Viewpoint

Just because we work with technology, that doesn’t mean technology is always going to work with us.
Here at HMT, we recently found that out the hard way.

First of all, the binary data gods are evidently not at all impressed with the fact that we are an information technology trade magazine. This was underscored this past month, when a server move yielded a veritable plethora of problems with our Web site, delaying posting of our September issue content and our online voting system for the 2010 Pioneer of Healthcare IT winner.

Because of these technical difficulties, the ability to cast a vote on our Web site for the Pioneer of Healthcare IT winner was delayed by three weeks and the voting module itself did not go live until Sept. 20. Therefore, we have extended the vote time until mid-November, and will announce the Pioneer of Healthcare IT winner in our December issue (we were originally going to make that announcement in this issue).

So as the IT gods sit laughing in their cloud (pun intended), we are left to look for the silver lining. Often, it is difficult to find, especially when the search takes place in the wake of technical turmoil. As it turns out in this case, however, the delay does give us the opportunity to become more familiar with the six Pioneers of Healthcare IT finalists. (If you missed the article spotlighting the top contenders, check out the September issue of HMT; it can also be viewed online at www.HealthMgtTech.com.)

In brief, the finalists are:

Deborah Kohn, principal, Dak Systems Consulting; Richard P. Mansour, M.D.,CMIO and VP, product innovation, Eclipsys; Paul Bleicher, M.D., CMO, Humedica; John Santmann, M.D., president and CEO, Wellsoft; W. Ed Hammond, director, Duke Center for Health Informatics; and Lori Wright, vice president and general manager, Symantec Health.

So go to www.HealthMgtTech.com and vote for your favorite.

Additionally, despite the technical snafus, we did manage to put together a compelling selection of articles this month, including: a Q&A with experts on the impact of the HITECH Act and the industry’s perception of healthcare IT; case studies on optimizing release-of-information processes and reducing administrative costs through work-flow automation; a look at what happens when HIEs meet Web 2.0; and a piece on improving healthcare outcomes through evidence-based medicine. The October issue also features part two of former HMT publisher Mike Hilts’ exploration of three decades of healthcare IT evolution.

Enjoy the magazine. And, until next time, here’s wishing you good healthcare IT.

Pearls are the traditional gift to commemorate a 30th anniversary.

And tradition, as it informs the present and foreshadows the future, is foremost on our minds as Health Management
Technology magazine enters its fourth decade.

Tradition is an important part of any culture, the bedrock upon which a foundation is built. In business, tradition can dictate the lay of the land, help determine its appearance and establish parameters that will hopefully nurture that business and allow it to grow.

But you’d be hard pressed to find an industry that has undergone more transformation over the past few decades than healthcare IT.

Think about what the world was like in 1980, when this magazine was founded.

The personal computer had just made its debut three years prior, in 1977, and the first rudimentary PCs for business were just entering the market. No one had heard of the Internet. IBM punch cards gave way to 5-1/4-inch floppy disks, green screens gradually morphed into color CRTs and powerful computers the size of houses have evolved into iPhones that fit in our pockets. Meanwhile, the models to deliver and pay for healthcare have changed just as rapidly as the hardware and infrastructure, making communication among peers that much more indispensible.

IT trade magazines exist to provide readers with valuable information in their specific fields; to connect them with their counterparts across the country; and to facilitate the exchange of information between vendors and end users. It considerably eases the pains of solutions implementation when you can read about someone who has been there, done that.

So, as we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we’re taking stock of what’s important, and trying to reflect in these pages what it’s all about:

It’s about respecting the past, as HMT founder Bill Childs, former HMT editor Damon Braly and former HMT publisher Mike Hilts demonstrate with their respective columns in this issue.

It’s about dealing with now, as our Pioneers of Healthcare IT finalists take on six of the hottest topics in the industry and how best to deal with the challenges they present. And speaking of technology, for the first time, our readers will be able to vote online for whom they think should be the Pioneer of Healthcare IT for 2010. The winner will be revealed next month.

It’s about staying in the moment while simultaneously peering over the horizon, just as the staff at the Connecticut hospitals did as they piloted the first statewide health information exchange.

It’s about looking toward the future, as we ask industry experts the question, "Where does IT go from here?"

And it’s about sharing ideas, experience and – if we’re lucky along the way – some genuine pearls of wisdom.

