Healthcare IT News For VARs — October 10, 2014
By Megan Williams, contributing writer
In this week’s news, federal guidelines for device cybersecurity have been issued, and U.S. Ebola mishandling is blamed on EHRs.
The Majority Of Providers Believe Interoperability Improves Care
A survey of 350 healthcare leaders (executives, informaticists, nursing staff, and IT professionals) revealed that 91 percent believed that EHR interoperability had the ability to improve clinical outcomes. Similar trends were revealed with respect to fiscal outcomes, with 89 percent indicating they believed the technological initiative contributed to improved results. Opinions did differ some based on job title, with more clinical workers being more skeptical about potential benefits, according to EHRIntelligence.
CMS Extends Hardship Deadline
Eligible professionals and eligible hospitals will have until November 30 to submit their applications for a Meaningful Use hardship exemption, and avoid the 2015 Medicare payment adjustment penalty. The announcement was made in reaction to the agency realizing that it had received tens of thousands of hardship applications from eligible providers. The delays are largely believed to be at least in part due to a lack of vendor preparedness, according to EHR Intelligence.
Feds Pushing To Up Security On Medical Devices
According to Tech Times, the FDA has completed its final recommendations for manufacturers of medical devices on how they should be working to address cybersecurity risks. The recommendations are being given in light of the increased interoperability and interconnectedness of medical devices, and the subsequent inefficiencies and vulnerabilities they can create. The FDA will be taking initial steps around cybersecurity, and conducting a workshop on October 21 titled, “Collaborative Approaches For Medical Devices And Healthcare Cybersecurity.”
EHR Accuracy Improved By Asking For Feedback
A study published in Generating Evidence And Methods To Improve Patient Outcomes has revealed that consulting with patients can improve the accuracy of EHRs. The study shows that patients were not only eager to provide feedback, but that they also provided useful information, with 68 percent of that information being responded to positively by pharmacists. The study also suggests some solutions for making the feedback process more automated and better integrated with an existing EHR system. Read more at Academy Health.
Possible EHR Issue Tied To Failure To Diagnose Ebola
The first case of Ebola to present in the U.S. in Texas is under examination, in part because it was not initially diagnosed when the patient visited a local emergency department. The patient, Thomas Duncan, from Liberia, where Ebola is present, was not identified as having come from a country affected by the disease, and it is believed that the patient’s subsequent discharge, was a result of information not being properly transferred between EHRs. Read more at WJLA. Healthcare IT Talking Points
This article from Health IT News, covers a discussion with Cerner CEO, Neal Patterson, and his thoughts on technology as the industry moves past EHRs as the next frontier, and into focuses like Meaningful Use (MU) and integrating EHR data into advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. It considers MU Stage 1 to be a success and compares the EHR to a bi-plane, with the future development in the industry based on refining the systems and concepts that are already in place.
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Healthcare IT Resource Center.