According to the Veterans Administration's Northwest News, VISN 20 has a number of ongoing projects. VISN 20 is expanding telehealth, examining the patient centered medical home concept, expanding outreach clinics, expanding rural healthcare services, improving behavioral health efforts, and partnering with providers in local communities where it is not feasible to establish a VA staffed clinic.
VISN 20 includes the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, most of the state of Idaho, and one county in Montana and in California. The 135 counties cover 23 percent of the U.S. land mass while 17 percent are classified as health professional shortage areas and 67 percent of these counties had a 2001 per capita income below $25,000.
The VHA’s Office Telehealth Services has been awarded funding to enhance telemedicine programs in VISN 20. The funding provides for the purchase of additional teleretinal imaging equipment, expansion of the Care Coordination Home Telehealth program, plus expansion of other specialty services using telehealth technology.
Today rural veterans can receive quality dermatology care at a VA clinic near their home through a telemedicine link to dermatologists at VA Puget Sound. Providers and technicians from 23 sites in VISN 20 have been trained in the process and over 1,000 consults have been completed.
The VA is interested in the Patient Centered Medical Home concept. Last spring, close to 130 VISN employees attended a Summit on the topic. An important part of the Patient Centered Medical Home will be to expand the services available to veterans via MyHealtheVet. The veterans will eventually be able to see their lab work and use secured messaging to communicate with their healthcare team. As a next step, an 18 month collaborative will begin soon and each VISN 20 facility will send teams to learn more about the concept.
To expand home-based primary care, VISN 20 is setting up programs in Newport, Camp Rilea, Warm Springs, Grand Ronde, and Grants Pass Oregon and in Boise, Twin Falls, Caldwell and Mountain Home Idaho. These facilities are recruiting staff and will have programs up and running by the end of September 2010.
Plans are to expand outreach clinics particularly in clinics offering Primary Care and Mental Health services. New clinics have opened in Burns and Grants Pass Oregon and in Crescent City, California. Two more clinics will be opening in Newport, Oregon and Mountain Home Idaho.
Over the last several months, VISN 20 has been phasing in some new projects to improve access and quality of care for rural veterans with funding provided by the VHA Office of Rural Health. The VISN Central Office recently provided an additional $14 million of dedicated funding to improve rural health care delivery.
The VISN 20 Behavioral health Committee (BHC) continues to improve mental health care. The BHC is developing a framework for mental health service delivery across all eight VISN 20 primary access points.
Where it is not feasible to establish a VA staffed clinic, facilities are entering into agreements with providers in local communities to offer primary care services. Contracts are being sought in several locations. Solicitations for offers have been posted and these agreements will be finalized over the next three to four months. A contract has already been awarded to a provider in Libby Montana who will begin seeing VA patients soon.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Telehealth Helping Older Adults
The Center for Technology and Aging awarded their second round of grants for $500,000 to provide remote patient monitoring technology to help older adults remain independent. The Center expects to identify and share other strategies from successful diffusion programs throughout the U.S. as well as from overseas.
The funding of $100,000 along with matching funds of $655,330 will help AltaMed Health Services and Stamford Hospital implement an evidence-based model of RPM for older adults across different systems of care including a community clinic model of care and program of all-inclusive care for the elderly.
The plan is to deliver the technology intervention to 150 patients and to 75 patients in Stamford, Connecticut in their home setting. They will use the Honeywell HomMed Genesis DM Remote Patient Care Monitor and peripheral devices. The technology will measure blood pressure, pulse, weight, and oxygen saturation levels.
After each reading, the data will be automatically transmitted to an encrypted server via telephone link or broadband and monitored daily by a member of the participant’s healthcare team. Data falling outside the normally accepted ranges will trigger intervention by a registered nurse or other appropriate care provider.
The California Association of Health Services at Home Foundation is going to use the funding of $100,000 and $140,322 in matching funds to provide patients with the Intel Health Guide. The patients will be monitored that have chronic disease conditions.
Intel’s Health Guide combines an in-home patient device with an online interface allowing clinicians to monitor patients and remotely manage care. The Intel technology can connect to specific models or wired and wireless medical devices, including blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, pulse oximeters, peak flow meters, and weight scales. Patients using the Health Guide can monitor their health status, communicate with care teams, and learn about their medical conditions.
