John D. Halamka, MD, MS, is Chief Information Officer of the CareGroup Health System, Chief Information Officer and Dean for Technology at Harvard Medical School, Chairman of the New England Health Electronic Data Interchange Network (NEHEN), CEO of MA-SHARE (the Regional Health Information Organization), Chair of the US Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP), and a practicing Emergency Physician. Halamka blogs regularly at Life As A Healthcare CIO (http://geekdoctor.blogspot.com/)
John Halamka, MD
As I've described previously, Meaningful Use Stage 1 was focused on the electronic capture of data into EHRs. The standards we specified included content and vocabulary but not transport.
I've described information security as a Cold War, requiring constant investment and vigilance to innovate faster than the hackers and criminals who are stealing data to commit identity theft. I'm spending an increasing percent of my resources on regulatory compliance and data protection.
In the era of healthcare reform when accountable care organizations, global payments, and partial capitation are the buzzwords filling board rooms, healthcare executives are wondering what to do next.
On January 3, 2011, CMS began registering clinicians for participation in meaningful use programs. Every region of the United States has Regional Extension Centers which can help answer any questions. Here's an overview of the steps you need to take.
In 2013, CMS will require the use of ICD-10 for coding of diagnoses in billing/administrative transactions. How can we best prepare for this transition?
You may have seen the recent headlines "FTC delays Red Flags Rule implementation until August 2009." What is the Red Flags Rule and how does it relate to healthcare?
The definition of "Meaningful Use" in ARRA is one of the most critical decision points of the new administration's healthcare IT efforts
As we all prepare for the work ahead, many in healthcare are beginning to model the potential payments and design the reporting systems needed to account for the money spent.
Today, according to the Associated Press and Washington Post, President Obama will announce Kathleen Sebelius as his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. She has a once in a lifetime opportunity to execute healthcare reform - a popular President, a sense of urgency, and enough resources to get the job done. What are these resources?