Foundation to Expand Connect Exchange
Two former ONC senior employees
have formed a new foundation that
seeks to promote and expand the government’s open-source health information exchange Connect platform.
The Alembic Foundation will serve as
a custodial agent for an open community built around the Connect platform,
rebranded as Aurion, and release an
updated version of Aurion on May 3,
according to the foundation’s Web site.
David Riley, the foundation’s CEO
and former lead manager of the Connect program at ONC, created Alembic
Foundation with fellow former Connect
program manager Vanessa Manchester, who now serves as the foundation’s chief operating officer. Aurion is
designed to be an open-source gateway to use the Nationwide Health Information Network.
Launching the foundation is an at-
tempt to bring the Connect platform to
a wider audience in the private sector.
Connect was first developed by ONC
as a set of software tools and standards
that allowed the exchange of sensitive
data between government entities and
their contractors. Since then, the plat-
form has expanded to wider private
and public use. The Alembic Founda-
tion will continue to push for the de-
velopment of Aurion and advance the
information exchange platform.
“Creating a nonprofit foundation to
continue the work started by the federal government is the right thing to
do,” said Brian Behlendorf, chief technology officer for the World Economic
Forum, in an Alembic press release. “It
allows the project to grow and involve
a far larger constituency in its development, with clearer rules of engagement
for everyone. Our hope is that this un-leashes greater degrees of collaboration and innovation.” ¢
RESEARCH MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
www.gehealthcare.com
GE Healthcare has launched Centricity
Research, a clinical research manage-
ment solution that aims to drive better
management of clinical research treat-
ment plans, processes, and protocols
while supporting research billing com-
pliance. The tool can also integrate with
electronic health record systems.
REVENUE CYCLE SOLUTION
www.merge.com
Merge Healthcare announced the re-
lease of the revenue cycle management
solution Merge Financials 6. 1. Merge
Financials facilitates the transition of
electronic data exchange to the new
ANSI 5010 format, accommodates new
PQRI reporting, and begins the ICD- 10
planning process.
ICD- 10 Checklist Jumpstarts Planning
AHIMA has released a top- 10 ICD- 10
implementation list that highlights the
10 essential first steps organizations
must take to get their ICD-10-CM/PCS
transition programs rolling. The list distills the first phase of AHIMA’s larger
four-part ICD- 10 implementation planning and preparation checklist.
The short list, developed by AHIMA’s
Clinical Terminology and Classification
Practice Council, is intended to be an
easily referenced list that motivates
organizations to begin what will be a
complex, multiyear process, says Ann
Zeisset, RHIT, CCS, CCS-P, professional practice manager at AHIMA and
member of the practice council.
The list can be a conversation starter
or a quick process check for organizations of all types and sizes. Phase 1
of AHIMA’s recommended approach
should be completed by the end of the
second quarter of 2011, meaning organizations should not delay their implementation efforts, Zeisset says.
The top- 10 list provides stepped and
measurable goals for all healthcare en-
tities, ensuring departments stay on
track to a successful completion. The
larger checklist contains greater detail
on the process and should be used to
supplement the top- 10 list.
The top- 10 list includes the following
steps:
1. Ensuring organizational aware-
ness of the upcoming change
2. Establishing executive leader-
ship to guide the transition
3. Performing an impact assess-
ment
4. Conducting a systems inventory
5. Completing a gap analysis
6. Establishing an internal timeline
7. Determining a plan for staff train-
ing
8. Preparing a multiyear budget
9. Managing contractual changes
for products and services
10. Correlating continued manage-
ment of Version 5010 upgrade
STATE HEALTH IT LEGISLATION TRACKER
www.ncsl.org/?TabId=22122
The National Conference of State Leg-
islatures launched a Web site to track
health IT legislation introduced in states
related to the Affordable Care Act. The
Federal Health Reform: State Legisla-
tive Tracking Database includes 2011
legislation, including pending, failed,
and enacted bills and resolutions.
ENHANCED CDI APPLICATION
www.chartwisemed.com
ChartWise Medical Systems an-
nounced the addition of Advanced Re-
porting business intelligence function-
ality to its Chart Wise: CDI application.
The functionality provides hospitals
with advanced tools to access financial
metrics and data to measure clinical
documentation program effectiveness.
Both the top- 10 and full checklists
are available for download at www.
ahima.org/icd10. ¢
HOSPITAL INPATIENT CODING GUIDANCE
www.ahimastore.org
The third edition of AHIMA’s Coding
and Reimbursement for Hospital In-
patient Services helps coding profes-
sionals and educators understand the
complexities of coding for inpatient re-
imbursement. Each chapter is supple-
mented by exercises and case studies,
and the book’s appendixes provide ad-
ditional resources. ¢
