January 2010 Entries
EHR Adoption - Will Your Office be Ready? - January 24, 2010
Despite $17 billion in incentives for adopting electronic health records, many physicians remain unconvinced that better care will be the payoff
Orlando Florida -- Dr. Larry Garber has been preparing for Washington’s $17 billion booster shot for the adoption of electronic health records for months, if not years. Now that the money is about to pour forth, his practice in western Massachusetts expects to be one of the first in line to apply for a portion of the stimulus law funding.
The big question is whether his colleagues across the country will follow his lead. Although technology and innovation have transformed medicine and pharmacology in the past 20 years, doctors remain late adopters of tools such as e-mail and digital records. Many are not convinced that data collection always leads to better care or that the federal government can help them do their jobs better by requiring collection and analysis of their patient data.
For Garber, who is medical director for informatics at the Fallon Clinic of Worcester, Mass., meeting the administration’s just-released requirements for meaningful use of electronic health records should be a snap because the 250-doctor practice he helps manage has been using EHR systems for several years. “We are on top of this,” Garber said. “We are very close to becoming meaningful users in 2011.”
The Health and Human Services Department’s goals in fostering EHRs are to reduce costs and improve efficiency and quality of care. The quality goals contained in the new regulations are the most ambitious element because they set the stage for creation of an unprecedented new infrastructure to collect clinical data from doctors, rate doctors’ quality of care and provide feedback to spur improvements.
The future of that strategy now lies in physicians’ hands. Doctors must decide whether they want to adopt health information technology systems and become meaningful users according to HHS’ rules, which is a condition for accepting money from the stimulus pot. As part of HHS' requirements, doctors must begin sharing some of their clinical data by 2011 for the purpose of improving overall quality. That's a tall order for doctors who have not done the early groundwork that Garber has done at the Fallon Clinic.
Physicians are making those buying decisions now. They are weighing the cost of purchasing the systems and judging the ease of installation and use. Quality is a potential benefit, to be sure, but the regulations bring new administrative requirements and — many physicians fear — a possible loss of autonomy as caregivers.
“Physicians want to satisfy the ethos of their profession,” said Dr. Stephen Sergay, a neurologist in Tampa, Fla. “Influencing people to provide quality through regulation does not necessarily bring out the best in people.”
Congress Sweetens the Pill
The federal government has been pushing doctors and hospitals to adopt EHRs since at least 2004, but it was not until Congress passed the economic stimulus law a year ago that incentive payments sweetened the deal. HHS is ready to inject at least $17 billion into the health care system to reward doctors and hospitals that buy and use the systems. It might be the impetus the medical profession needs to push it into the Digital Age.
But did the Obama administration go too far too fast when it linked health IT adoption with a large new system of data collection and exchange to help meet health care quality goals? It is too soon to say, but the early reaction from doctors is ambivalence.
Family doctors are considering many factors, said Dr. David Kibbe, senior adviser to the American Academy of Family Physicians. “For physicians with busy practices, this is not on their radar,” he added. “This new system is very confusing. The busy family physicians will look at this with real concern and with real caution.”
Much of the attention in Washington has been focused on the potential cost savings that EHRs could bring to an exceedingly inflation-challenged industry. Quality of care has received less attention.
There is evidence that digital records can reduce medical errors, especially in drug interactions, and that the availability of electronic data could lead to improved quality. The idea is to collect and analyze patient data to identify the best treatments based on outcomes and deliver that information to doctors when and where they need it most, especially the examining room. That is possible only with electronic systems.
“Simply put, health professionals will be able to give better care,” said Dr. David Blumenthal, HHS’ national coordinator for health IT, at a recent conference about linking stimulus dollars to higher-quality care.
Blumenthal and other policy-makers are hopeful of immediate quality rewards — a reduction in medication and prescription errors, a drop in the number of allergic reactions, and the avoidance of transcription problems caused by poor handwriting.
Other quality-of-care improvements will emerge after doctors broadly collect and share information, which is happening on a small scale in select practices, hospitals and state Medicaid programs. Health IT already has generated some quality improvements. For example:
•About 4,200 doctors are participating in the Community Care of North Carolina Medicaid incentive program. It focuses on quality in seven areas, including care for people with diabetes and congestive heart failure. The providers feed standardized data into the system and receive timely, actionable information in return, said Dr. L. Allen Dobson, president of Community Care. The results have been positive, including lower rates for asthma-related hospital admissions. Providing feedback to the physicians — including immediate actions for specific patients — is especially important because it gives the doctors a direct benefit for their effort, Dobson said. Overall, the quality ratings are helping to boost “a new level of competition based on quality,” he added.
•In San Diego, officials at the Veterans Affairs Department and Kaiser Permanente said at a press event Jan. 7 that their program to share patient data electronically has been successful in boosting quality. Instead of paperwork taking weeks, records can be shared in seconds. One of the first patients to benefit was a veteran Kaiser Permanente diagnosed as having severe allergies. When the veteran sought care from VA, his allergy records were available immediately. That increased the patient’s safety and reduced the risk of a prescription error, said Dr. Stephen Ondra, VA’s senior policy adviser for health affairs.
•Computer Sciences Corp. helped the Defense Department set up an e-prescribing system called the Pharmacy Data Transaction Service in 2005, with more than 9 million eligible participants. The system automatically checks new prescriptions against a patient’s medical history to avoid potentially life-threatening drug interactions. The system has helped DOD reduce prescription errors, said Dr. Robert Wah, chief medical officer at CSC. “There is a huge role for technology to improve quality,” he said. "Health IT is just a facilitator."
Doctors Remain Skeptical
In physicians’ offices, the quality regulations are likely to have a more complex impact. Although doctors generally support quality goals, they are skeptical of the way those goals are being pursued — in the form of data collection by regulation. The HHS-proposed meaningful-use regulation, published Jan. 13, outlines 29 data collection measures, of which 27 concern quality.
Even health IT’s strongest supporters, such as the Fallon Clinic's Garber, concede that HHS’ framework of quality regulations is getting a lukewarm reception.
Doctors believe they are providing the best quality care to meet patients’ unique needs, Garber said, and they tend to be wary of statistical generalizations about quality of care, which in the past have been drawn mostly from insurance claims data. From his viewpoint, doctors want digital systems to ease their administrative burdens and reduce medication errors from drug interactions. But for most doctors, a chance to take part in the national quality infrastructure will not persuade a doctor to invest in the systems, Garber said.
Physicians are also concerned that the government could eventually use the quality data to raise or lower payments for services performed for Medicare and Medicaid patients. In the past, some medical professionals have warned of unintended consequences — such as avoidance of the sickest patients — if physicians and hospitals are judged and paid based on the government's quality measures.
For example, one proposed quality measure is tracking the percentage of a doctor’s patients who are obese. Doctors are concerned that their future incomes might drop if they depend on whether obese patients follow advice to exercise, eat properly and lose weight, which doctors consider to be beyond their control, said Dr. Steven Waldron, director of the Center for Health IT at the American Academy of Family Physicians.
“There is a concern that the quality incentives won’t have adequate data about case mix and patient noncompliance,” Waldron said.
