Final IPPS Rule Ignores EHR Developer Concerns–Includes Impossible Measures, Will Lead to Increased Clinician Burden

By Sasha TerMaat
EHRA Vice Chair

IPPS blogOn August 2, 2018, CMS published the 2600-page pre-publication version of the 2019 IPPS Final Rule. EHRA members have begun digging into the Promoting Interoperability/Meaningful Use program, hoping to see changes based on their public comments on the proposed rule released in May. While we’re glad to see the requirement for 2015 CEHRT in 2019 confirmed, overall we’re disappointed that CMS failed to respond to many of EHRA’s comments as well as other stakeholder feedback.

In releasing the final rule less than six weeks after the public comment period closed (during which it received 1,058 comments), CMS appears to have rushed what should have been a thoughtful process. Several measures will be infeasible to program. Other measures will result in additional burden on clinicians, solely for the purpose of measurement rather than improved patient care. Read the full post »

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by EHRA on August 8, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Delivery System Reform, Health IT Regulation, Health IT Standards, Opioid Crisis, Usability and Clinician Experience

Posted by EHRA on August 8, 2018

https://ehrablog.org/2018/08/08/final-ipps-rule-ignores-ehr-developer-concerns-includes-impossible-measures-will-lead-to-increased-clinician-burden/

Introducing the EHRA Persona Library

By Emily Richmond and Tammy Coutts
Chair and Vice Chair, EHRA Clinician Experience Workgroup

Developing a deep understanding of users and their surrounding environment is an important first step in the process of designing usable, safe and effective products. Documenting the who, why and how of individual users and the scenarios they face as part of normal (and abnormal) workflows can take the form of a persona, representing a real user based on qualitative and quantitative research and first-person experience. Personas enable clear understanding of the different users of a product and their goals, problems and backgrounds, cultivating empathy within a development team for who their users really are.

EHRA is pleased to introduce the EHRA Persona Library, created by the EHRA Clinician Experience Workgroup using the input of last year’s Usability Summit participants as a starting point. The library launched with 11 persona templates—ranging from Hospitalist to Family Caregiver to Medical Assistant—with plans to add additional personas in the future. Read the full post »

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by EHRA on April 24, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Usability and Clinician Experience

Posted by EHRA on April 24, 2018

https://ehrablog.org/2018/04/24/introducing-the-ehra-persona-library/

Why HHS Needs a Privacy Leader and a Cybersecurity Leader

By Nam Nguyen and Sayee Balaji Chandrasekaran, Chair and Vice Chair, EHRA Privacy & Security Workgroup

_Security and Privacy are not the same. A Security leader_s primary concern is protecting and securing data. A Privacy leader_s primary concern is who can access certain data and whaCyber-threats are all over the news, including attempts to hack elections, steal corporate trade secrets, and hold medical records for ransom. Phishing is rampant, and is the way most hackers ultimately get into secure systems. The U.S. government has, of course, taken notice, and is taking action on several fronts.

One of those fronts is healthcare, with the release by HHS of the Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force’s “Report on Improving Cybersecurity in the Health Care Industry,” which was delivered to Congress in June 2017.  The task force wrote, “Our nation must find a way to prevent our patients from being forced to choose between connectivity and security.”

EHRA welcomes this report, which we view as a path forward for increasing security in the healthcare sector.  The report directly aligns with two of EHRA’s privacy and security positions: Read the full post »

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by EHRA on April 5, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Privacy and Security, Public Policy and Health IT

Posted by EHRA on April 5, 2018

https://ehrablog.org/2018/04/05/why-hhs-needs-a-privacy-leader-and-a-cybersecurity-leader/

HIMSS18: Listening, Learning, Leading

IMG_6591EHRA member companies were out in force at HIMSS18 in Las Vegas, and not just in booths on the exhibit floor.

In a small conference room on the 4th floor of the Sands Convention Center, EHRA volunteer executives were meeting with stakeholder groups to discuss how EHRs can be optimized to improve usability, interoperability, and patient safety. We listened, we asked questions, and we shared our perspectives on the challenges and what the next steps could be.

Read the full post »

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by EHRA on March 29, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Health IT Regulation, Interoperability, Usability and Clinician Experience, Value of HIT

Posted by EHRA on March 29, 2018

https://ehrablog.org/2018/03/29/himss18-listening-learning-leading/

Draft TEFCA Needs A Lot More Work

TEFCASince the release of the Draft Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) on January 5th, EHRA volunteers from the Standards and Interoperability, Privacy and Security, and Public Policy Leadership Workgroups have been reviewing and discussing the document. Together, they drafted EHRA’s comments, which were submitted this week to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).

As EHR developers, we support the goal to provide nationwide interoperability using networks as important building blocks, and believe TEFCA has the potential to dramatically improve interoperability.

However, the draft TEFCA overreaches, neglects important details, and doesn’t consider the practicality or potential unintended consequences of the policy. We strongly recommend that ONC review stakeholder feedback and publish a revised proposed draft for another round of feedback, before finalizing the policy.

Read the full post »

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by EHRA on February 26, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Health IT Regulation, Interoperability, Public Policy and Health IT

Posted by EHRA on February 26, 2018

https://ehrablog.org/2018/02/26/draft-tefca-needs-a-lot-more-work/

Reflections on EHRA, Past and Future

By Mark Segal, PhD, FHIMSS

Mark Segal Morocco

Mark Segal welcomed ‘retirement’ by exploring Morocco with his son.

Late in 2017, I left GE Healthcare via an early “retirement” opportunity. Retirement is in quotes but that is a story for another day; suffice it to say that I intend to remain active in the digital health policy world.

One of the biggest changes with my departure from GE is that I also left the EHRA Executive Committee, on which I had served in both elected and ex officio capacity for years. This was a double whammy of many fewer conference calls per day.

My involvement with EHRA, wearing many hats, has been one of the most important and satisfying aspects of my professional life. Read the full post »

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by EHRA on January 15, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Case Studies and Personal Stories, Public Policy and Health IT

Posted by EHRA on January 15, 2018

https://ehrablog.org/2018/01/15/reflections-on-ehra-past-and-future/

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