Centura Health at Home funding of $100,000 plus matching funds of $88,000 will help blend their 24/7 call center technologies with telehealth. This project will modify the call center’s approach so that it will use a clinical business model to support a more robust telehealth program. There will be 14 telehealth call center technicians who can actively and adequately assist with the monitoring and questions.
Also, those individuals at highest risk will receive video monitoring. In those cases, the home telehealth video/call center monitoring program features a nurse stationed in an office with a server and monitor that allows for real-time connection to a patient. A second tier of patients receive assistance via an electronic home monitor and when connectivity is established, daily physical peripherals will be downloaded for review by the RNs.
The New England Healthcare Institute will use the $100,000 in funding along with $662,000 in matching funds to promote the broader adoption of home telehealth technology by treating patients suffering from CHF and by driving policy change in Massachusetts and nationally.
Each patient will receive the electronic house call system (EHCS) equipped with digital scale, an automatic blood pressure cuff, and a pulse oximeter. The device will be used to transmit the patient’s daily weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and information on key cardiac symptoms to a secure telemonitoring web portal through the telephone line or broadband.
EHCS will be programmed to ask specific questions related to medication use on a daily basis and the patient’s input will then be sent to the web portal. Once the web portal receives the data, an automated computer algorithm will check the patient’s data with acceptable ranges. If problems indicate an impending hospitalization or need for physician-directed intervention, then alerts will be generated.
Sharp HealthCare Foundation received $100,000 in funding with $200,000 in matching funds to reduce readmissions by utilizing remote patient monitoring technologies on a wider patient population with multiple chronic conditions. The goal is to reduce 30 day unplanned readmission rates by 30 percent during the grant term among senior patients and improve the quality of life for patients managing multiple co-morbidities by keeping them well managed in the home utilizing remote technologies.
For more information, go to www.techandaging.org.
The funding of $100,000 along with matching funds of $655,330 will help AltaMed Health Services and Stamford Hospital implement an evidence-based model of RPM for older adults across different systems of care including a community clinic model of care and program of all-inclusive care for the elderly.
The plan is to deliver the technology intervention to 150 patients and to 75 patients in Stamford, Connecticut in their home setting. They will use the Honeywell HomMed Genesis DM Remote Patient Care Monitor and peripheral devices. The technology will measure blood pressure, pulse, weight, and oxygen saturation levels.
After each reading, the data will be automatically transmitted to an encrypted server via telephone link or broadband and monitored daily by a member of the participant’s healthcare team. Data falling outside the normally accepted ranges will trigger intervention by a registered nurse or other appropriate care provider.
The California Association of Health Services at Home Foundation is going to use the funding of $100,000 and $140,322 in matching funds to provide patients with the Intel Health Guide. The patients will be monitored that have chronic disease conditions.
Intel’s Health Guide combines an in-home patient device with an online interface allowing clinicians to monitor patients and remotely manage care. The Intel technology can connect to specific models or wired and wireless medical devices, including blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, pulse oximeters, peak flow meters, and weight scales. Patients using the Health Guide can monitor their health status, communicate with care teams, and learn about their medical conditions.
Centura Health at Home funding of $100,000 plus matching funds of $88,000 will help blend their 24/7 call center technologies with telehealth. This project will modify the call center’s approach so that it will use a clinical business model to support a more robust telehealth program. There will be 14 telehealth call center technicians who can actively and adequately assist with the monitoring and questions.
Also, those individuals at highest risk will receive video monitoring. In those cases, the home telehealth video/call center monitoring program features a nurse stationed in an office with a server and monitor that allows for real-time connection to a patient. A second tier of patients receive assistance via an electronic home monitor and when connectivity is established, daily physical peripherals will be downloaded for review by the RNs.
The New England Healthcare Institute will use the $100,000 in funding along with $662,000 in matching funds to promote the broader adoption of home telehealth technology by treating patients suffering from CHF and by driving policy change in Massachusetts and nationally.
Each patient will receive the electronic house call system (EHCS) equipped with digital scale, an automatic blood pressure cuff, and a pulse oximeter. The device will be used to transmit the patient’s daily weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and information on key cardiac symptoms to a secure telemonitoring web portal through the telephone line or broadband.
