The proposed use of unoccupied TV airwaves for high-speed Internet service across the country could affect the signal that monitors critically ill hospital patients. The medical community says that the move could result in possible interference from unlicensed portable gizmos operating in a nearby spectrum. Hospitals and medical device makers say using empty channels for unlicensed uses could disrupt the monitoring of patients' heart rates, blood oxygen levels and other vital signs at medical facilities.
New Hampshire doctors signed up for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's electronic prescription program now will have access to patient records through their computer or Internet-enabled cell phone. In 2007, Anthem and the New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative launched a statewide electronic prescribing program for doctors to use regardless of their patients' health plan. The new technology enhances electronic prescribing by delivering clinical information to the doctor.
When it rains, it pours, and so it goes with my speaking engagements in the industry. Within the span of a few days, I was delighted to address two groups that are often thought to be on opposite sides of a huge fence—physicians and payers. At the annual meeting of the Missouri Osteopathic Physician Association, I talked about physician EMR adoption and some of the driving forces behind clinical IT. A few days later, for the BlueCross BlueShield Association's national conference for communications directors, I joined a media panel to give my take on the top issues. I pointed to the claims and connectivity challenges hindering relationships with payers, both for providers and patients.
These audiences were about as divergent as you can get. Yet both appreciated how the fragmented nature of healthcare is costing the industry dearly. The physician audience included several who have already implemented an EMR—to mixed results. One practice's clinical quality boost is another's loss of productivity, even two years into the deployment. I think it is fair to say I encountered a great deal of skepticism among the physicians on the utility of EMRs. One doctor wondered aloud about an inevitable "CMS mandate" for EMRs. That's not the first time a physician has raised such a concern to me, and it won't be the last. For many physicians, clinical IT remains an abstract notion at best, one that is championed by policy wonks high atop a hill that is far removed from the day-to-day reality of running a medical group.
At the Blues conference, much of the dialogue centered on alienated consumers. A few horror stories were bandied about by one of the reporters (don't you just love how an anecdote can pass for a trend?), which sparked some heated exchange. I try to maintain a level-headed view of such controversies, as I naturally recoil from the Michael Moore syndrome.
After the panel concluded, a couple of Blues staffers approached me to share their own efforts at engaging consumers. These efforts go well beyond the patient portal where you can look up benefits and get a new member card. The Minnesota and Florida plans have recently launched Web sites where patients may sound off on the industry. On these sites, patients can tell their own stories. The Florida site only trims out obscene comments, so this is not a corporate snow job. The sites are fairly new, and have already drawn a fair amount of consumer feedback—both positive and negative. So who says the industry isn't listening?
Towards the Electronic Patient Record will hold its 24th annual conference on May 19, 2008 at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. There will be more than 300 speakers, 2,000 attendees, and 100 exhibitors on topics that include IT solutions for hospitals, IT solutions for ambulatory practices, and EMR/EHR topics for payers.
A high-tech system has been developed that could revolutionize how Canadians obtain prescription drugs. The concept revolves around a kiosk that operates like a vending machine, using advanced robotics and technology to read prescriptions and dispense more than 150 commonly prescribed drugs. A video screen links a pharmacist to the patient.
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange has scheduled the second in a series of educational audiocasts about the forthcoming HIPAA electronic claims attachment standards. The 90-minute, May 29 program will cover how the standards work; how they relate to other HIPAA standards and to the Health Level Seven Clinical Document Architecture; and how implementation specifications are laid out.