MEDICARE NEWS
From: CMS Office of Media Affairs
November 12, 2008
MEDICARE SELECTS FOUR COMPANIES WHERE BENEFICIARIES CAN
CHOOSE TO MAINTAIN THEIR OWN PERSONAL HEALTH RECORDS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced the selection of four personal health record (PHR) companies to participate in the new Medicare PHR Choice Pilot in Arizona and Utah.
This pilot program will, beginning in early 2009, offer beneficiaries with Original Medicare the opportunity to choose one of the selected PHR companies to maintain their health record information electronically.
The four selected companies are Google Health, HealthTrio, NoMoreClipboard.com, and PassportMD. These choices offer beneficiaries a range of product choices from ones that are free to ones that have “concierge” service as well as a diverse set of connections to health care providers, pharmacies, and other sources of health information.
“This pilot is a major step forward for Medicare. It will provide information and tools that will empower consumers to manage their health better,” said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. “Importantly, the pilot provides beneficiaries with a choice of products to meet their individual needs.”
PHRs are tools that can help consumers manage their health and health care services. A PHR is a record of health information that is under the control of the consumer or patient. Sometimes it only contains data entered by the individual or his or her provider, but it can also include information from a health plan – as is the case in this pilot, where Medicare will provide health information from its claims database.
A PHR, which is controlled by the consumer, is different than an electronic health record (EHR), which is owned by and under the control of the physician. A PHR may only contain data entered by the consumer or his or her health care provider.
Through this pilot beneficiaries who select one of the participating PHR vendors can add other personal health information if they choose. Medicare will also transfer up to two years of the beneficiary’s claims data into the individual’s PHR, if the beneficiary requests it.
Depending on the specific product, beneficiaries may be able to authorize links to other personal electronic information such as pharmacy data.
PHRs also may offer links to tools that help consumers manage their health such as wellness programs for tracking diet and exercise, information about drugs and medical devices, health education information, and applications to detect potential medication interactions. Beneficiaries can elect to allow family members, health care providers, or whomever they choose to have access to their PHR. This can allow caregivers to help manage loved ones health or be critical to a physician caring for you in an emergency.
Each company has privacy and security standards to protect the information transmitted and stored in their PHR records. More information on the specific security and privacy policies of each of the participating companies can be found on their websites.
CMS’ contractor, Noridian Administrative Services (NAS), led the intensely competitive selection process.
“At Medicare, we strive to find innovative ways to better serve our beneficiaries,” said CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems. “We encourage beneficiaries to consider whether a PHR is right for them. We plan to evaluate beneficiaries’ satisfaction, issues or concerns about PHRs, and whether PHRs seem to improve the health and associated costs for caring for beneficiaries as part of this pilot.”
More information about the selected companies may be found at these web links:
https://www.google.com/health
http://www.healthtrio.com/phr.html
https://www.passportmd.com/
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Joan Lunden Joins PassportMD Announces ConcierCare Service
DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Oct. 14, 2008 – PassportMD, the award-winning provider in online health record and wellness services, announced today that television personality Joan Lunden has signed a multi-year partnership with the company. The announcement comes as PassportMD launches its innovative concierge service, ConcierCare™. Ms. Lunden, a mother of seven children, will educate busy moms across America about PassportMD’s concierge service, which helps users create an online health record for family members by collecting records, digitizing images, and assisting with other health and wellness tools.
As the primary caregiver of an aging mother and best-selling health and wellness author, Ms. Lunden understands the challenges that moms in the “sandwich” generation face as they manage the health and wellness of their children and parents.
“My brother took care of our mother’s health care information,” said Ms. Lunden. “When he passed away, I had to recreate her last 10 years of doctor visits and prescriptions. It was overwhelming. PassportMD’s ConcierCare is an invaluable tool for all moms.”
Ms. Lunden will not only help to create awareness of the importance of maintaining a Personal Health Record (PHR), but she will also be involved in future product development and is an active member of PassportMD’s advisory board.
Two New Services: ConcierCare and Doctor Access
ConcierCare is the first concierge service of its kind. With one simple phone call, users are able to have a dedicated concierge collect medical records of each person the account designates, including the user’s children and parents. Health records are obtained in a HIPAA-compliant manner using encrypted channels after users provide a secure, electronic signature. Collection and population of the PHR takes approximately two weeks.
“People understand the value of having their health records accessible and organized, but find the task of collecting and uploading them incredibly daunting,” said Steven M. Hacker, MD, Founder & CEO of PassportMD, Inc. “Our ConcierCare service removes this burden and makes the process simple.”
