Major initiatives in Health IT in 2013

As the push for infusing information technology into the healthcare space continues, each year is expected to have its own share of activities and initiatives which get implemented. All of these are finally expected to synergize and lead to a highly efficient and cost effective healthcare system in the future. Each such initiative has a starting time keeping in mind the change it is expected to bring about and the contribution it would make to the system over time. Also, all such initiatives are expected to have certain gestations periods to start offering real benefits. However, the build-up years are bound to result in certain levels of uncertainty and heartburn amongst all concerned stakeholders – owing to major changes affecting the status quo at any point in time.

Year 2013 saw some such Health IT initiatives getting implemented. A few of those were in response to concerns arising on the way and a few with the foresight of where the industry wants to reach. The important wants are as follows:

The HIPAA Omnibus Rule:

As an expansion to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountable Act, four new rules have been implemented. Contractors, subcontractors and other business associates of healthcare entities who deal with patient data are now expected to protect it as otherwise a provider would. There are penalties in place as well for cases of non-compliance. Also, how patient information is to be used for marketing purposes and for raising funds have defined guidelines to follow no. In short, no patient information can be sold without the required permission in place. With the digital world in a perennial expansion mode, the new rule is expected to protect patient privacy and safeguard patient health information.

Guidance for Mobile Medical Application:
This was provided by the Food and Drug Administration after an almost 2-year wait. The guidelines are enforced only on a certain percentage of apps which pose a threat to patients if they fail to perform what they intend to. Thus, only a small subset of the overall app market falls under its purview. In its current state, the oversight is on all those mobile medical applications which are aimed at being used as accessories to regulated mobile devices or which are likely to transform mobile platforms into regulated medical devices. The agency has been very particular to apply those regulatory standards which it otherwise applies to medical devices. This clarity is also very relevant to the developer community as they build newer and more effective solutions. There were some omissions in the guidelines which include:

• definition of what are regulated i.e. how to determine what requires regulation and what necessitates enforcement discretion
• defining the levels of risk for mobile devices & their accessories
• disease intended uses compared to unregulated, wellness intended uses
• exact meaning of an accessory to a medical device

Meaningful Use Stage 2 deadline extension:
Senators may have asked for a reboot of the system, some senior leaders might have questioned its true benefits; MU is here to stay. However, there is widespread consensus on some of the issues which stand as hurdles in its implementation - with the major one concerning the timeline. As a response to this, CMS proposed Meaningful Stage 2 implementation to be extended through 2016. This will result in the roll out of stage 3 getting pushed to 2017. There has however not been a shift in the start date resulting in drawing flak from some CIOs. They are not convinced about the intent of such a move – that of allowing time for fine tuning for the next stage by extending the deadline and not bring in flexibility in the start date which seems to be the need of the hour. Effectively, it means that those providers who do not start on time will miss out on a payment cycle.

Use of Big Data:
It might be early days for big data usage in healthcare systems; providers who have started using them for their clinical and administrative work have already started noticing the benefits. From reducing mortality rates, bringing down instances of readmission to performing evidence-based budgeting, there are predictions already of saving close to $450 billion in healthcare costs if the right usage of big data is made. People from some sections of the industry are however not overtly excited in jumping to such conclusions although they acknowledge the positives which are visible.

What will be new in 2014? Healthcare testing services would be in demand. Because of the large number of initiatives being rolled out and newer changes affecting healthcare, testing would peak during the year. Certified testing team would help you stay in line with your business goals while ensuring delivery of accurate healthcare solutions.

We provide healthcare software development services. If you would like to hire EMR software developers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

How Often Are Doctors Switching From One EHR System To Another?

Similar to other professionals, doctors and medical practitioners also have to store, manage and process a huge amount of information and data. The medical information also needs to be organized based on certain grades and specific structuring. So many doctors, nowadays, use specially designed electronic database systems to access and process a variety of medical information smoothly. The electronic health records (EHRs) are used by large number of doctors to manage the electronic health information about a specific patient or certain groups.

As per the ISO/TR 20514 definition, EHR can be defined as, “Collection of computerized information referring to the health state of a certain subject stored and transmitted in complete safety, accessible to any authorized user. It has a logic pattern for information organization implemented, universally accepted and independent from the system. Its main aim is to assure continuous, efficiently and quality integrated health services along with retrospective and prospective information.”

So EHRs can be used to store, access and share a variety of medical data including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal stats like age and weight, and billing information. The complex nature and constantly increasing volume of medical data encourage many companies to upgrade EHR by incorporating more advanced features and customized functionality. These features make it easier for a doctor to share a patient’s digital medical information across different healthcare settings.

At the annual conference of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society held at New Orleans in March 2013, the results of a survey conducted by American EHR was presented, which highlighted that doctors frequently switch from one EHR to another to achieve certain objectives. According to AmedNews, “A survey by AmericanEHR Partners of 4,279 clinicians, including primary care physicians, specialists and diagnostic professionals, found that user satisfaction declined from 39% in 2010 to 27% in 2012. The rate of those “very dissatisfied” increased from 11% to 21% during the same period.”

What Makes a Doctor Switch from One EHR to Another

Easy-to-Use Features: The medical information of a patient is accessed by several professionals. Along with the physician, the digital media data is also accessed by the dietitian, nurse and other staff. As the technical knowledge and skills vary from one professional to another, most doctors look for EHRs that can be easily used by their staff. So many doctors choose EHRs that comes with a set of simple and easy-to-use features. These features further allow them to train the new staff without putting any extra effort.

Option to Access Information Anytime: Similar to other users, a doctor also looks for option to access the medical information of a patient anytime, anywhere. Many doctors even look for fast and convenient options to share the medical data. So many doctors replace their conventional EHRs with the advanced systems that allow them to access and share the information over internet. Many companies have launched Cloud based EHRs to enable doctors to store all medical data in a centralized location, and access these at their own pace and convenience.

Integrating Data from Various Sources: Each doctor wants to provide the best healthcare service to his patients. So, doctors often consult with external physicians and specialists to choose the most effective treatment for his client. As the choice of EHRs varies from one doctor to another, many professionals look for systems that can collect medical information from several data sources. Also, the EHR must be compatible with multiple devices, so that the doctor can easily access and evaluate a specific patient’s medical report.

Installation and Operational Expenses: As the doctors are not sure about using an EHR for a longer period of time, they often avoid the expensive systems. Along with buying and installing the healthcare system, a doctor also has to put some amount of time and efforts in training other physicians, dietitians and nurses. So many doctors prefer investing in inexpensive EHRs to make it reduce their operational expenses. Also, the inexpensive EHRs make it easier for them to switch to avail additional benefits by switching to a more advanced system.

Some companies upgrade their EHRs frequently to overcome the common problems faced by users. The recent reports will compel many companies to standardize medical data processing, so that a doctor can change his existing EHR in a smooth and hassle-free way. And that is when need for healthcare software development services is felt.

We provide clinical software development services. To know more about the expertise of our EMR EHR Software development team, please visit Mindfire Solutions.