EHCS will be programmed to ask specific questions related to medication use on a daily basis and the patient’s input will then be sent to the web portal. Once the web portal receives the data, an automated computer algorithm will check the patient’s data with acceptable ranges. If problems indicate an impending hospitalization or need for physician-directed intervention, then alerts will be generated.
Sharp HealthCare Foundation received $100,000 in funding with $200,000 in matching funds to reduce readmissions by utilizing remote patient monitoring technologies on a wider patient population with multiple chronic conditions. The goal is to reduce 30 day unplanned readmission rates by 30 percent during the grant term among senior patients and improve the quality of life for patients managing multiple co-morbidities by keeping them well managed in the home utilizing remote technologies.
For more information, go to www.techandaging.org.
AAMTI Looking for Solutions
The Army Advanced Medical Technology Initiative (AAMTI) is searching for medical solutions to help service members at home and abroad. Recently, AAMTI issued their FY 2011 Request for Submission System Policy and Procedures document. The plan incorporates a Request for Submission for pre-proposals for FY 2011 with pre- proposal submissions due August 29, 2010. The Request for Submission for pre-proposals can be found at www.tatrc.org/?p=funding_aamti
This program is open to Army Medical Department (AMEDD) personnel only. However, collaboration with industry, academia, and other military services is permitted, but the Principle Investigator must be part of the AMEDD personnel and the funding must go to an AMEDD facility or command.
The major objective of the AAMTI is to provide technologies to enhance full spectrum force health protection, improve the skills and efficiency of care providers, increase access to healthcare, improve the quality of healthcare, and reduce the costs and time needed to deliver healthcare. The program is essentially designed to foster and encourage new projects that reflect medical technology entrepreneurship.
The FY 2011 program seeks a broad range of medical informatics submissions to streamline and enhance the documentation of medical encounters, develop heterogeneous databases to be queried for research into evidence-based medicine, perform information analysis, and integrate speech recognition technology into the healthcare delivery environment.
Of particular interest are technologies to:
• Address medical issues associated with TBI/PTSD
• Develop technologies to improve education for both patients and providers
• Work on applications that use cell phones and other technologies to monitor patients
• Demonstrate technologies that will enable medical care to help in remote and underserved populations
• Develop technologies that reduce the administrative burden within AMEDD
• Develop telesurgical applications to include real-time surgical consultations from theatre and between AMEDD medical facilities
In another development, Zargis Medical Corporation has just received a contract from the Army to develop an investigational device. Zargis will be developing a prototype version of their Signal-X6™ telemedicine system that will incorporate automated heart sound detection and murmur classification functionality. The development of the investigational device is being funded by TATRC through the AAMTI program and the $120,000 contract will begin August 1st.
This program is open to Army Medical Department (AMEDD) personnel only. However, collaboration with industry, academia, and other military services is permitted, but the Principle Investigator must be part of the AMEDD personnel and the funding must go to an AMEDD facility or command.
The major objective of the AAMTI is to provide technologies to enhance full spectrum force health protection, improve the skills and efficiency of care providers, increase access to healthcare, improve the quality of healthcare, and reduce the costs and time needed to deliver healthcare. The program is essentially designed to foster and encourage new projects that reflect medical technology entrepreneurship.
The FY 2011 program seeks a broad range of medical informatics submissions to streamline and enhance the documentation of medical encounters, develop heterogeneous databases to be queried for research into evidence-based medicine, perform information analysis, and integrate speech recognition technology into the healthcare delivery environment.
Of particular interest are technologies to:
• Address medical issues associated with TBI/PTSD
• Develop technologies to improve education for both patients and providers
• Work on applications that use cell phones and other technologies to monitor patients
• Demonstrate technologies that will enable medical care to help in remote and underserved populations
• Develop technologies that reduce the administrative burden within AMEDD
• Develop telesurgical applications to include real-time surgical consultations from theatre and between AMEDD medical facilities
In another development, Zargis Medical Corporation has just received a contract from the Army to develop an investigational device. Zargis will be developing a prototype version of their Signal-X6™ telemedicine system that will incorporate automated heart sound detection and murmur classification functionality. The development of the investigational device is being funded by TATRC through the AAMTI program and the $120,000 contract will begin August 1st.
