Interoperability Finding Opportunities to Improve Interoperability Health IT projects often create opportunities to consider how data is captured, structured, and coded. Keeping standardization and interoperability in mind during that work can help identify where better alignment may be possible without automatically expanding the scope of the project.
Interoperability Connecting Drug and Product Information A medication may seem like a single piece of information, but there is a lot that needs to be represented behind it. The drug, strength, dose form, manufacturer, and specific product can all become important depending on how that information is being used.
Technology When Clinical Functionality Crosses into Medical Device Territory Clinical applications increasingly include functionality that can predict outcomes, recommend actions, or support clinical decisions in new ways. Health IT professionals need to recognize when that functionality may warrant a broader conversation about medical device regulation.
Standards & Legislation How the 21st Century Cures Act Shapes Health IT The 21st Century Cures Act reshaped how health information is accessed, exchanged, and managed across healthcare. APIs, USCDI, TEFCA, information blocking, and certification not operate as part of a connected regulatory framework.
Informatics How ICD Codes Support Clinical and Operational Decisions ICD codes influence far more than billing and reporting. They support operational planning, clinical decision support, quality measures, and the data used to guide care across the health system.
Standards & Legislation Why 45 CFR Part 170 Matters (and Where HTI-5 Fits) HTI-5 is open for public comment, but it only makes sense when placed in context. This article explains how 45 CFR Parts 170 and 171 shape what the rule actually changes.
Standards & Legislation Healthcare and The Atlantic Herring Fisherman Case The potential overturning of the Chevron deference by the Supreme Court in a case related to Atlantic Herring Fisherman could have significant implications for healthcare.
Standards & Legislation Bundled Payment Models With a bundled payment model the payer reimburses the provider or health system for all services, procedures, tests, medications, etc. within a set of defined parameters for each individual patient.
Standards & Legislation What is Capitation? Capitation-based reimbursement is a population-based model that involves paying a predetermined per-patient amount to cover all services over a period of time. The patients/persons that are covered under a capitated model are sometimes referred to as 'covered lives'.
Standards & Legislation What's Wrong with Fee-for-Service? Do you think that a restaurant would survive if there was a 'market price' label beside the entree and your final bill was broken down into dozens of items? Why is that ok in healthcare?
Standards & Legislation 21st Century Cures - Information Blocking Exceptions A high-level overview video to review the 8 exceptions providers, health IT developers of certified IT, HINs, and HIEs have available with the new Information Blocking rule. (Transcript included.)
Standards & Legislation 21st Century Cures - Information Blocking Overview In the 21st Century Cures Act, section 4004 indicates that an entity cannot information block. The rule applies to health care providers, health IT developers of Certified Health IT (so system developers), as well as health information networks (HINs) and health information exchanges (HIEs).
Standards & Legislation 2020 EHR Reporting Requirements (EH/CAH) An overview of the US Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program EHR reporting requirements for CY 2020.
Standards & Legislation LOINC ® and SNOMED CT ® - Why they're Better Together. To improve interoperability in healthcare it's important to consider coding standards. For clinical measurements and observations can we use just one?
Standards & Legislation ICD, DRG, CPT ... What are they all for? With the number of codification systems used in healthcare it can be hard to keep track of what they are all for. ICD, DRG, CMG, CCI, CPT ....
