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DIVURGENT's ACORM Framework, The Right IT Infrastructure for ACOs - Shiple
 Click here to download a PDF version of this white paper
After reading the final rule for Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), one might conclude that the IT infrastructure needed to support an ACO is too daunting to build. CMS alludes to dozens of technological documents and processes in the rule, including electronic health records (EHRs), personal health records (PHRs), telehealth, health information exchanges (HIEs), data warehousing, analytics, and member registries. The resulting ACO IT platform would involve a very complex and expensive implementation. In fact, Medicare's estimate of $1.75 million for ACO infrastructure is a low estimate for most healthcare organizations. Healthcare organizations are likely to spend many times that amount to properly implement all the IT elements envisioned for Medicare ACOs. Furthermore, since implementing this type of ACO platform would require technology not readily available in the present marketplace, a considerable amount of custom development would also be needed.
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Mobile Applications in Healthcare - Davaloor, Konschak
Click here to download a PDF version of this white paper
One in five mobile phone owners today owns a smartphone,1 a trend that is on the rise as consumers increasingly use these devices as handheld computers. Not surprisingly the number of consumer smartphone applications (apps) that were downloaded went from 300 million in 2009 to five billion in 2010.2 With mobile devices outnumbering personal computers,3 we are approaching the point where they will be the most common way to access data.
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The Role of Patient-Centered Tools in ACOs - Konschak
Click
here to download a PDF version of this white paper
When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new rules to help health care providers better coordinate care for Medicare patients through ACOs, involving patients was an important issue. Since the goal of an ACO is to deliver seamless, high quality care for patients – a model that will eventually be adapted more widely – it’s difficult to conceive of an ACO without involving patients. In fact, the name Accountable Care Organization implies accountability and therefore participation on the part of the patient. Looking ahead, it’s likely that Patient Health Records (PHRs) will be included in Stage 2 of Meaningful Use. “PHRs, like CPOE and bar coded medications, are considered to be part of the right answer for our healthcare system,” said David Shiple, Senior Consultant at DIVURGENT a national healthcare management consulting firm. PHRs fit in perfectly with the spectrum of care offered by ACOs; just as providers are connected in an ACO, these systems offer an avenue for patients to connect as well. They are destined to become the tools that will be utilized to help make patients accountable for their care.
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Virtual Integration: The Role of the Electronic Medical Record - Reese, Spoto, Konschak
Click
here to to download a PDF version of HIMSS' Summer 2011 JHIM. Article on page 56
In today's healthcare environment, physician-hospital
integration is an important strategy for delivering efficient, affordable healthcare and improving health outcomes. Virtual integration utilizing electronic health records (EHR) has the potential to create solid alignment between hospitals and physicians that strengthens their relationship and allows for improved patient care. Relaxation of the Stark regulations, which allows hospitals to donate up to 85 percent of EHR-related software and services, paves the way for utilizing EHR technology and implementation to integrate with community physicians.
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Meaningful Use Requirement for HIPAA Security Risk Assessment - Sirois, Clarke
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), set forth by Title XIII of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA), not only defined requirements for meaningful use of electronic health records but also set forth numerous modifications and enhancements to the Health Information Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) information security and privacy standards.