But appropriate rules could ease those concerns. For now, HHS is focusing on collecting the relevant data from participating doctors. Rules for sharing and using the data for quality purposes will come later. “In introducing any new technology, you need a thoughtful approach and strong incentives to counter unintended consequences,” said Janet Corrigan, president of the National Quality Forum, a nonprofit group that supports data collection to improve health care quality.
Another point of contention is that many physicians would like HHS to require that EHR systems include space for physicians' narrative notes. Those are the notes a physician writes when meeting with a patient, describing — often in the patient’s own words — why he or she has sought care and how the patient characterizes his or her symptoms. Digital systems typically do not have a place for such notes. Instead, they offer doctors a list of items to check off to describe a patient’s situation.
In a December 2009 survey by Nuance Communications, 94 percent of the 17,000 doctors interviewed said physician narratives are important to have in digital records and 96 percent were concerned about the consequences to patient care if those narratives are absent.
“I strongly believe that the quality of care is based on a meaningful dialogue between the physician and patient,” said Sergay, the Tampa neurologist. “Talking to people is so much better than filling in boxes.”
Some doctors also have doubts about receiving the stimulus law payments because they have not yet been reimbursed for their participation in the federal Physician Quality Reporting Initiative that began in 2006 and ended in 2008.
“The good news is that everyone has the same goal of high-quality care,” said Rob Tennant, senior policy adviser at the Medical Group Management Association. “What is problematic is that the way HHS has crafted the rule may be a deterrent.”
Doctors and policy-makers are also weighing other concerns about the link between health IT systems and improved quality. Studies have suggested that some systems might create new errors, such as choosing the wrong name or medication from a long list of choices. And a recent study at Harvard Medical School found that hospitals' health IT adoption has so far not led to higher quality.
Other studies have shown that the process of transitioning to EHRs brings multiple headaches and that dependence on an electronic system could lead to vulnerabilities. For example, the Government Accountability Office recently chided VA because a power outage-related computer glitch had a negative effect on patient care at VA facilities in Texas.
Although former President George W. Bush urged doctors and hospitals to go digital by 2014, the adoption rate has been slow. A recent survey showed that only about 17 percent of doctors and 8 percent of hospitals are using at least a single type of EHR application. The systems span a number of applications, including computerized physician orders for drugs and of tests, decision support, and physician notes.
Moreover, large parts of the health quality data infrastructure have not yet been conceptualized. Standardizing the data so that it has common elements and can be securely exchanged among users is a challenge. “We have not thought this through yet,” Blumenthal said. “The vision is there, and the path is beginning to be conceived.”
How long it will take to realize the vision and get physicians to buy into it remains the $17 billion question. “We have to work on refinement of the clinical care improvements,” said Richard Moore, chief information officer at the nonprofit National Committee for Quality Assurance. “It will take a lot of time to go from a fragmented system to an integrated one. But is it three years or 10 years?”
In the end, quality improvements through health IT must be accompanied by bigger changes. “It’s not just buying a system; you have to redesign the delivery of care,” said Dr. Anne-Marie Audet, vice president of quality improvement and efficiency at the Commonwealth Fund.
As physicians wait to see the outcome of health care and payment reforms, one of their strategies might be to delay adoption of health care records until they have a fuller picture, Kibbe said. Ultimately, though, many doctors are amenable to the idea of receiving rewards for high quality, even though data could be used to reduce income for some doctors, he said.
“I hope we’ll see opportunities for hospitals and physicians to be rewarded for better quality, not just quantity,” Kibbe said.
Despite the complexity of the issues involved, many doctors and policy-makers agree that although it's not a foolproof strategy, striving to improve quality through health IT might be one of the best chances to bring the quality of health care in the United States up to a level that meets everyone’s expectations.
“You cannot improve what you cannot measure,” Waldron said. “There are risks to anything you do, but the benefits in this case outweigh the risks.”
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com and let us "Uncomplexify your Information
Tecnology"
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution
that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you
with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources
that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can
get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan
your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time
and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services
solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple
manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, IBM, HP, Cisco, Microsoft, Gateway
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC HP IBM Quantum Compliance Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO
Network Backup appliance Data Recovery Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health
record P4P rules and the HITECH Act PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare
IT Medical Records EHR Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records,
practice management systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology,
Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals,
clinical education and medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics,
Computer-based, SOAP, HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-
prescribing, eprescribing, athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor,
healthcare performance management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID,
SureScripts, FNC, billing, superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-
clinicalworks greenway emds nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft
Healthvault Health Internet certified "meaningful use" violations HealthPresence Health Presence Ingenix “transformative”
telemedicine medicaid medicare
EHR Measuring Meaningful Use for Medicare/Medicaid Incentive Reimbursements - January 24, 2010
Orlando Florida -- The new year marks the start of the “meaningful use” era of health IT. The bold attempt to transform the U.S. healthcare delivery system comes with a staggering investment: $30 billion- plus in funding set aside in last year’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to encourage providers and provider organizations to go digital.
The funds, in the form of Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments, will flow to providers who can “demonstrate” a significant EHR deployment. Therein lies the rub. With so much money in play, how will doctors’ offices and hospitals account for how they put their new EHRs to use—and how will government program managers authenticate those claims?
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which will administer the incentive program, last month issued its much-anticipated plan for meaningful use. The policy clarifies what specific electronic services providers must offer to qualify for ARRA incentives.
But the actual means through which CMS will track whether providers meet the agency’s objectives remain vague. Health IT experts believe CMS is likely to use multiple electronic reporting systems to document how providers use EHRs. These systems will act as flight data recorders for the project, plotting the path of meaningful use and documenting what Dr. David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health IT, has called a “vast social project of change management.” Ultimately, the data will yield important clues as to whether IT can help meet the primary goals of health reform: to reduce costs and improve quality of care. The systems also will largely determine whether the $30 billion project rates as a good investment or a costly miscue, says Brian J. McCarthy CEO of Sencilo HealthIT Solutions in Lake Mary Florida and well known speaker of
Healthcare and IT.
Those questions are drawing interest from members of Congress. In an October 2009 letter to electronic health record system developers, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said, “Every accountability measure ought to be used to track stimulus money invested in health information technology.”
CMS lists the development of “systems to monitor and evaluate incentive payments” among its 2010 objectives. These systems— the practical plumbing of meaningful use—could involve repurposing existing mechanisms or creating new ones. Additionally, myriad third-party organizations might be called on to help account for meaningful use, including health information exchanges and value.
“I have a feeling that meaningful use is going to be well defined and the types of data that need to be reported are going to be well-defined, but the [reporting] processes are going to be open enough that multiple structures can fulfill those objectives,” said John Feikema, the chief information officer of VisionShare, which provides software that transmits Medicare transaction data.
State and federal paths
The electronic channels through which providers will report their EHR progress to the government will need to rollout concurrently with the multi-year meaningful use incentive plan. By and large, CMS will manage incentive payments to Medicare providers, while state Medicaid offices will oversee the program for practices that qualify for Medicaid incentives.
To give states an incentive of their own, CMS said it would reward those states which devise oversight systems. In a September 2009 letter to state Medicaid directors, CMS said it will cover 90 percent of a state’s administrative costs if they conduct “adequate oversight of the incentive program, including routine tracking of meaningful use attestations and reporting mechanisms, says McCarthy.” Those dollars are entirely separate from the EHR incentive funding.
