Bulletin Board what’s happening in healthcare
TECHNICAL EVALUATION, TESTING AND VALI-
DATION OF THE USABILITY OF ELECTRONIC
HEALTH RECORDS
www.nist.gov/healthcare/usability/
index.cfm
The National Institute of Standards and
Technology has developed a formal
protocol, meant to help developers
focus on human factors, for evaluating
the usability of EHR systems with a
three-step process to measure and ad-
dress critical errors before deployment.
CRISIS STANDARDS OF CARE: A SYSTEMS
FRAMEWORK FOR CATASTROPHIC DISASTER
RESPONSE
www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_
id=13351
A report from the Institute of Medicine
recommends that public health officials
use a systems-based approach—with
electronic interventions, telehealth
technology, and social media—to al-
locate resources and deliver effective
care during natural disasters. It also
includes detailed standards and a sug-
gested framework for action plans.
Survey: Some Providers Not Ready for ICD- 10
A survey conducted in February by the
Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) showed that some of
the healthcare industry is not on track
to meet the ICD- 10 compliance date of
October 1, 2013.
Based on the premise that impact
assessments should have been completed by the end of 2011 in order for
entities to remain on track, the survey
results showed that nearly half of provider respondents indicated that they
did not know when they would complete their impact assessment, according to a WEDI press release. The
survey respondents were mostly small
providers, who historically have tracked
behind larger provider gaps and health
systems in ICD- 10 readiness.
WEDI has conducted the survey an-
nually since 2009. The Department
of Health and Human Services an-
nounced in March that it would con-
sider delaying the ICD- 10 compliance
deadline.
Other survey results include:
x More than a third of health plans
have completed their assess-
ments, but a fourth are less than
half done
x A third of providers expected to
begin external testing in 2013, but
half did not know when testing
would occur
x A majority of health plans did not
expect to begin external testing
of ICD- 10 until 2013 ¢
EMR 2012: THE MARKET FOR ELECTRONIC
MEDICAL RECORDS
www.kaloramainformation.com/EMR-
6842545/
A report from Kalorama Informa-
tion on market and trends impacting
electronic medical software finds that
EMR sales increased 14.2 percent in
2011, reaching $17.9 billion. Increas-
ing physician and hospital acceptance,
higher budgets, and incentives and
penalties included in the meaningful
use program are all cited as contribu-
tions to this growth.
MEANINGFUL USE ATTESTATION 2012: EARLY
BIRDS TAKE FLIGHT
www.klasresearch.com/Store/Report-
Detail.aspx?ProductID=713
This report from KLAS summarizes
interviews with 104 providers who
successfully attested to stage 1 of the
meaningful use program. Exploring
vendor relationships in the attestation
process, it addresses why some ven-
dors are ahead of others, and provid-
ers’ level of confidence in their vendors
to meet stages 1 and 2. ¢
CMS Fact Sheet to Aid in 5010 Preparation
Following a recent announcement that
enforcement for provider compliance
with the new HIPAA 5010 transaction
standards would be delayed for a second time, now until June 30, 2012, the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services has released a fact sheet to
help providers prepare for the transition.
Key recommendations for providers
include:
x Perform test transactions with
payers and business partners well
in advance
x Establish a solid transition plan
detailing all key steps and dates;
make sure payers and business
partners are aware of the plan
x Be ready to communicate with
vendors regarding the transition
and to ensure they are on board
with the transition
x Consider a clearinghouse for ad-
ditional assistance translating all
claims to compliant format to help
catch up
x Establish a line of credit to cover
potential issues with cash flow
x Make use of the free software
available to Medicare Fee-for-Ser-
vice providers through Medicare
Administrative Contractors
CMS advises following these steps in
order to avoid any major disruption to
ongoing provider practice operations
as a result of the preparation process,
ensuring a smooth and effective transi-
tion. The 5010 transition is seen as a
key step in effecting the transition to
ICD- 10. ¢
Version 5010: How Health Care Providers Can Ensure a Smooth Transition
www.cms.gov/ICD10/Downloads/SmoothTransition.pdf