Developing Medical Devices
SRI International and Stanford University School of Medicine announced that the Multidisciplinary Initiative for Surgical Technology Research Advanced Laboratory (MISTRAL) along with the Institute for Pediatric Innovation received a $1 million grant from FDA to commercialize innovative medical devices for pediatric care.
The key objective for the FDA funded project will be to develop new medical devices specifically to use in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) setting. Other focus areas for pediatric product development will include surgical tools and catheter-related products.
“Children are the orphans of the medical device industry,” said Sanjeev Dutta, M.D., Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Stanford. “Market and regulatory concerns often prevent medical device companies from investing in pediatric specific device development leaving some practitioners to use adult devices on children.
To improve opportunities for the successful commercialization of pediatric devices, researchers will work with advisors that will evaluate technologies and provide feedback on business plans. A venture-philanthropic program, the Pediatric Device Fund will be established to develop products that do not have sufficient market pull but products that would bring significant clinical benefits if brought to the market.
While observing surgeries and intensive care procedures, fellows at the University of Michigan Medical Innovation Center noticed that the current design for peripheral intravenous systems or IVs caused a great deal of hassle and had a high complications rate.
Researchers Adrienne Harris, Elyse Kernmerer, Merrell Sami, and Steven White started Tangent Medical Technologies, Inc., a medical device development company to change the way IVs are used for hospitalized patients. Tangent recently finalized its licensing agreement with the university to give the university an equity stake in the company.
The research project enabled the fellows to develop and commercialize Novacath a safer and more effective design for delivery of intravenous fluid and medication through peripheral veins. The patent-pending Novacath is currently in the prototype stage of development. In the near future, Tangent hopes to submit Novacath for FDA clearance and obtain a contract with a manufacturer for production and the sale of the device.
The Biotechnology Commercialization Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston is working with several companies to develop health and medical devices. For example, Colibri Heart Valve, LLC, a medical device company started by two physicians at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, is working on medical devices to implant into the heart and vascular system. Colibri’s initial device is a novel heart valve implanted by catheter.
Another company, CorInnova, Inc. is a medical device company currently engaged in the development and use of innovative technologies to help heart recovery through the restoration of necessary mechanical stimuli. This minimally invasive technology promises to restore motion necessary for heart rehabilitation.
Nano3D Biosciences (N3D) Inc. is working on 3D cell culturing solutions. The company has created a simple device to magnetically levitate cells to enable 3 dimensional tissue growth. N3D’s “Bio Assembler” is an in vitro device that mimics the in vivo environment and has many major advantages over existing cell culturing methods. The company anticipates that the technology will address core needs in life sciences, drug discovery, toxicology, and regenerative medicine.
Doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are using an electrical stimulation device to treat some of their patients for depression. The device called a repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) system uses electromagnetic induction which is the rapid changing of magnetic fields to create small electric currents that essentially jump-start the brain.
Lt. Col. Geoffrey Grammer, M.D., Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry at Walter Reed is compiling a team of researchers to develop new uses for the system and he thinks that the treatment could be used to exercise the brain of TBI patients.
The key objective for the FDA funded project will be to develop new medical devices specifically to use in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) setting. Other focus areas for pediatric product development will include surgical tools and catheter-related products.
“Children are the orphans of the medical device industry,” said Sanjeev Dutta, M.D., Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Stanford. “Market and regulatory concerns often prevent medical device companies from investing in pediatric specific device development leaving some practitioners to use adult devices on children.
To improve opportunities for the successful commercialization of pediatric devices, researchers will work with advisors that will evaluate technologies and provide feedback on business plans. A venture-philanthropic program, the Pediatric Device Fund will be established to develop products that do not have sufficient market pull but products that would bring significant clinical benefits if brought to the market.
While observing surgeries and intensive care procedures, fellows at the University of Michigan Medical Innovation Center noticed that the current design for peripheral intravenous systems or IVs caused a great deal of hassle and had a high complications rate.
Researchers Adrienne Harris, Elyse Kernmerer, Merrell Sami, and Steven White started Tangent Medical Technologies, Inc., a medical device development company to change the way IVs are used for hospitalized patients. Tangent recently finalized its licensing agreement with the university to give the university an equity stake in the company.
