Category Archives: electronic patient records

Whose Patient Record Is It, Anyway? Speak Up Now

By Peggy Salvatore The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s hearing last week on the electronic health records trained its sights on interoperability of EHR systems, or lack thereof. And the Senate, like much of the rest of … Continue reading

Posted in electronic patient records, health IT, health policy, health reform, healthcare change management | 4 Comments

Redefining Health IT (or) Are We Putting Disc Brakes on a Space Shuttle?

By Peggy Salvatore My grandmother was born in 1896. The ice man delivered big blocks of ice through a little ice door in the kitchen where my great-grandfather moved the ice into the family icebox. My great-grandmother, fresh from birthing … Continue reading

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Working the Roadmap

By Peggy Salvatore The ONC’s national meeting held earlier this month is cause for the greatest amount of optimism I have seen since the government decided to drive health information technology. Current and former national coordinators gathered on one stage, … Continue reading

Posted in electronic patient records, health economics, health IT, health IT training, health policy, health reform, healthcare change management | 1 Comment

Valentine’s Edition of Health Wonk Review: For Health Policy Lovers Everywhere

By Peggy Salvatore A few years ago I hosted the Valentine’s Day edition of HWR, and it remains one of my favorite weeks to host. Love makes the world go ‘round, whether it’s our spouse, kids, family, friends, pets, or … Continue reading

Posted in electronic patient records, health economics, health IT, health policy, health reform, healthcare change management | 9 Comments

The Limits (and Horrors) of Technology in the Patient World

The New York Times called attention to a horrific death in a NYC hospital earlier this month. It raised a plethora of issues about our right to privacy, as well as how, when and what types of technology, are appropriate … Continue reading

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Don’t Blink! Today’s Electronic Patient Record Systems are Tomorrow’s Horse-and-Buggies

By Peggy Salvatore Given the geometric pace of change, the electronic health record systems of today are horse-and-buggies rapidly in the making. The pace of recent change means that your typical EHR will not experience obsolescence from the amount of … Continue reading

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Accountable Care is Accountable to Whom?

By Peggy Salvatore In the never-ending quest to balance the cost-access-quality triangle, the healthcare system led by the federal government has pursued many variations of payment incentives. Pay more to get them to do it. Pay less to get them … Continue reading

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The Man and the Mission: Data Integrity and the First CMS Chief Data Officer

By Peggy Salvatore The changes at CMS have been stunningly breathtaking over the past few months, particularly those related to health IT. The top two biggies are personnel and mission refocus at the very top. Those high-profile changes signaled this … Continue reading

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Roadmap to replace MU? MY, MY!

By Peggy Salvatore Last week, the eHealth Initiative officially launched its 2020 Roadmap initiative to “enable coordinated efforts by public and private sector organizations to transform care delivery through data exchange and health information technology,” its website states. Its foci: … Continue reading

Posted in electronic patient records, health IT, health reform | 4 Comments

The Best Laid Plans…Laid Waste? ONC and CCHIT and the future of health IT

With some fanfare, in 2004, President George W. Bush (Bush, the younger) made the national rollout of health information technology a federal government priority when he established the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT. Dr. David Brailer was … Continue reading

Posted in electronic patient records, health IT, health reform, healthcare change management, Uncategorized | 1 Comment