Mastering Data Management

More in Healthcare

• Response: A Universal Identifier Isn’t a Silver Bullet
• Transforming Healthcare through Analytics
• Getting Your Healthcare House in Order in 2012
• 3 Best Practices in Identity Management

More from Penny Schlyer

• Is Protecting Patient Privacy a Thing of the Past?
• Sharing eHealth Lessons Across Borders
• Accurate Identification: A Universal Requirement for eHealth!
• Ditch the Clipboard: Strategies for HIE Success

Share this Post

Recent Comments

• Lorraine Fernandes on Response: A Universal Identifier Isn’t a Silver Bullet
• Henrik Liliendahl Sørensen on Response: A Universal Identifier Isn’t a Silver Bullet
• Response: A Universal Identifier Isn’t a Silver Bullet | Mastering Data Management on 3 Best Practices in Identity Management

How Effective Can ARRA Incentives be? Initiate's Penny Schyler examines

Two opposite and very interesting approaches to ARRA were featured in recent Healthcare IT News pieces.  The first article addressed activities underway by the American Hospital Association (AHA) to “swarm Capitol Hill” to change the aggressive timeline and requirements for meaningful use.

The second article featured a multi-faceted approach being taken by deputy director, Philip Magistro in Pennsylvania to leverage existing public and private HIE initiatives to architect a state-wide HIE.

These two approaches are a function of both production and the capacity to produce.

To achieve widespread adoption of health information technology to improve patient care and reduce costs, these two approaches are necessary to push the issue of resources and reform from opposite ends of the spectrum.

Pennsylvania will use $17.1M in ARRA funds to build its state-wide HIE. The existing production ground in the state is fertile and offers multiple opportunities including:

1)      Connecting existing RHIOs and private HIEs within the state

2)      Developing a central authority to establish and maintain governance and master indices including EMPI, provider registry and record location services to connect community hospitals

3)      Leveraging the success of the state’s Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) pilot to improve chronic disease management

4)      Expanding funding from contributing Payer organizations to reduce readmission rates and expand wellness programs

There are many examples of Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs) and states that have fertile ground to work with, while others are not so advanced and don’t necessarily have the capacity to produce.

Consider a typical physician practice faced with investing in an EMR to meet the requirements of meaningful use. Several challenges come to mind:

1)      Achieving meaningful use, promoting patient-centered care and reducing costs will not come from the EMR alone. The EMR must be connected to other systems and be able to exchange information in a relevant and meaningful way.

2)      Implementing the EMR and connecting to other providers is a complex, time consuming and expensive project.

3)      Moving from paper to electronic charts is a significant cultural and practical shift.

So what’s the moral of the story?  We are interdependent. For HITECH ARRA incentives to be effective, leaders must work from both ends of the spectrum to build on our successful productive environments and extend the capacity to produce to others that may be lacking in resources.

To be effective promoting universal adoption of health information technology is no different than any other challenge we have overcome as a nation. We must build on existing successes and infrastructure, learn from our successes and mistakes and take steps to promote the capacity to produce.