On the Medicare side, CMS has developed and is developing reporting systems that allow providers to submit clinical data to health policy researchers tracking the quality and outcomes of certain programs and treatments. Existing data channels could influence the development of meaningful use systems, according to health IT analysts.
Kerry Weems, the former administrator of CMS and now senior vice president for health strategy at IT services firm ANS., said CMS will likely use at least three different reporting mechanisms for meaningful use. Those include CMS’s Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), clinical registries and EHR systems themselves, he said.
PQRI, established in 2007, provides incentive payments to physicians who report data on quality measures for services provided to Medicare patients. Providers may report PQRI data through the regular claims process to a Medicare administrative contractor, which in turn provides the data to CMS.
This approach requires providers to insert a G-code (Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System codes) that adds clinical data—say, a patient with A1c blood sugar levels in a specific range—to the usual administrative diagnosis and procedure codes used in billing. A practice’s accounts receivable enters the G-code on the patient’s bill before sending it to Medicare.
Weems said PQRI could be pressed into service for meaningful use reporting, which also will deal with clinical and quality data. But there are some drawbacks with this approach. CMS compiled a study on PQRI’s 2007 reporting year, Weems said, and found that only 109,000 out of the 700,000 eligible physicians participated and about half of those successfully reported data and received payment.
“If, in fact, they use [PQRI] it will need significant improvement to demonstrate meaningful use,” Weems said. The program saw some improvement during the 2008 reporting year. CMS in November reported a one-third increase in physician participation in PQRI that year compared with 2007. Still, Weems said he had hoped for a better result. The G-code is another difficulty with PQRI, since it compels providers to alter the billing process by throwing clinical data into the mix.
The role of registries CMS, however, has an alternative reporting channel for PQRI: designated clinical registries. A registry is a database that collects health information on particular patient populations. A mix of organizations operate registries, including hospitals, health IT vendors and health associations. Today, online registries enable providers to post quality data through a Web interface, which can then be submitted to CMS.
A registry makes quality reporting part of the clinical workflow, which eases the burden for providers. “I think the PQRI program is not only going to be transferable to meaningful use, it will be initially one of the core reporting mechanisms,” said Dr. John Haughton, chairman and chief medical officer of DocSite, a company that provides a CMS-designated PQRI registry.
CMS has anointed more than 70 registries to submit PQRI data on behalf of providers. The registries go through a vetting process that examines their ability to provide the needed data elements, according to CMS. CMS may permit registry reporting for meaningful use authentication, according to Weems, but it is not yet clear which registries will be qualified to do so. Though CMS has used registries for quality measures and clinical guidelines in the past, the approach is a “bridge” to a long-term solution, he said.
Standardized electronic reporting via an EHR—outside of the claims system— will ultimately become the long-term solution that verifies meaningful use, according to health IT experts.
Weems said he envisions EHR vendors tweaking their existing reporting tools to comply with a yet-to-be-created federal reporting tool specification. The resulting interoperable interface would replace numerous vendor-specific EHR interfaces for reporting to CMS.
Trust, but verify
In the meantime, EHR systems’ proprietary reporting methods may provide a temporary solution. CMS perhaps foreshadowed that development in October, when it announced that providers would be able to use their EHR systems to report PQRI quality measures. At the time, CMS said the move would “provide both eligible professionals and CMS with experience on EHR-based reporting.”
“We have seen the beginning of that interim approach” with CMS’s announcement, according to Weems. Not all EHR systems deployed today possess reporting features, and still might not by 2011, the first year providers are eligible to receive the incentives. Jana Skewes, chief executive officer at Shared Health, a Tennessee-based health information exchange, said meaningful use reporting might rely on an honor system of sorts while EHR reporting is ironed out.
One interim option: an electronic survey, in which physicians could answer questions regarding EHR. This approach would ask providers to essentially vouch for their meaningful EHR usage, as opposed to reporting data directly from the EHR. Although a “less elegant report,” Skewes said, it could stand-in for the more hard-wired approach.
Dr. Bruce Taffel, chief medical officer at Shared Health, said surveys could address meaningful use requirements such as participating in health information exchange or e-prescribing. Random audits could then help authenticate the survey results. “Trust, but verify—that is going to be part of the initial systems,” he said. Micky Tripathi, president and chief executive officer of the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, a non-profit group that works to advance EHR adoption in the state, agreed that self-reporting may be the direction meaningful use reporting initially takes. But he emphasized the importance of audits in that scenario. “Self attestation is meaningless without a periodic audit to support it,” he said.
e-Prescribing model
While Medicare providers await CMS developments, Medicaid providers will watch as states rollout reporting struc-tures of their own.“States will need to engage in planning to ensure that they are able to track such use, consistent with the federal rules,” CMS acknowledged in a letter to state program operators last fall.
Few states have a blueprint for such tracking, but some may adapt existing systems designed for other types of reporting. New York State’s Department of Health is rolling out an e-prescribing incentive program—unrelated to meaningful use— through which it will offer Medicaid providers 80 cents for every e-prescription they write. The state’s experience accounting for e-prescriptions under the program may prove useful when it addresses the thornier requirements of meaningful use.
E-prescribing, part of the foundation for meaningful use, will be one of the simpler requirements to authenticate, since a network infrastructure to carry out the service already exists.
New York
plans to track the prescriptions by capturing the CMS-issued, 10-digit National Provider Identifier (NPI) number providers use to make pharmacy claims. Data authenticating the transaction will travel from providers to the state via electronic e-prescribing networks, such as SureScripts, or other intermediaries.
This approach has a dual purpose, according to Dr. James Figge, medical director of the department’s Office of Health Insurance Programs. It will help manage the state’s e-prescribing program, but it also positions the state for managing meaningful use.
“When we get to the meaningful use requirement, we can credit that prescription for meaningful use,” he said. To authenticate participants, NPI numbers may be linked to cryptographic keys, according to Figge. Keys could be assigned to authorized providers who pass security audits. Figge said the proposed approach is intended to stimulate discussion, noting that it is not known what techniques CMS will ultimately require. The use of NPI numbers could apply to not only the meaningful use’s e-prescribing requirement, but to other potential aspects of the program, including the use of HIEs and the quality metrics reporting, Figge added.
Medicaid systems
Medicaid reporting will also likely involve state Medicaid Management Information Systems, which process and pay claims. Integrators and consultants who work on Medicaid systems believe states will add to current systems, rather than build new ones to deal with meaningful use.
“Medicaid administrators are thinking about the implementation of systems to accept and use these new measures in time for (fiscal year) 2011 implementation,” said David Nelson, director of planning and strategy at Thomson Reuters, which works with 28 state Medicaid agencies to provide systems and consulting on data, data systems, and quality and cost analysis.
“Our customers are asking us how we can enhance their existing data systems with the addition of meaningful use data.” Dr. Kit Gorton, vice president of medical management at HP Enterprise Services, a leading manager of MMIS systems, said every one of the 22 states where the company provides claims administration services, “is talking to us about how to leverage the MMIS infrastructure to collect data and administer the meaningful use incentives.”