The research project enabled the fellows to develop and commercialize Novacath a safer and more effective design for delivery of intravenous fluid and medication through peripheral veins. The patent-pending Novacath is currently in the prototype stage of development. In the near future, Tangent hopes to submit Novacath for FDA clearance and obtain a contract with a manufacturer for production and the sale of the device.
The Biotechnology Commercialization Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston is working with several companies to develop health and medical devices. For example, Colibri Heart Valve, LLC, a medical device company started by two physicians at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, is working on medical devices to implant into the heart and vascular system. Colibri’s initial device is a novel heart valve implanted by catheter.
Another company, CorInnova, Inc. is a medical device company currently engaged in the development and use of innovative technologies to help heart recovery through the restoration of necessary mechanical stimuli. This minimally invasive technology promises to restore motion necessary for heart rehabilitation.
Nano3D Biosciences (N3D) Inc. is working on 3D cell culturing solutions. The company has created a simple device to magnetically levitate cells to enable 3 dimensional tissue growth. N3D’s “Bio Assembler” is an in vitro device that mimics the in vivo environment and has many major advantages over existing cell culturing methods. The company anticipates that the technology will address core needs in life sciences, drug discovery, toxicology, and regenerative medicine.
Doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are using an electrical stimulation device to treat some of their patients for depression. The device called a repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) system uses electromagnetic induction which is the rapid changing of magnetic fields to create small electric currents that essentially jump-start the brain.
Lt. Col. Geoffrey Grammer, M.D., Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry at Walter Reed is compiling a team of researchers to develop new uses for the system and he thinks that the treatment could be used to exercise the brain of TBI patients.
Verizon Offering New Service
One of the obstacles to sharing patient information electronically is that healthcare systems and providers use a wide range of incompatible IT platforms and software to create and store data in various formats. Verizon’s new service called the Verizon Health Information Exchange will soon be available via the “cloud” to help both large and small healthcare providers to address this challenge.
The Exchange will consolidate clinical patient data from providers and translate the data into a standardized format that can be securely accessed over the web. Participating exchange providers across communities, states and regions will be able to request patient data via a secure online portal, regardless of the IT system and specific protocols the providers use. This will enable providers to obtain a more complete view of a patient’s health history, no matter where the data is stored.
Having more information at their fingertips will help providers reduce medical errors and duplicative testing, control administrative costs, and enhance patient safety and treatment outcomes. Since the monthly charges are based on a provider’s patient-record volume, the service is economical.
Since the Exchange will be delivered via Verizon’s cloud computing platform, healthcare organizations will be able to use their current IT systems, processes, and workflows, without large additional capital expenditures.
Verizon will use the services of several technology and service providers such as MEDfx, MedVirginia, and Oracle to deliver the clinical dashboard, record locator service, cross enterprise patient index, and secure clinical messaging.
The Exchange will consolidate clinical patient data from providers and translate the data into a standardized format that can be securely accessed over the web. Participating exchange providers across communities, states and regions will be able to request patient data via a secure online portal, regardless of the IT system and specific protocols the providers use. This will enable providers to obtain a more complete view of a patient’s health history, no matter where the data is stored.
Having more information at their fingertips will help providers reduce medical errors and duplicative testing, control administrative costs, and enhance patient safety and treatment outcomes. Since the monthly charges are based on a provider’s patient-record volume, the service is economical.
Since the Exchange will be delivered via Verizon’s cloud computing platform, healthcare organizations will be able to use their current IT systems, processes, and workflows, without large additional capital expenditures.
Verizon will use the services of several technology and service providers such as MEDfx, MedVirginia, and Oracle to deliver the clinical dashboard, record locator service, cross enterprise patient index, and secure clinical messaging.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Role Incentives Can Play
Eugene Heslin, M.D., Lead Physician for the Bridge Street Medical Group in Saugerties, New York, appeared before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health on July 20th to support health IT and the meaningful use regulations related to the incentive payments.
He said, “Primary care physicians see Medicare age patients two to three times more often than younger patients and the number of older complex patients is going to double. Because of this, we will have to develop efficient systems and use more intelligent tools.
He described his practice as a typical primary care practice serving a community of about 18,000 in a suburban-to-rural small town. He told the Committee how 6 months ago he was called at 3 a.m. because an 89 year old patient of his was at the emergency room experiencing shortness of breath plus the patient was disoriented.
