By Joy Rios, Health IT Consultant at Ask Joy Health IT Consulting
Twitter: @askjoyrios
It’s impossible to absorb all the information that’s flying at you, especially from an event as huge as HIMSS. Although there is plenty to read that’s new from CMS, mainly the proposed rules for MU3, Modifications to MU for 2015 – 2017, and the 2015 Certification criteria, here’s my curated list of books that were mentioned throughout the conference that might be more enjoyable bedtime reading.
The Heart of Change, by John P Kotter
Recommended by Ferdinand Velasco, MD, FHIMSS, Sr. Vice President, CHIO, Texas Health Resources
Why is change so hard? Because in order to make any transformation successful, you must change more than just the structure and operations of an organization—you need to change people’s behavior. And that is never easy.
The Heart of Change is your guide to helping people think and feel differently in order to meet your shared goals.
Better & Faster, by Jeremy Gutsche
Recommended by HIMSS keynote speaker, Jeremy Gutsche
In our world of chaos and change, what are you overlooking? If you knew the answer, you’d be a better innovator, better manager, and better investor.
This book will make you BETTER by teaching you how to overcome 3 neurological traps that block successful people, like you, from realizing your full potential. Then, it will make you FASTER by teaching you 6 patterns of opportunity – Convergence, Divergence, Cyclicality,Redirection, Reduction and Acceleration. Each pattern you’ll learn is a repeatable shortcut that has created fortunes for ex-criminals, reclusive billionaires, disruptive CEOs and ordinary people who unexpectedly made it big.
Healthcare: A Better Way, by Dr. John Haughom
Recommended by Health Catalyst
Healthcare: A Better Way is a handbook for clinical and operational leaders, as well as front-line caregivers, who are involved in improving processes, reducing harm, designing and implementing new care delivery models, and undertaking the difficult task of leading meaningful change on behalf of the patients they serve.
The Patient Will See You Now, by Eric Topol
Recommended by ATT, Mandi Bishop, and Gregg Masters
A trip to the doctor is almost a guarantee of misery. You’ll make an appointment months in advance. You’ll probably wait for several hours until you hear “the doctor will see you now”—but only for fifteen minutes! Then you’ll wait even longer for lab tests, the results of which you’ll likely never see, unless they indicate further (and more invasive) tests, most of which will probably prove unnecessary (much like physicals themselves). And your bill will be astronomical.
In The Patient Will See You Now, Eric Topol, one of the nation’s top physicians, shows why medicine does not have to be that way.
Let Patients Help, by Dave deBronkart and Dr. Danny Sands
Recommended by Intersystems
Concise reasons, tips & methods for making patient engagement effective.
The third book by e-Patient Dave, cancer beater, blogger, internationally known keynote speaker and advocate for patient engagement; co-founder and past co-chair of the Society for Participatory Medicine.
It’s a book of lists:
- Part 1: Ten Fundamental Truths
- Part 2: Ten Ways to Let Patients Help
- Part 3: Tip Sheets
As the subtitle suggests, this book is about partnership between patients and professionals. It tells why it’s valid and important for medicine to listen to patients, with specific how-to’s on making it a reality. A patient engagement handbook.
I Am Your Doctor and This is My Humble Opinion, by Jordan Grumet, M.D.
Recommended by Dave deBronkart
What is it like to be your primary care physician? How do day-to-day pressures, concerns and unfolding developments impact the one who looks after your health and wellbeing? What does your doctor feel about the responsibilities and nagging questions that are an integral part of every waking hour? What is it like to know that each routine decision is potentially life-altering to your care? Who cares about your future medical care? Jordan Grumet’s writing builds an insider’s level of understanding. His unique delivery is simple and eloquently succinct.
Struck by Orca: ICD-10 Illustrated, by Niko Skievaski
Recommended by Histalk
Struck By Orca is a 72 pages, illustrating dozens of artists’ visual interpretations of their favorite ICD-10 codes. Artists include healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and professional artists. The book is a 6″ square, soft-cover, and perfect for a coffee table or waiting room.
Crucial Conversations – Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High, by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
Recommended by Wen Dombrowski MD
The first edition of Crucial Conversations exploded onto the scene and revolutionized the way millions of people communicate when stakes are high. This new edition gives you the tools to:
- Prepare for high-stakes situations
- Transform anger and hurt feelings into powerful dialogue
- Make it safe to talk about almost anything
- Be persuasive, not abrasive
ABC’s of PQRS, by Joy Rios with Foreword by Tom Lee
Recommended by Jim Tate, Mandi Bishop, Shahid Shah
ABC’s of PQRS gives you a full spectrum of content:
- Discussion of how the program came to be, to put PQRS in context
- Providing explicit examples of penalty scenarios
- Addressing the various ways to report (Registry, EHR, QCDR, Web Interface, Claims, and CAHPS)
- Examines how other quality programs are interrelated with PQRS – specifically the Value-based Modifier Program (VM)
If you are unclear about the program requirements, confused about how to start, are having difficulty knowing which measures to report, or you don’t understand how PQRS reporting will affect your future reimbursements, this book is for you.