Health IT Issues that Deserve a Second Read – April 2022

One of the ways that Answers Media is different from other media sites is the sense of community. The thought leaders in our community are good about sharing their thoughts on the issues of today. We publish at least eight guest posts a week now, so in case you missed some, here are the top ten read and shared guest posts in the month of April. You can also read previous month’s Top Ten Lists. Thank you for contributing and reading.

Most Played Radio Episode in April

From Tell Me Where IT Hurts, host Dr. Anders interviews Michael Blackman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Greenway Health. Dr. Blackman, another physician who made the transition to healthcare IT, shares his experience as a medical director of population health at Allscripts and CMO at Mckesson as well as an early leader in e-prescribing. They discuss the need for clinicians to be involved in the EHR design process, with the emphasis on what clinicians are trying to do and the why, versus the common focus on technical aspects. They cover telehealth, reimbursement, the future of virtual care, interoperability and Greenway’s go-forward strategy. Take a listen to hear – straight from leadership of one of the industry’s biggest ambulatory EHRs – where things are going.

Most Read Thought Leader Posts in April

How Payers Can Improve Member Experience with Modern Contact Centers
By Patty Hayward, Vice President of Industry Strategy for Healthcare and Life Sciences, Talkdesk
Twitter: @Talkdesk

The healthcare payer space has shifted radically in recent years, with evolving reimbursement models, the rise of healthcare consumerism, advances in technology, and a global pandemic that upended businesses. However, the imperative for payers to deliver member experiences that improve engagement, drive health outcomes and lower costs has remained constant. Continue reading…

New Court Ruling Dismisses Aspects of the No Surprises Act: Implications for Payers and Providers
By Matthew Albright, Chief Legislative Affairs Officer, Zelis
Twitter: @ZelisHealthcare

The issue of surprise billing has long plagued the U.S. healthcare system. The need for legislation to protect individuals from surprise billing is strikingly clear, as studies reveal that one in five emergency room visits result in an unexpected bill for patients. As of January 1, 2022, federal regulations require the healthcare industry to be in compliance with the No Surprises Act, which protects patients from receiving surprise and often hefty medical bills, typically for emergency care. Continue reading…

Technology Infrastructure Needed to Support Value-based Care
By Lynn Carroll, Chief Operations Officer and Rahul Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, HSBlox
Twitter: @blox_hs

The U.S. healthcare system’s transition away from fee-for-service toward value-based care represents the most significant change in how healthcare is delivered and paid for in generations. According to a recent study by McKinsey, the percentage of the insured population in value-based contracts is expected to grow by 10% per year from 2022 to 2025. Continue reading…

Opening Pandora’s Box: Exposing Health Care Challenges Requires Tough Conversations
By Richard Watson, MD, Co-Founder, Motient
Twitter: @Motient_io

When I was in medical school, I painted houses for work. While my friends seemed to have medically related jobs, I was out on a ladder with a brush in hand, under the scorching heat of Kansas City. The money was good, and I had a wife and two small children to support. It was good work, but it did have its interesting twists. Continue reading…

HHS’ Strategy Aims to Enable Individuals to Access and Interact with their Health Data
By Lisa-Nicole Sarnowski, ONC
Twitter: @ONC_HealthIT

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released the HHS Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2022-2026, which addresses the complex, multifaceted, and evolving health and human services matters facing our nation. We look forward to advancing the Plan, including the strategies to improve the access, exchange, and use of electronic health information for patients, providers, payers, and other health and health care stakeholders. Continue reading…

How Smaller Practices Can Grow and Continue to Serve Their Communities
By Dan Matthews, Writer, Content Consultant, and Researcher
Twitter: @danielmatthews0

There’s a reason why medicine is celebrated as the healing profession. As prestigious as a career in medicine may be, doctors simply don’t incur the massive debt or take on the endless hours of rigorous study and training just for a bunch of impressive letters at the end of their names. A successful doctor enjoys helping people. They seek a career dedicated to the care of others, one committed to the idea of making the world, or at least the community, better than they found it.  Continue reading…

Covid’s ‘Silver Lining’: Research Breakthroughs for Chronic Disease, Cancer, and the Common Flu
By Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News
Twitter: @KHNews
Twitter: @LizSzabo

The billions of dollars invested in covid vaccines and covid-19 research so far are expected to yield medical and scientific dividends for decades, helping doctors battle influenza, cancer, cystic fibrosis, and far more diseases. “This is just the start,” said Dr. Judith James, vice president of clinical affairs for the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. “We won’t see these dividends in their full glory for years.” Continue reading…

Clinical Informatics Subspecialty Practice Pathway Extended for Three Additional Years
By William Hersh, MD, Professor and Chair, OHSU
Twitter: @williamhersh

A three-year extension to the Practice Pathway of board certification eligibility for the clinical informatics subspecialty has been approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties for the American Board of Preventive Medicine. This is the second extension of the so-called “grandfathering” pathway that now allows physicians with a primary boarded specialty to achieve board eligibility without formal fellowship training through 2025. Continue reading…

IoMT: What is the Internet of Medical Things?
By Art Gross, President and CEO, HIPAA Secure Now!
Twitter: @HIPAASecureNow

Are you familiar with the IoT or the Internet of Things? This is the term that is applied to objects that are connected via the internet to collect and transfer data without any human interaction or intervention. This includes items like your smart television or even a refrigerator that is connected to an app on your phone which would alert you when the door is left open. Continue reading…

State HIT Connect Summit Propels HealthIT’s Role to Support Public Health, Address Disparities
By Marc Rabner, MD, MPH, Director, Clinical Applications, Audacious Inquiry LLC
Twitter: @A_INQ

Video conferencing kept us linked during the pandemic, but there was always something missing. Last week’s State HIT Connect Summit held in Baltimore, Maryland filled the gap with three days of real-life conversations and face-to-face meetings. Seeing partners that I work with daily and weekly in person, some for the first time, was exciting as leaders came together to consider new, post-pandemic ways to partner and support common goals. Continue reading…