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ICD-10 Planning: Developing a Roadmap for the Journey from ICD-9 to ICD-10 - Frietze
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
In just over two years, on Oct. 1, 2013, the mandated implementation of ICD-10 will increase the number of codes from approximately 17,000 under current ICD-9 standards to well over 150,000 under ICD-10 . This transition will provide greater specificity in clinical information and documentation resulting in enhanced analysis of disease patterns and treatment outcomes, increased decision-making capabilities, improved reimbursement accuracy, and ultimately provide a vehicle to help lower the overall cost of healthcare. The ICD-10 code sets will also link to the standards and certification criteria for demonstrating "meaningful use" of certified EHR technology under the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record incentive program. |
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Lessons Learned: Avoiding Some of the Common Pitfalls of EHR Activation - Danaher, Felt, Sirois
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
Healthcare organizations across the U.S. are moving towards the adoption and "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHR) to improve care, reduce costs, and improve organizational efficiency. This is due in large part to the HITECH incentives; however, upcoming changes in the standards for electronic health care transactions, such as the ICD-10 coding requirements on all HIPAA transactions, are also increasingly proving significant drivers for adoption. |
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Evolution of Care Delivery - Accountable Care Organizations and Preparing for Implementation - Konschak and Bohn
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
Physician practices, hospitals, and payer organizations have worked together to advance a new
healthcare service model to improve quality, efficiency and cost of care. This article describes
some of the currently known requirements for establishing this new model called the accountable
care organization (ACO) under the forthcoming Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
ACO program. Potential benefits from implementation are discussed along with challenges that
include: management of the ACO, technology infrastructure (electronic health records (EHR) and
health information exchange (HIE)), equitable distribution of savings, maintaining patient volumes,
and financing of care. |
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Social Media in Healthcare: An Addicting Phenomenon - Emily Kneipp
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
Who knew five years ago that tweeting could save lives and Facebook posts would boost business? Who expected a social networking site like LinkedIn to be a treasure box to recruiters? The idea that eVisits, electronic consultation between physicians and patients, will be able to replace doctor visits and become a mandatory benefit for physicians has emerged due to the rapid growth of technology. |
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Using Strategies from the Nuclear Power Industry to Improve Patient Safety – Konschak and Sirois
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
Ever since the Institute of Medicine released its pivotal report “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System” in 1999, much attention has been focused on improving patient safety. Tens of thousands of patients die each year as a result of medical errors, two-thirds of which are preventable. |
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CPOE Project Management – Philip Felt
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
The current healthcare reform bill is pressuring healthcare systems to satisfy the HITech Act, a portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and meet the requirements of meaningful use. CPOE, computerized physician order entry (or as CMIOs like to call it, computerized physicians order management), must be completed by 2017. |
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Flying Lessons: Crew Resource Management in Healthcare – Konschak and Sirois
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
In 1977, two Boeing 747s collided on a runway in the Canary Islands, killing 582 people. It was the largest accident in aviation history and it led to an industry-wide examination on the cause of aviation accidents. It turned out that up to 80 percent of aviation accidents were caused by human error. This revelation prompted NASA to convene an aviation safety workshop in 1979, which led to the development of Crew Resource Management (CRM), an error-reducing method that has revolutionized air travel safety. In following aviation’s lead, CRM was first applied to healthcare in the operating room of University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, in 1994. In 2001, the IOM recommended that this type of training be used to increase patient safety and it also advocated by the National Academies, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Today, CRM training programs are being used in a variety of healthcare settings, including operating rooms, anesthesia departments, emergency departments, intensive care units, and labor and delivery departments. |
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Designing your EMR Training Program - Mercer
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
Even the best-planned, financed, and resourced electronic medical
record (EMR) implementation projects have unexpected issues;
however, one thing should be expected and planned for in every
EMR implementation – system training. It is critical that all
personnel – from administrative staff, to physicians, to clinicians
– be trained efficiently, effectively, and in a timely manner
on the new system. Lack of proper and effective training can
sabotage even the best of EMR implementation projects. |
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Critical Success Factors For Successful ECM System Selection
- Danaher
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
With healthcare reform at the top of our current administrator's
agenda and widespread electronic medical record (EMR) adoption
at the forefront of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA) of 2009, the move toward digital accessibility of information
is the reality for today's healthcare organization (HCO). Comprehensive
patient information must be available in a secure, central location
to those who need it, when they need it, and where the need
it. |
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How One Healthcare Organization Successfully Achieved Physician
Adoption - Levin and Konschak
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
Today, widespread adoption of the EMR is at the forefront of
President Obama’s healthcare reform strategies as evidenced
by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009,
signed into law in February 2009. This economic stimulus package
provides incentive payments for physicians and hospitals that
adopt EMR systems. As expected these incentives come with a
timeline and are not without conditions, with penalties levied
on health providers who have not yet installed EMR systems beginning
in 2015. So, if the consensus is that the EMR can, and will,
fundamentally change healthcare, why is it only a small number
of U.S. physicians have adopted these systems (and for those
that do, 1 in 5 of these efforts will fail or stall)?This paper
presents a case study of how one health care provider (HCP),
Sentara Healthcare (Sentara), effectively implemented an EMR
and credits much of its success to one thing, engaging physicians
in the adoption process. |
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System Selection: Aligning Vision and Technology - Konschak and Shiple
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
President Obama’s recent allotment of roughly $20 billion
for health information technology (HIT) has healthcare information
technology (IT) professionals and provider organizations across
the U.S. reconsidering long-deferred IT projects. Whether embarking
on the monumental task of an electronic health record implementation,
or simply replacing an out-of-date billing system, it is imperative
to select the vendor and system whose strengths are most in
line with organizational vision and functional needs.