The patient had given the paramedics a list of his medications and Dr. Heslin was able to access his medical record from his home computer to look up his medications. He realized right away that the medications being read to him over the phone didn’t match his patient’s medical record. On a hunch, he pulled up the patient’s wife’s record and discovered the patient had given them his wife’s medication list by mistake.
He explained how with grant funding and technical support from MedAllies, his office went live with EMRs in 2006, and installed the second system in 2008. The system provides electronic registries and has the capability to use e-prescribing for about 90 percent of the prescriptions.
According to the doctor, the hardest part of the transition from paper to electronic record was redesigning the workflow and this is still an ongoing process. Two of the nurses in the office are now enrolled in a training course and in addition, more structured care management is being used in the office.
In 2009, his practice adopted the medical home model along with ten other Hudson Valley physician practices and three community health centers. The practices worked with Taconic IPA to help the practices achieve NCQA medical home recognition.
Over the course of one year, all 11 practices including 237 primary care physicians working at 51 practices sites, all transformed to the patient-centered medical home model and now these practices provide care to nearly half a million residents in the Hudson Valley.
Dr. Heslin emphasized that there was an incentive attached to that medical home project, and this speaks directly to the value of the Medicare meaningful use incentive payments. The Pay for Performance part of the project paid bonuses to the practices and incentives were paid by six local health plans and a large employer IBM. He told the committee that the incentives were useful and engaged physician interest and offset some but not all the costs of health IT adoption and meaningful use.
He added that ultimately my patients are why meaningful use of health IT is important. Although financing and practice workflow redesign are challenges for small practices, he said, “The federal incentives can help me persuade my colleagues that there is critical mass and that it is doable at the community level.”
He said, “Primary care physicians see Medicare age patients two to three times more often than younger patients and the number of older complex patients is going to double. Because of this, we will have to develop efficient systems and use more intelligent tools.
He described his practice as a typical primary care practice serving a community of about 18,000 in a suburban-to-rural small town. He told the Committee how 6 months ago he was called at 3 a.m. because an 89 year old patient of his was at the emergency room experiencing shortness of breath plus the patient was disoriented.
The patient had given the paramedics a list of his medications and Dr. Heslin was able to access his medical record from his home computer to look up his medications. He realized right away that the medications being read to him over the phone didn’t match his patient’s medical record. On a hunch, he pulled up the patient’s wife’s record and discovered the patient had given them his wife’s medication list by mistake.
He explained how with grant funding and technical support from MedAllies, his office went live with EMRs in 2006, and installed the second system in 2008. The system provides electronic registries and has the capability to use e-prescribing for about 90 percent of the prescriptions.
According to the doctor, the hardest part of the transition from paper to electronic record was redesigning the workflow and this is still an ongoing process. Two of the nurses in the office are now enrolled in a training course and in addition, more structured care management is being used in the office.
In 2009, his practice adopted the medical home model along with ten other Hudson Valley physician practices and three community health centers. The practices worked with Taconic IPA to help the practices achieve NCQA medical home recognition.
Over the course of one year, all 11 practices including 237 primary care physicians working at 51 practices sites, all transformed to the patient-centered medical home model and now these practices provide care to nearly half a million residents in the Hudson Valley.
Dr. Heslin emphasized that there was an incentive attached to that medical home project, and this speaks directly to the value of the Medicare meaningful use incentive payments. The Pay for Performance part of the project paid bonuses to the practices and incentives were paid by six local health plans and a large employer IBM. He told the committee that the incentives were useful and engaged physician interest and offset some but not all the costs of health IT adoption and meaningful use.
He added that ultimately my patients are why meaningful use of health IT is important. Although financing and practice workflow redesign are challenges for small practices, he said, “The federal incentives can help me persuade my colleagues that there is critical mass and that it is doable at the community level.”
eHI Releases Survey on HIEs
The eHealth Initiative (eHI) released the survey “The State of Health Information Exchange in 2010: Connecting the Nation to Achieve Meaningful Use.” The survey was presented before several hundred state and industry leaders gathered at eHI’s National Forum on Health Information Exchange held July 22nd in Washington D.C.