Gorton said he believes states plan to use either their emerging HIE infrastructures, if sufficiently advanced, or their MMIS systems to collect data and administer incentives. As for MMIS, Gorton said current vendor systems already “have the core functionality” that will enable them to flag providers who are doing meaningful use and push out payments.
A head start on meaningful use reporting can’t hurt. Policy makers will need any edge they can find to manage the largest ever investment in health IT.
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com and let us "Uncomplexify your Information
Tecnology"
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution
that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you
with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources
that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can
get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan
your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time
and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services
solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple
manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, IBM, HP, Cisco, Microsoft, Gateway
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC HP IBM Quantum Compliance Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO
Network Backup appliance Data Recovery Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health
record P4P rules and the HITECH Act PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare
IT Medical Records EHR Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records,
practice management systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology,
Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals,
clinical education and medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics,
Computer-based, SOAP, HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-
prescribing, eprescribing, athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor,
healthcare performance management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID,
SureScripts, FNC, billing, superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-
clinicalworks greenway emds nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft
Healthvault Health Internet certified "meaningful use" violations HealthPresence Health Presence Ingenix “transformative”
telemedicine medicaid medicare
Transforming the Medical Profession to "HealthPresence" Technologies - January 24, 2010
Orlando Florida -- Cisco, the world’s leading supplier of networking technology, is piloting what it is touting as a “transformative” telemedicine program at 15 sites in California, in partnership with several community centers, Molina Healthcare and the state of California.
Transformative because Cisco is claiming that the use of its “HealthPresence” technology provides a better experience than both in-person visits between doctor and patient, and previous video-enabled telemedicine.
The medical profession has not changed much in 60 years, John Chambers, chairman and chief executive of Cisco, told a press conference Jan. 15. But over the next couple of years, the new initiative will show how to provide medical care using “new world solutions.”
If it works, he said it could help bring comprehensive medical care to every citizen in California.
Cisco has been using this kind of technology to provide medical services to its own employees for several years, and has itself piloted HealthPresence in various clinical settings.
Cisco HealthPresence combines state-of-the-art medical diagnostic equipment with such things as high-definition cameras, electronic stethoscopes and high-speed networking to enable both primary doctors and specialists to confer with other doctors and patients at a distance, in real-time.
Current telemedicine technology also provides for remote consultations, but rarely for the real-time experience Cisco claims for its solution. Relatively slow network links between major city medical centers and remote hospitals and clinics limit the kind of diagnostic equipment that can be used, for example, and treatment often has to be spread over several telemedicine sessions.
With the kind of technology and services HealthPresence provides, patients can also participate more directly in the consultations and treatment, Cisco said.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said his state is a natural host for this program, as it’s been laying the groundwork for such initiatives since 2006 when it formed a group to map California’s broadband needs, and in 2007 created the California Telemedicine Network. It also set aside $200 million to help train doctors to use advanced communications technology.
All the sites involved in the pilot program are expected to be fully operational within the next six months.
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com and let us "Uncomplexify your Information Tecnology"
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu Data Domain, EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, HDS, IBM, Commvault, Xiotech and HP.
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include BC DR planning Replication De-Dup De-Dupe iSCSI SAN NAS VMware Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC NetApp HP IBM Quantum Compliance VTL Data Domain vs Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO Network Backup appliance Data Recovery Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health record P4P rules and the HITECH Act PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare IT Medical Records EHREHR Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records, practice management systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals, clinical education and medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics, Computer-based, SOAP, HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-prescribing, eprescribing, athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor, healthcare performance management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID, SureScripts, FNC, billing, superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-clinicalworks greenway emds nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft Healthvault Health Internet certified "meaningful use" violations HealthPresence Health Presence Ingenix
Lack of Basic Security allows BlueCross and BlueShield to loses 500,000 members Health and Financial Records - January 19, 2010
Orlando Florida -- BlueCross and BlueShield of Tennessee has announced it has so far notified more than 157,000 members of the theft of identifiable data in early October that affected an estimated 500,000 members. The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based insurer announced the theft within days of its occurance. It started notifying members in early December as evidence that their information was on stolen files surfaced during an investigation that continues.
In October, 57 hard drives containing audio and video files were stolen from a leased facility that previously housed a call center and was in a transition stage with some employees still working at the facility. The files related to coordination of care and eligibility phone calls from providers and members. The video files were images from computer screens of customer service representatives and the audio files were recorded telephone conversations. The stolen material included an estimated 1.3 million audio files and 300,000 video files.
The files contained demographic information and BlueCross ID numbers. They also contained diagnostic information and Social Security numbers for many of the affected members. The files were encoded, which is a process of converting data by use of a code to make it unreadable, but not encrypted, which changes plain text into ciphertext, or characters, using algorithms and a key.
The plan hired New York security firm Kroll Inc. to review backup files and identify affected members, conduct forensic data matching to determine the data at risk for each member, and to assess BCBS of Tennessee's systemwide security. The plan "has taken several actions to strengthen these protocols," the company said in a Jan. 13 statement updating its progress. Among the changes is a requirement now that all data resides in properties that BCBS of Tennessee owns, according to a spokesperson.
The theft occurred on Oct. 2 and the plan learned about it on Oct. 5. Work to identify and match data began on Oct. 7. The plan and Kroll completed an audit of back-up files on Jan. 4 with analysis of the data continuing. Notification letters to affected members started on Dec. 7.
We have seen this all before, companies like Blue Cross and BlueShield thinking that it would not happen to them, well it did and it will happen again if they don't improve their in-house security, says Brian McCarthy CEO for Sencilo HealthIT Solutions. This will be more and more common place in the news, now that there are laws requiring sloppy firms that do not protect their clients informations, blasts McCarthy. Whether you are a large company or a small doctors office you are required by law to keep client information protected or face large fines and lawsuites. Just ask the CIO of BlueCross how much this will cost them, if their straight with you it will be in the tens of millions, says McCarthy.
As of Jan. 7, the insurer has identified 220,000 members at highest risk and has notified more than 157,000. These members had their Social Security number among the data that was stolen. The plan remains in the process of identifying and notifying additional members at lower risk because their Social Security numbers were not among the data. All affected members will receive free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services for one year, with enhanced services for those with compromised Social Security numbers.
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com and let us "Uncomplexify your Information Tecnology"
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu Data Domain, EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, HDS, IBM, Commvault, Xiotech and HP.
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include BC DR planning Replication De-Dup De-Dupe iSCSI SAN NAS VMware Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC NetApp HP IBM Quantum Compliance VTL Data Domain vs Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO Network Backup appliance Data Recovery Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health record P4P rules and the HITECH Act PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare IT Medical Records EHREHR Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records, practice management systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals, clinical education and medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics, Computer-based, SOAP, HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-prescribing, eprescribing, athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor, healthcare performance management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID, SureScripts, FNC, billing, superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-clinicalworks greenway emds nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft Healthvault Health Internet certified "meaningful use" violations
Health Net carelessly loses 1.5 million Health Records and violates HIPAA law in doing so - January 16, 2010
Orlando Florida -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has filed a lawsuit charging Health Net of Connecticut Inc. with violations of the HIPAA privacy and security rules following a large breach of identifiable medical records and Social Security numbers.
