of all sizes developed plans, began making IT modifications and began adopting the technology they needed to meet Stage One... Read...

Published Thu, Feb 03 2011 4:45 AM by The Health Care Blog

NJ ACO: A Sheep in PHYCORE Clothing

By SCOTT SHREEVE, MD I am on an email list of Bill DeMarco’s, a reputable industry insider who has written and consulted extensively in the physician group and medical management space. He recently sent me a note about several physician... Read More....

Published Wed, Feb 02 2011 3:54 PM by The Health Care Blog

I’m Dying To Know

By AMY BERMAN In some ways, I consider myself lucky. I know this is a strange comment from someone diagnosed with Stage IV *** cancer. I say this, though, because the first steps on my journey with end-stage cancer were undertaken with the help of a team...

Published Fri, Feb 18 2011 10:10 AM by The Health Care Blog

Filed under: Front Page, Amy Berman, Breast cancer