Healthcare IT News For VARs — October 2, 2013
This week’s news includes the arrival of a HIPAA compliance deadline, guidance for ICD-10 transitions, future growth predicted in healthcare spending, and a case of analytics aiding in diagnosis.
Are You Preparing For The HIPAA Cloud-Security Deadline?
The deadline for compliance with the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule was September 23. This deadline included meeting standards for security of healthcare data stored in the cloud. However, healthcare providers under “business associate agreements” (BAAs) — including those with VARs and MSPs — have until Sept. 23, 2014 to comply. An article in The Data Center Journal includes a compliance checklist for your customers with those agreements with the HIPAA rule.
CMS Offers ICD-10 Transition Advice For ISVs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) offers guidance for vendors that are involved in the transition to ICD-10. Among the information is the document “Talking to Your Customers about ICD-10: Tips for Software Vendors.” On October 1, 2014, ICD-10 replaces ICD-9.
Help For EHR Developers Working with Incentive-Ineligible Providers
The ONC has published guidance for EHR technology developers who serve healthcare providers who are not eligible for Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs — such as home health agencies, long-term care facilities, and nursing homes. The ONC says the guidance is a step toward interoperability that will enable healthcare information to be exchanged with these providers.
Growth Expected In Healthcare Spending
The CMS Office of the Actuary anticipates modest growth in U.S. healthcare spending over the next 10 years. This recent report attributes the growth to the improving economy and more accessible and affordable health coverage. Rates of healthcare spending are expected to remain low throughout 2013.
The Need For EHR Standards Being Investigated
An Information Week article reports The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has launched a project to find a way to match a patient to the healthcare data about that patient from multiple systems. The article points out that a major hurdle is different EHRs with different systems for identifying patients. One way of correcting this problem is national standards that all software vendors would have to adopt.
Analytics Increases Rate Of Diagnosis In Growth Disorders
An article for Healio reports an algorithm built into an EHR has enabled researchers to diagnose growth disorders in children. Researchers conducted a 1-year study of an automated growth-monitoring intervention integrated into an EHR system in Finland. They used data from the previous three years — during which the healthcare facility used standard growth monitoring — as a comparator. The study showed a greater rate of diagnosis and referral when screening growth disorders by using EHRs.
Healthcare IT Talking Points
An American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) article discusses how the “hunger for analyzed data” is changing the role of health information management. Data analytics will enable turning Big Data into valuable information for business and patient care.