Blumenthal's office believes this is the first lawsuit by a state's chief legal officer since the HITECH Act last year gave state attorneys general authority to prosecute HIPAA privacy and security violations.
Parent company Health Net in Los Angeles last November reported to insurance officials in four states the disappearance in May of a hard drive with protected health information on 1.5 million members, including 446,000 in Connecticut. The data was not encrypted, but Health Net said it is invisible without the use of specific software. The company attributed the delay in reporting the breach to a lengthy forensic investigation to determine what information was on the hard drive. "Had Health Net used some basic data encryption products they would not of found themself about to get fines in the millions, says Brian McCarthy CEO and Data Protection expect for Sencilo HealthIT Solutions in Lake Mary Florida. Everyone of our clients over the past 6 years start off with "it can't happen to me" but we demostrate just how simple it is to steal both paper and digital records, and we always
win them over.
In the lawsuit, Blumenthal charges Health Net did not have adequate legal grounds to delay notifying members of the breach and that the delay constituted an unfair trade practice under state law. "Under information and belief, no law enforcement agency determined that the notification to affected Connecticut residents would have impeded a criminal investigation and requested that the notification be delayed," according to the suit.
Blumenthal is seeking a court order blocking Health Net from further HIPAA violations and requiring encryption of all protected health information on portable electronic devices. He also seeks civil fines.
New federal rules mandated under the HITECH Act require "timely" notification of certain breaches of health information. The rules were effective in September and have a compliance deadline of Feb. 22, 2010.
Health Net of Connecticut on Jan. 13 released the following statement within hours of receiving the lawsuit: "Protecting the privacy of our members is extremely important to us. Health Net's company policy states that data must be encrypted and secured. Health Net has just received a copy of the lawsuit and is in the process of reviewing it. We will continue to work cooperatively with the Connecticut Attorney General on this matter.
"To date, Health Net has found no evidence that there has been any misuse of the data. Health Net is offering two years of free credit monitoring services for all impacted members who elect this service. This service also includes $1 million of identity theft insurance coverage and enrollment in fraud resolution services for two years, if needed. Additionally, if members experience any identity theft between May 2009 and the data of their enrollment, Health Net will provide services to restore the member's identity at no cost to the member." I have heard this says a hundred times from companies "after" a breach, take my word for it, Health Net's client records are being sold and making the bad guys rich off their carelessness.
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com and let us "Uncomplexify your Information Technology"
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution
that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you
with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources
that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can
get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan
your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time
and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services
solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple
manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu Data Domain, EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, HDS, IBM, Commvault, Xiotech and HP.
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include BC DR planning Replication De-Dup De-Dupe iSCSI SAN NAS VMware Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC
NetApp HP IBM Quantum Compliance VTL Data Domain vs Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO Network Backup appliance Data Recovery
Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health record P4P rules and the HITECH Act
PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare IT Medical Records EHREHR
Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records, practice management
systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology,
Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals, clinical education and
medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics, Computer-based, SOAP,
HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-prescribing, eprescribing,
athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor, healthcare performance
management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID, SureScripts, FNC, billing,
superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-clinicalworks greenway emds
nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft Healthvault Health Internet
certified "meaningful use" violations
Give me my medical records, now! - January 15, 2010
Orlando Florida -- For five days as her husband lay in his hospital bed suffering from kidney cancer, Regina Holliday begged doctors and nurses for his medical records, and for five days she never received them.
On the sixth day, her husband needed to be transferred to another hospital -- without his complete medical records.
"When Fred arrived at the second hospital, they couldn't give him any pain medication because they didn't know what drugs he already had in his system, and they didn't want to overdose him," says Holliday, who lives in Washington. "For six hours he was in pain, panicking, while I ran back to the first hospital and got the rest of the records."
Despite a federal law requiring hospitals and doctors to release medical records to patients who ask for them, patients are reporting they have a hard time accessing them leading to complications like the ones the Holliday family experienced.
'What part of "Give us our damn data" do you not understand?'
Dave deBronkart, co-chairman of the Society for Participatory Medicine, put it this way in a recent blog post: "What part of 'Give us our damn data' do you not understand?"
While there are no statistics on how many patients have trouble accessing their own records, there have been "repeated" complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a senior health information privacy specialist at the department's Office for Civil Rights, which enforces the federal law that gives patients access to their records.
"It's crazy ridiculous when you can't walk out of a doctor's office or hospital with a copy of your medical records if you ask for them," says Deven McGraw, director of the health privacy project at the Center for Democracy and Technology.
"Lack of information kills people," she says. "Having your medical records can save your life."
Elizabeth Lietz, a spokeswoman for the American Hospital Association, says she can't speak to any specific case where a patient had trouble getting records from a hospital.
"Every patient has a right to get their medical records," Lietz says. "Our goal is to work with patients to get their records while at the same time protecting their privacy rights."
DeBronkart encourages patients to get their records before they're admitted to the hospital.
He points to an incident in 2008 when a Minnesota hospital was supposed to remove a patient's cancerous kidney -- but instead removed the healthy kidney, leaving the diseased one in the patient's body.
The hospital, Park Nicollet Health Services said the "tragic error" occurred because "the side of the effected kidney was incorrectly identified in the medical chart several weeks before the surgery took place."
"If that patient had had their medical records before the surgery, they could have caught this error and corrected it," deBronkart says.
'You have to be a jerk'
As her husband writhed in pain, Regina Holliday drove to the first hospital with her husband's power of attorney in hand.
"I had to get nasty. I had to say, 'You did a bad job, and I'm angry, and the second hospital is angry,' " she says. An hour-and-a-half later, she had the records in hand and took them to the second hospital, where after looking at the chart, they gave her husband more pain medication.
CNN contacted the first hospital for comment and received this reply: "HIPAA rules don't allow us to talk about a patient."
Fred Holliday died two months later from his kidney cancer at the age of 39. He was the father of two children and an assistant professor of film studies at American University in Washington.
After he died, Holliday, an artist, painted a scene on the back of a jacket depicting her husband in a hospital robe and handcuffs with the words "Data Prison" above him.
She sold the jacket to Jen McCabe, CEO of Contagion Health, who wears it to medical conferences, where she says it's attracted many comments.
"Almost everyone I talked to had a horror story about a medical error ordifficulty getting access to medical records to take to a new doctor or hospital," she says.
One of those people was Alan Viars, a CEO of a high-tech company in Baltimore, Maryland. Viars says he learned of the importance of looking at your own medical records when his father went for an annual physical last summer and his doctor told him an EKG test the year before indicated he'd had a heart attack.
He says no one had ever told his father he'd had an abnormal EKG. "His physician didn't bother to look at the result of his EKG or failed to inform my father of his condition," Viars wrote in a blog. "Unbelievable, I know, but true."
Viars' father went to a hospital near his home in West Virginia, where a cardiac catheterization showed two arteries were so severely blocked he needed open heart surgery. Online, Viars found another hospital with better success rates for bypass surgery, and arranged to have his father transferred there.
His sister, Leslie Cryster, tried to get their father's medical records. In particular, she wanted a copy of a CD showing the results of his cardiac catheterization, an invasive procedure where a tube is inserted through an artery to the heart. Cryster, a nurse anesthetist, knew that if the CD didn't get to the next hospital, they'd have to do procedure, which has risks, all over again.
