By Jim Tate, EMR Advocate
Meaningful Use Audit Expert
Twitter: @JimTate, eMail: audits@emradvocate.com
I can’t help it. Whenever I hear the term “patient engagement” I think about sumo wrestling. I’m not sure why but maybe it is that I associate “engage” with combat. You know, “engage the enemy”. 2015 is set to be the “Year of Patient Engagement” in most people’s book. It may even replace that time worn phrase, “meaningful use”. I won’t be sad to see that one go.
“Patient Engagement”, we can’t hide from it anymore. Everywhere I look there is a patient portal lurking and everyone is talking about securely messaging their providers. Most of this now is wishful thinking along the lines of “build it and they will come”. I have a sneaking suspicion that beneath all the froth and marketing there is a sea change coming and whether we call it “patient engagement” or something else we know it is coming, and coming big. Reminds me of the line from Bob Dylan’s Ballad of a Thin Man. “Something is happening here, but you don’t know what it is. Do you, Mister Jones?”
The meaningful use folks think this is all about “view, download and transmit”. The patient advocates think it is all about empowerment. I have no idea what the coding and reimbursement tribes think. This is probably a good time to just jump in the deep end of the pool, dive to the bottom and see if anything makes sense. That is what I intend to do.
Next week HIMSS is sponsoring their first every Patient Engagement Summit and from the looks of the agenda there will be some heavy hitters onboard. I’ve decided to mosey on down to Orlando and see if I tell which way the wind is blowing. I’ll let you know what I find and I’ll pass it on. After all, we don’t want Bob Dylan singing about us anymore.
Jim Tate is known as the most experienced authority on the CMS Meaningful Use (MU) audit and appeal process. His unique combination of skills has brought successful outcomes to hospitals at risk of having their CMS EHR incentives recouped. He led the first appeal challenge in the nation for a client hospital that had received a negative audit determination. That appeal was decided in favor of the hospital. He has also been successful in leading the effort to reverse a failed appeal, even after the hospital had received notification of the failure with the statement, “This decision is final and not subject to further appeal”. That “final” decision was reversed in less than a week. If you are a hospital with questions or concerns about the meaningful use audit process, contact him at: audits@emradvocate.com.