For seven years, eHI has been tracking the progress of HIE initiatives. This year, eHI identified 234 active HIE initiatives across the country and out of those HIE initiatives, 199 organizations responded to eHI’s annual survey.
Keynote speaker Farzad Mostashari, M.D., Deputy National Coordinator of Programs and Policy, Office of the National Coordinator for HIT, told the attendees that he is happy with the meaningful use rulemaking process since the process enables the right steps to be taken in the public’s interest. He said, “The new regulation provides change but yet it is achievable. The goal is to build on what we have today, build on with what is available, and lastly, do what is in the patient’s interest.”
Several key findings emerged from the survey such as:
• There is continued growth in the number of HIE initiatives, and growth in HIEs that are operational. Today, there are 73 operational initiatives up from 57 in 2009
• Sustainability is an attainable goal for HIE organizations but there is a small but critical mass of sustainable organizations. Initiatives receive start-up funds from a variety of sources. State grants are still the main source of funding for initiatives that are not state designated entities. Federal grants are a close third to state funds but providers in general have assumed a more significant role with respect to funding
• States and State Designated Entities have varying perspectives of their purpose and forty entities surveyed see their role as planning for HIEs
• Despite recent funding, significant challenges exist to support provider attainment of meaningful use. The survey showed that despite expanding capabilities, the ability of HIEs to support providers as they become Stage 1 meaningful users will be challenged by the current number of operational exchanges and the current capacity of HIE initiatives
• New challenges are rapidly emerging related to federal policy and governance of the HIEs.
• More organizations are reporting cost savings through reductions in staff time and have reduced redundant testing through the use of the health information exchange
• Patient engagement has increased dramatically and health information exchange initiatives have increased their focus on patients
• Initiatives are creating methods to address the complexities of security and privacy. More organizations are creating systems that allow patients to control the level of access to their information
“There is definite progress, but it doesn’t mean that we can rest on our laurels,” noted Jennifer Covich Bordenick, CEO, eHealth Initiative. “More initiatives and providers need to document cost savings, and promote services that involve patients in their healthcare.”
To download the report and to see an interactive map of health information exchange activity, go to www.ehealthinitiative.org.
For seven years, eHI has been tracking the progress of HIE initiatives. This year, eHI identified 234 active HIE initiatives across the country and out of those HIE initiatives, 199 organizations responded to eHI’s annual survey.
Keynote speaker Farzad Mostashari, M.D., Deputy National Coordinator of Programs and Policy, Office of the National Coordinator for HIT, told the attendees that he is happy with the meaningful use rulemaking process since the process enables the right steps to be taken in the public’s interest. He said, “The new regulation provides change but yet it is achievable. The goal is to build on what we have today, build on with what is available, and lastly, do what is in the patient’s interest.”
Several key findings emerged from the survey such as:
• There is continued growth in the number of HIE initiatives, and growth in HIEs that are operational. Today, there are 73 operational initiatives up from 57 in 2009
• Sustainability is an attainable goal for HIE organizations but there is a small but critical mass of sustainable organizations. Initiatives receive start-up funds from a variety of sources. State grants are still the main source of funding for initiatives that are not state designated entities. Federal grants are a close third to state funds but providers in general have assumed a more significant role with respect to funding
• States and State Designated Entities have varying perspectives of their purpose and forty entities surveyed see their role as planning for HIEs
• Despite recent funding, significant challenges exist to support provider attainment of meaningful use. The survey showed that despite expanding capabilities, the ability of HIEs to support providers as they become Stage 1 meaningful users will be challenged by the current number of operational exchanges and the current capacity of HIE initiatives
• New challenges are rapidly emerging related to federal policy and governance of the HIEs.
• More organizations are reporting cost savings through reductions in staff time and have reduced redundant testing through the use of the health information exchange
• Patient engagement has increased dramatically and health information exchange initiatives have increased their focus on patients
• Initiatives are creating methods to address the complexities of security and privacy. More organizations are creating systems that allow patients to control the level of access to their information
“There is definite progress, but it doesn’t mean that we can rest on our laurels,” noted Jennifer Covich Bordenick, CEO, eHealth Initiative. “More initiatives and providers need to document cost savings, and promote services that involve patients in their healthcare.”
To download the report and to see an interactive map of health information exchange activity, go to www.ehealthinitiative.org.
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