"We started with the nursing staff and they said, 'We don't normally give patients their records,' " she says. "Then I talked to a clerk at the hospital, who told me I had to go to an offsite storage facility to get the records. Then that facility told me I had to ask the hospital."
Finally, Cryster talked to someone else at the hospital and threatened to call her sister-in-law, who's an attorney. After talking it over with a cardiologist, she received her father's records, and he had his bypass surgery a few days later at the second hospital.
"I hate to think that I threatened to call an attorney, but I did. I hate to think that's what it takes to get somebody to listen to you, but I feel like that's what it takes," she says.
'It's your data'
To make sure you get your medical records, follow these tips.
1. Know your rights
The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which governs access to medical records, gives hospitals and doctors 30 days to respond to a request for medical records, although some state laws provide for a shorter time frame, and in urgent situations, such as a transfer to another hospital, it's customary for hospitals to move more quickly.
Be prepared to make your request in writing, McCabe says. You can bring it in person, or fax the request in, but make sure you confirm that the hospital's received it.
One way to get your medical records more quickly is to seek out providers who use electronic medical records so the records can be e-mailed to you, she says. Some providers have an electronic portal so you can read your records anytime you want on a secure site on the Internet.
2. Get the new hospital or doctor to help you
Lietz says if you need your records because you're switching hospitals or doctors, ask the new office to make the records request.
"Have the provider make the request," she says. "To be honest, it's going to be faster."
3. Remember the limits of the law
Your doctor doesn't have to give you access to everything in your record. For example, your doctor doesn't have to give you access to information he or she thinks might cause you or someone else substantial harm, says the senior health information privacy specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Some states allow even more information to be kept from a patient. For example, the New York Department of Health Web site says doctors may deny you access to "personal notes and observations" they've made in your record.
4. Get angry
"Sadly, you might have to get angry in order to gain access to your medical records," Viars wrote in his blog. "Don't let them tell you no. It's your data."
5. File a complaint
If you have trouble getting access, you can file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com and let us "Uncomplexify your Information Tecnology"
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu Data Domain, EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, HDS, IBM, Commvault, Xiotech and HP.
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include BC DR planning Replication De-Dup De-Dupe iSCSI SAN NAS VMware Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC NetApp HP IBM Quantum Compliance VTL Data Domain vs Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO Network Backup appliance Data Recovery Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health record P4P rules and the HITECH Act PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare IT Medical Records EHREHR Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records, practice management systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals, clinical education and medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics, Computer-based, SOAP, HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-prescribing, eprescribing, athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor, healthcare performance management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID, SureScripts, FNC, billing, superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-clinicalworks greenway emds nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft Healthvault Health Internet certified "meaningful use"
Steps to Finding the "Right" EHR for your Practice - January 15, 2010
Orlando Florida -- While industry and the government continue their dance around the “meaningful use” rules — it’s too
hard, too soft, insecure, etc.) thousands of clinics, hospitals and small medical practices still face the hard question.
You need something installed and proving its value by October 1 of next year or no 2011 stimulus check. You’re being pressed for a
decision by vendors, your accountant and the government. What you should be looking for?
I don’t have a pat answer for you. Instead, I have a checklist, based on interviews conducted over the last year, of some things you need to ask about.
1. CCRs in English — A Continuity of Care Record (or Continuity of Care Document) is what you will be handing each patient when
they leave you after all this is done. The document will mainly be prepared by your EHR software, based on inputs you give it while the patient is with you. It’s not too much to ask that these documents be written in English, simple English a patient can understand, not medical gobbledygook.
2. Interoperability — Your state, city, or region is going to build an exchange for health records. What standards will it be using, and will the data you generate from your EHR be compatible, so you can send records to a hospital or get records from a specialist? No waffling — yes or no.
3. Security — Not just passwords, or encryption, or even audit trails. You need to be able to perform a risk assessment on your system — or have someone else do it — at any time. You need procedures that your own people understand for this process.
4. On-site training — Everyone on your staff needs to not only learn how to use this stuff (you included), but know they can get support, in English, whenever they need it. This is a question best answered by talking to other customers. Get references. Buy those references a drink, or three. Get the straight poop on this, because it’s key.
5. Commitment — Maybe this won’t work. Any IT engagement starts as just that. It may become a marriage with time, maybe a dysfunctional one. But you need to know how you can get out of it before you go into it. Try before you buy works for me. Note that in this list I didn’t talk about speeds and feeds. I didn’t talk about operating systems, or your client devices (ooh — a tablet! An iPhone!). I didn’t talk about open source vs. proprietary, or even whether you should be buying gear or using Software as a Service (SaaS).
You need to look at this decision strictly from your own point of view.
What’s in it for me? How will this drive improvements to the way I practice?
What’s in it for my patients? How will this help them understand what they need to do, and change habits?
What do I have to do, as opposed to what do I want to do? Do what you have to do for the 2011 stimulus, and the 2013-2015
wish lists will take care of themselves.
The meaningful use guidelines, on which public comment has now begun, are not telling you to buy hardware, software or services. They are telling you to get the data you need to improve your practice and your patients’ outcomes. Before you start fighting any alligators, make certain you keep that drained swamp at the top of your mind.
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution
that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you
with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources
that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can
get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan
your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time
and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services
solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple
manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu Data Domain, EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, HDS, IBM, Commvault, Xiotech and HP.
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include BC DR planning Replication De-Dup De-Dupe iSCSI SAN NAS VMware Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC
NetApp HP IBM Quantum Compliance VTL Data Domain vs Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO Network Backup appliance Data Recovery
Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health record P4P rules and the HITECH Act
PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare IT Medical Records EHREHR
Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records, practice management
systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology,
Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals, clinical education and
medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics, Computer-based, SOAP,
HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-prescribing, eprescribing,
athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor, healthcare performance
management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID, SureScripts, FNC, billing,
superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-clinicalworks greenway emds
nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft Healthvault Health Internet
certified "meaningful use"
How to Survive Your Electronic Health Records (EHR) Project - January 15, 2010
Orlando Florida -- In 2002, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles launched its new electronic physician order entry system. Three months later, 400 of the hospital’s physicians demanded the software be removed. Later reports cited poor navigation and usability and inadequate user training.
EHR (electronic health records), like any major software project, has to be implemented thoughtfully, with time planned into the schedule for user education, testing, and customization. In a hospital or physician clinic, the 24/7 nature of the operation can make it tempting to do an EHR implementation quickly and hope for minimal disruption to the staff. But an EHR project that is carefully planned with extra time allotted for testing, training, integration, and data migration will usually go more smoothly than rushed projects.
“We start with a series of planning discussions before any work starts,” says Brian J. McCarthy, president and CEO of Sencilo HealthIT Solution, an EHR consultancy. “We create a project charter, goals, objectives, [and a] list of the types of change that have to be endured, the timeline, resources, and assumptions.”
Health History
EHR systems, which include such things as electronic patient charts, physician order entry, doctor’s notes, lab results, and e-prescribing, make it much easier for doctors and other caregivers to see a patient’s health history and to more quickly get records and test results to other providers. They can also improve patient safety by red-flagging potential treatment errors. EHR will also be required software at all hospitals and physicians offices in the next five years.