The old adage actually goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” But with all of the sea changes taking place in our industry lately – the installation of electronic health records and health information exchanges; the confusion of meaningful use; and all-pervasive healthcare reform, to name but a few – it sometimes feels like nothing will ever be the same. One thing is certain: The next several years will offer quite a ride for those of us in healthcare IT.

Ever cognizant of the fact that these changes impact virtually everyone in the industry in one form or another, we here at Health Management Technology magazine are doing our best to cover a wide range of topics; something for everyone, if you will.

In this month’s issue, we feature a carts roundup, with some of the latest, greatest and coolest products from five industry leaders; stories on call centers, work flow, medical transcription and patient safety; a piece on evaluating EHR systems; and an article that explores when it may or may not be appropriate to utilize a regional extension center as part of the EHR selection process.

And don’t miss our new products section; our Industry Watch pages; our final Pioneers of Healthcare IT tribute; and an insightful commentary on meaningful use by our own resident EHR expert, Arthur Gasch.

Since the final meaningful-use rules (all 864 pages of them) were announced July 13, the feedback we have received has been, for the most part, positive. Here’s what Carol Diamond, M.D., managing director of the Markle Foundation, says about it: “The two words are critical together – ‘meaningful’ and ‘use.’ The final rule has added flexibility to encourage providers to participate in the first phase of this critical effort to improve health, promote efficiency, drive innovation and protect privacy.”

And Peter Basch, M.D., senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, agrees: “This marks a new beginning in the effort to infuse the health sector with the power of information.”

Rest assured we will continue to cover meaningful use over the next several months.

Also, be sure to check out our Web site at www.healthmgttech.com, and have a look around our six microsites and industry news section, which is updated daily. While visiting the Web site, sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletter for more stories and case studies not covered in these pages.

In future issues, topics covered will include work-flow management, medical transcription, storage management, security, CPOE, remote care, document management, charge capture, PACS, network security, claims and coding, FIS and mobile computing.

Next month, we celebrate our 30th anniversary with both a look back and a look ahead. Until then, as always, here’s wishing you good healthcare IT.

Phil Colpas

Extracting meaning from meaningful use

In this, our July 2010 issue, Health Management Technology proudly presents a special exclusive supplement containing insights from the 2010 Medical Strategic Planning (MSP)/Andrew EMR Benchmark. More than 700 electronic medical records developers and resellers were invited to participate in this survey, which, in conjunction with a 2009 book, “Successfully Choosing Your EMR: 15 Crucial Decisions,” and an online EMR selector, provides a powerful tool to aid healthcare professionals in making the conversion from paper-based to electronic medical records.

According to MSP founder Arthur Gasch, “MSP is, in sum, the host of the broadest repository on EMR information available on U.S. EMR developers,” he says. “We have tools to compare EMRs and to assist and guide EMR consultants and physicians through the entire 118-step, 15-month process of planning for and implementing an EMR.”

“Meaningful use” was introduced in February 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) as a precondition for receiving reimbursement by physicians who adopted EMRs. The term was not officially defined until January 2010, in a 220-page document authored by the Department of Health and Human Services.

As we are all now painfully aware, this definition generated a great deal of rancor from both EMR developers and those planning to adopt an EMR system; many felt the convoluted and far-reaching nature of what constitutes meaningful use is likely to hamper, not help, conversion to electronic medical records. The supplement in this issue of HMT deals specifically with how meaningful use has impacted EMR developers.

Future issue follow-ups from MSP will deal with such topics as HIPAA compliance, pros and cons of regional extension centers and work-flow analysis, all culled from the company’s impressive database of information from EMR vendors and resellers across the country. We look forward to a continuing relationship with Gasch and Bill Andrew, executive vice president of MSP, and are pleased they will be sharing their vast knowledge with HMT’s readers. (For more on their experience and impressive background in healthcare IT, see the sidebar in the special supplement.)

Also in this issue, we present a roundup on health information exchanges (HIEs), with valuable information provided by 14 HIE vendors and end-users; two case studies on picture-archiving communications systems (PACS); a case study on revenue cycle management (RCM); an article on network infrastructure; a “Thought Leaders” piece on the value of retaining unstructured patient narratives in electronic health records; new products and services; and pioneers in healthcare IT.

So, as we begin the second half of 2010, we wish you happy reading and, as always, good healthcare IT.