This paper discusses a system selection methodology for aligning
the provider organization’s strategic vision, goals and
objectives with the proposed technology solution being purchased
from the vendor. |
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Organizational Structures for Clinical Transformation -
Sirois and Konschak
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
The healthcare industry is in the process of transforming itself
using technology. These transformation efforts focus on moving
from manual processes, often based on historical practices,
to technology-enabled or even automated processes. The overall
effort involved in such a transformation creates a tremendous
amount of disruption to all aspects of the organization, creating
the absolute need for a commitment to managing change.
This paper explores, through case studies, the clinical and
cultural considerations in implementing and managing workflow
changes at three large healthcare systems. |
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Business Intelligence: An Essential Tool for Every Healthcare
Organization - Konschak
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
Market pressures continue to make it harder for healthcare organizations
to maintain a positive bottom line. Decreasing reimbursements,
increased costs, and the desire to increase quality at any expense
are having a major impact on the bottom line. Organizations
are investing millions in computer systems, diagnostic technology,
and preventive care programs in an attempt to meet organizational
goals. Are they working? |
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Developing a Project Management Office: Ten Lessons Learned
from the Trenches - Felt and Konschak
Click
here to to download a PDF version of this white paper
The number and complexity of projects occurring simultaneously
within even a moderately sized integrated delivery network can
be staggering. In order to deliver these projects on time, within
scope, and on budget, the establishment of a PMO is essential.
This paper identifies the ten critical success factors (lessons
learned) identified during our team’s years of combined
experience managing projects and establishing health care PMOs. |
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New Frontiers in Home Telemonitoring - Konschak and Flareau
Journal of Healthcare Information Management / Volume 22
/ Number 3 / Summer 2008
Click
here to download a PDF version of this white paper
Home-monitoring technology is a somewhat rare example of highly
effective healthcare information technology that patients "get."
Clinical and IT professionals throughout the United States and
Europe demonstrate that patients quickly understand and grow
to value telemonitoring as a tool to take charge of their own
health. Healthcare providers involved with home telemonitoring
programs report significant direct and indirect benefits for
all stakeholders, as well as a number of lessons learned when
working with patients, clinical and medical staff, healthcare
administrators and board members and third-party payors. Despite
decades of successes, health telemonitoring technologies are
still relatively untapped. However, new technologies are reaching
the marketplace. Demographic and regulatory shifts are pushing
stakeholders toward a new frontier in telemonitoring. Based
on their own experiences and an extensive literature review,
the authors conclude: the new frontier of home telemedicine
is here. Where are you? |
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Improvements in the Emergency Dept.: Understanding and
Managing Computer Simulations - Konschak
Click
here to download a PDF version of this white paper
Changes to any emergency department- large or small, rural or
urban, busy or, well, busy-cause numerous and sometimes unforeseen
consequences to healthcare delivery. Whether change is deliberate
or is visited upon a provider from outside forces, it will impact
patients, staff and the community. Computer simulations offer
a safe and cost-effective way to experiment with changes to
processes, staffing and even the footprint of a department or
entire hospital. In this way, simulations guide administrators
in making the best decisions for their facilities. |
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IT Training for End Users - Mercer
Click
here to download a PDF version of this white paper
Many healthcare systems are weighing multi-million dollar
technology investments. In an industry with slim margins and
demands for better access to affordable high quality care,
executives must know the expected costs and benefits of all
facets of its information technology investments, as noted
in an earlier DIVURGENT white paper.
Training of staff and clinicians in the use of new healthcare
information technology (IT) is a significant and important
component of a thorough analysis of costs. |
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Understanding the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis
for IS in the Healthcare Setting - Konschak and Felt
Click
here to download a PDF version of this white paper
In an industry with slimming margins and increasing demands
for quantifiable results in every business and clinical area,
it is increasingly important for healthcare organizations-and
the internal "owners" of budget line items-to identify in
a compelling way:
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the total cost of ownership of specific investments
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the benefits expected over the life of the application. |
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