But EHR also involves drastic changes in work processes, especially for physicians used to writing on paper charts. The systems involve the integration of software and data in various departments throughout the hospital, including admitting, the emergency room, and radiology, as well as with outside labs and clinics, and sometimes with regional health information exchanges. EHR systems are complex, costly, and usually time-consuming to install. According to Hypatia Research’s “ARRA and EHR: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know About the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Electronic Health Records,” the cost of EHR software and implementation services for even a small doctors office may reach about $100,000.
Successful Implementation
To better ensure a successful EHR implementation, experts at EHR software companies and consulting firms offer their advice for making the implementation process smoother.
Recruit non-IT staff. EHR systems touch every area of the hospital, not just the IT department. They also usually represent major changes in work processes for the employees, often more than with other enterprise software such as ERP and CRM. Non-IT staff should be involved throughout the project to help spot potential problems with the new workflow or screen navigation and to help with communication and training within their areas.
Workflow, then and now. Putting in a new enterprise application almost always entails changes to employees’ work processes. Hopefully, the new workflows are more efficient than the old ones, but regardless, they’re different and often unwelcome to employees. Have IT and non-IT staff identify the various workflows that will be affected and map out how they will be changed. This will help spotlight problems with the new workflow and give employees a better understanding of how the new system will work.
24-hour support. A hospital treats patients at all hours, so its EHR system has to be available around the clock as well, at least for the first two or three weeks of an implementation. However, not all software vendors expect to provide 24-hour support, so discuss it with the EHR vendor early on and work out a backup plan if need be, advises Cox. She also recommends appointing a triage coordinator to assess how well problems are being handled during the rollout. A daily change meeting to discuss changes to the implementation and any problems is also important, says Cox.
User training. User training often gets low priority, but for EHR systems in particular, user training is critical to adoption. Frustrated users will simply refuse to use the software or use it incorrectly, creating errors. Offer initial training on the product during the last couple of weeks before implementation as well as early in the rollout. To make training more convenient and ensure people retain what they’ve learned, provide multiple types of training, including instructor-led classes, computer-based training via the Web or a CD, and hands-on practice. “Pre-training, post-training, refresher training . . . It’s impossible to train too much,” says Paul O’Toole, senior vice president of operations for Healthland (www.healthland.com), an EHR software maker.
O’Toole recommends getting a group of super users trained on the system early in the process to ensure there are plenty of helpers available to help users navigate the system when it goes live. “They’re the ones that will be hand-in-hand with the docs, making sure they’re comfortable with the EHR,” he says.
Testing. There are multiple moving parts in an EHR system that can go wrong. So testing should occur throughout the implementation as each new function or module is rolled out. O’Toole says that the integration points between different software systems inside and outside the hospital, as well as with medical devices, have to be checked carefully. “You have to make sure the data is flowing properly,” he says.
Data translation is another potential problem area that requires careful checking. After a data conversion, Pam Wostarek, regional implementation manager for EHR software company NextGen (www.nextgen.com), says she has clients do thorough data point reviews and side-by-side comparisons of charts and screens to spot discrepancies.
User acceptance testing is not only a good idea, says McCarthy, but something that should be done more than once. She recommends three cycles of user acceptance testing, with each one followed by a report on the issues the users encountered.
Governance. Any major software system requires constant maintenance after it has been deployed. But if it’s a brand new application such as EHR, there may be no existing group that is tasked with administering it, causing it to be essentially abandoned after the rollout and initial fanfare end.
“One of the biggest mistakes is leaving the product to manage itself, without any governance for how to manage the application,” says Wostarek. “Governance involves assigning committees of individuals to look at content in upcoming releases and upgrades [and] look at changes in workflow [and] at changes in the organization, and ask, ‘Do we need to change anything [in our EHR system]?’”
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu Data Domain, EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, HDS, IBM, Commvault, Xiotech and HP.
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include BC DR planning Replication De-Dup De-Dupe iSCSI SAN NAS VMware Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC NetApp HP IBM Quantum Compliance VTL Data Domain vs Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO Network Backup appliance Data Recovery Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health record P4P rules and the HITECH Act PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare IT Medical Records EHREHR Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records, practice management systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals, clinical education and medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics, Computer-based, SOAP, HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-prescribing, eprescribing, athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor, healthcare performance management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID, SureScripts, FNC, billing, superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-clinicalworks greenway emds nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft Healthvault Health Internet certified "meaningful use"
Complying with HITECH Act of 2009 for Data Security - January 15, 2010
Orlando Florida -- As of February 17, all business associates (BAs) must comply with the HIPAA security rule and parts of the privacy rule or face stiff penalties.
It's time to do a last-minute check to make sure they are.
Know your BAs. Most importantly, double-check your list of BAs, says Brian McCarthy CISSP, CISM, and President of Sencilo HealthIT solutions, LLC in Lake Mary Florida.
Make sure that anyone who could qualify as a BA has been accurately identified as a BA. For example, your organization may not realize that that a consultant that has access to personal health information (PHI) actually qualifies.
Make sure organizations you have identified as BAs actually are, says Frank Ruelas, director of compliance and risk management at Maryvale Hospital and principal of HIPAA Boot Camp in Casa Grande, AZ.
In the early days of HIPAA, many organizations decided to err on the side of caution and made pretty much everyone sign a BA contract, says Ruelas. But that decision may come back to haunt them with this new compliance date pending.
Gauge your BAs' readiness. The next item on your last-minute checklist is to make sure that your BAs know that they are expected to comply with these regulations. Some organizations, even this late in the game, might not even know that they are required to be HIPAA compliant, says Ruelas.
Don't just ask your BA if they are HIPAA compliant, ask them specific questions to gauge their readiness, such as how they will handle specific scenarios, says Borten. Some BAs also may not understand the full extent of what they are now required to do, says Ruelas. For example, they might know they have new breach notification requirements, but are unaware of their other responsibilities, says Ruelas.
Make sure your BA contract language is up to date. Once you've checked up on your BAs, make sure you have legal contracts that include all the language required by the privacy and security rules and HITECH Act.
Put expectations in writing. For example, make sure that the covered entity and BA agree on action parameters when a breach is discovered. Spell out in the contract how long the BA has to report a breach to your organization once it is discovered.
Requiring that rapid notification will ensure that you are being notified in a timely manner and also that you can work with the BA to determine the cause and fallout from the breach by the time you are required by federal law to report it, he says.
Brace for contract updates. Be prepared to update the contract next month when the government is expected to release new breach notification guidance. Many hope that this guidance will clear up some lingering questions related to how elements of the HITECH Act should be incorporated into BA agreements.
Hire an attorney who knows HIPAA. If you are hiring, look for an attorney who specializes in HIPAA to review your BA contracts. Borten says she's seen many a competent attorney include contract provisions that were not HIPAA compliant simply because the rule is complex and requires someone with specialized knowledge to interpret and apply it correctly.
Beware of subcontractors. Include language regarding subcontractors. Know to whom your BAs subcontract work and stay informed on these arrangements, says Borten. Consider requiring the organization to notify you if they are using a subcontractor, particularly one that is offshore. Some organizations go so far as to prohibit BAs from subcontracting work offshore, says Borten.
Don't view BAs as adversaries. "Covered entities and BAs have been partners for years; it is not something that has to cause a divide," says Ruelas. If your BAs need help becoming compliant, help them along. Your organization likely spent a lot of time getting up to speed on HIPAA. Save your BAs some of that work by sharing with them what you've already done.
"It really serves no purpose to say to them figure it out yourself," says Ruelas. Set aside a day and have them come in and talk to your designated privacy officer or security officer.
"You're helping each other out. It is a symbiotic relationship," says Ruelas.
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu Data Domain, EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, HDS, IBM, Commvault, Xiotech and HP.
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include BC DR planning Replication De-Dup De-Dupe iSCSI SAN NAS VMware Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC NetApp HP IBM Quantum Compliance VTL Data Domain vs Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO Network Backup appliance Data Recovery Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health record P4P rules and the HITECH Act PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare IT Medical Records EHREHR Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records, practice management systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals, clinical education and medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics, Computer-based, SOAP, HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-prescribing, eprescribing, athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor, healthcare performance management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID, SureScripts, FNC, billing, superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-clinicalworks greenway emds nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft Healthvault Health Internet certified "meaningful use"
What you Do Not Know about Healthcare IT and Meaningful Use Will Cost you Dearly - Part Two - January 11, 2010
Orlando Florida -- The massive new federal rule issued last week by the CMS has been getting most of the attention in the healthcare information technology community because it sets the meaningful-use criteria healthcare providers must meet to leverage billions of dollars in federal subsidies to purchase electronic health-record systems under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, known as the stimulus law.
Still, a smaller, companion rule also released on the same day by the Office of the National Coordinator at HHS packs a lot of IT wallop.
The stimulus law requires the national coordinator, in consultation with the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to “keep or recognize a program or programs for the voluntary certification of health IT as being in compliance with applicable certification criteria adopted” by HHS. And, according to ONC rule writers, HHS is obliged under the stimulus law to adopt standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria that will “enhance the interoperability, functionality, utility and security of health information technology.”
This same set of standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria were mandated by law to be produced by HHS before the end of 2009. The ONC beat the deadline with a day to spare, releasing them in a 136-page “interim final rule” on Dec. 30, 2009.
The ONC rule isn't expected to be officially published in the Federal Register until Jan. 13. It becomes effective 30 days after that. Public comments, however, will be accepted on the ONC rulemakers' handiwork for 60 days after official publication.
Here's how the CMS and the ONC rules are intertwined.
While providers must “meaningfully use” their subsidized EHRs, the systems themselves have to be “qualified” under a definition in the stimulus law and “certified” against criteria established through federal rulemaking by a certification organization “recognized” by the ONC.
Yet even after nearly 700 pages of new rules, another ONC rulemaking will be required. It will cover how certification bodies are recognized by the ONC.
“There will be a certification process,” ONC head David Blumenthal said during a public question-and-answer session when the two rules by the CMS and the ONC were released. The certification process “will be the subject of a second (ONC) rule which we hope to issue shortly. That will make clear how the process of certification will proceed.” That process will include how the ONC will go about vetting and “recognizing” an organization, or organizations, to do the testing and certification of EHR systems to meet the standards in the new rules.
ONC rulemakers noted there is nothing new about HHS anointing EHR certification organizations.
In 2006, CMS promulgated rules for an exception to the Stark law prohibition against hospitals compensating physicians in return for patient referrals.
Simultaneously, HHS' inspector general's office produced a waiver of the federal anti-kickback statute. Both the exemption and the waiver applied if a hospital, following the new guidelines, subsidized the cost of an EHR for an affiliated physician. The 2006 guidelines required that to qualify for the waivers, hospitals must provide an EHR that had been certified as “interoperable” by a certifying body “recognized” by the HHS secretary, says Brian J. McCarthy CEO of Sencilo HealthIT Solutions of Lake Mary, FL and known author on the subject of Meaningful Use.
For more information please call (407) 641-5199 or visit us at: http://www.sencilo.com let us "uncomplexify your Health Information Technology."
Why Sencilo HealthIT Solutions
When it comes to your healthcare computing needs, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions's main objective is to provide a turnkey solution that can essentially sustain itself. When you choose Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you don't just gain a vendor who provides you with technology. You get a business partner who walks with you through every step of the process
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture: More than technology
With Sencilo HealthIT Solutions eHealthcare Architecture, you can leverage the same productivity tools and technology resources that have transformed business. And you get a full portfolio of services too. By working with Sencilo HealthIT Solutions, you can get:
A dedicated customer team
A website customized for your institution
A full portfolio of robust solutions
Easy setup, implementation and maintenance
Simple ordering and delivery
Technology training
Flexible financing options
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services makes it easy
In addition to providing high-quality technology at a low cost, Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services can help you plan your healthcare computing from the ground up. By working with you from the initial construction phases, we can help you save time and money ÂÂand lead to a truly customized solution.
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions Professional Services offers complete services that include:
Design
Procurement
Installation
Training
Maintenance
Support
About Us
Sencilo HealthIT Solutions is a Florida-based integrator specializing in EHR Cost Cutting storage, security and managed services solutions. Sencilo delivers a comprehensive portfolio of products from best-of-breed hardware and software from multiple manufacturers including Allscripts, VMware, Dell Fujitsu Data Domain, EMC, Hitachi, Symantec, HDS, IBM, Commvault, Xiotech and HP.
Sencilo has offices throughout Florida including: Orlando Lake Mary Daytona, Medical City
solutions include BC DR planning Replication De-Dup De-Dupe iSCSI SAN NAS VMware Security "meaningful use" "meaningful usage" EMC NetApp HP IBM Quantum Compliance VTL Data Domain vs Gartner Magic Quadrant Quadrent LTO Network Backup appliance Data Recovery Backup Health IT Healthcare IT Digital Hospital Allscripts Patient Data electronic health record P4P rules and the HITECH Act PayerView Rankings practice management tools $44,000 in Medicare or $66,000 in Medicaid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, NextGen, GE Centricity, and Meditech Electronic Healthcare IT Medical Records EHREHR Clinical Practices eClinicalWorks Allscripts Florida EMR, EHR, electronic medical record, health, records, practice management systems solutions, medication services, PHR Otolaryngology, Orthopaedics, Pain Nuerosurgery, Urology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Billing, Appointment Scheduling, clinicalworks, eClinicalWorks, solutions for physicians, hospitals, clinical education and medical services Computerized Patient CPR, Order Entry, CPOE, Document Clinical Information Informatics, Computer-based, SOAP, HIT, Healthcare Encounter Forms, web based, online, clinical rules database, electronic prescribing, e-prescribing, eprescribing, athenaClinicals, certified EMR, certified EHR, HITECH Act VAR Reseller Dealer hipaa privacy doctor, healthcare performance management, data security, hosting, arra, free, InterFAX, MyWay, HIPPA, EasyPayMedicare, MedicAID, SureScripts, FNC, billing, superbill iMedica Tiger on Windows, eprescribe pqri simple practice management revenue cycle e-cw e-clinicalworks greenway emds nextgen ge sage athena epic klas Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition Google Health, Microsoft Healthvault Health Internet certified proposed “meaningful use”