Another important feature of the PassportMD concierge service is the Doctor Access program, which not only makes communicating with physicians easier than ever, but also has the potential to reduce medical errors. Doctor Access is invaluable before physicians make treatment decisions concerning their patient’s health. A click of the mouse allows users to invite their doctors to share and review their medical records, including diagnostic quality images.
“Creating an easy way for consumers to invite authorized doctors to view selected health information is the challenge of most PHR companies,” said Dr. Hacker. “PassportMD solves this problem.”
As the primary caregiver of an aging mother and best-selling health and wellness author, Ms. Lunden understands the challenges that moms in the “sandwich” generation face as they manage the health and wellness of their children and parents.
“My brother took care of our mother’s health care information,” said Ms. Lunden. “When he passed away, I had to recreate her last 10 years of doctor visits and prescriptions. It was overwhelming. PassportMD’s ConcierCare is an invaluable tool for all moms.”
Ms. Lunden will not only help to create awareness of the importance of maintaining a Personal Health Record (PHR), but she will also be involved in future product development and is an active member of PassportMD’s advisory board.
Two New Services: ConcierCare and Doctor Access
ConcierCare is the first concierge service of its kind. With one simple phone call, users are able to have a dedicated concierge collect medical records of each person the account designates, including the user’s children and parents. Health records are obtained in a HIPAA-compliant manner using encrypted channels after users provide a secure, electronic signature. Collection and population of the PHR takes approximately two weeks.
“People understand the value of having their health records accessible and organized, but find the task of collecting and uploading them incredibly daunting,” said Steven M. Hacker, MD, Founder & CEO of PassportMD, Inc. “Our ConcierCare service removes this burden and makes the process simple.”
Another important feature of the PassportMD concierge service is the Doctor Access program, which not only makes communicating with physicians easier than ever, but also has the potential to reduce medical errors. Doctor Access is invaluable before physicians make treatment decisions concerning their patient’s health. A click of the mouse allows users to invite their doctors to share and review their medical records, including diagnostic quality images.
“Creating an easy way for consumers to invite authorized doctors to view selected health information is the challenge of most PHR companies,” said Dr. Hacker. “PassportMD solves this problem.”
Monday, September 01, 2008
For any skeptic that doesnt believe a consumer healthcare revolution is happening
For those of you that still maintain that the traditional doctor patient relationship is not undergoing a fundamental change daily...then you are not reading your newspaper...
Everyday, there is another company or another initiative embraced by our health insurers to shift the balance of power of healthcare to the consumer.
Here are some daily snippets ....
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin recently launched it's transparency initiative by giving it's 3 million members access to Anthterm's Care Comparison, an online cost camparison tools to compare prices and number of procedurs by hopsitals for 39 eleactive and high volume expensive inpatient procedures.
Transparency is the core of the consumer's "power" in understanding healthcare..so although this comparison tool falls short of a more comprehensive cost comparison solution..it is a start.
Cigna offers Online second opinions. The Cleveland Clinic's MyConsult will be offered to Cigna's members. A nurse coordinator follows up with the person to ensure the information is understood.
Online consultations have been growing in acceptance amongst patients and physicians and provide us with evidence that the technology aspects of consumer directed healthcare are being adopted despite skeptics view to the contrary as it relates to this physician patient interaction.
Teladoc is another one of these services..but more controversial..Teladoc provides physician "consultations" for select services not all problems just simple ones..
The "minute clinic" model in retail centers is another example of moving healthcare away from the doctor and making it selective as to complexity but in a "fast food environment".
Everyday, there is another company or another initiative embraced by our health insurers to shift the balance of power of healthcare to the consumer.
Here are some daily snippets ....
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin recently launched it's transparency initiative by giving it's 3 million members access to Anthterm's Care Comparison, an online cost camparison tools to compare prices and number of procedurs by hopsitals for 39 eleactive and high volume expensive inpatient procedures.
Transparency is the core of the consumer's "power" in understanding healthcare..so although this comparison tool falls short of a more comprehensive cost comparison solution..it is a start.
Cigna offers Online second opinions. The Cleveland Clinic's MyConsult will be offered to Cigna's members. A nurse coordinator follows up with the person to ensure the information is understood.
Online consultations have been growing in acceptance amongst patients and physicians and provide us with evidence that the technology aspects of consumer directed healthcare are being adopted despite skeptics view to the contrary as it relates to this physician patient interaction.
Teladoc is another one of these services..but more controversial..Teladoc provides physician "consultations" for select services not all problems just simple ones..
The "minute clinic" model in retail centers is another example of moving healthcare away from the doctor and making it selective as to complexity but in a "fast food environment".
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The "Golden Age" of PHR's -now Medicare joins the mix
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is seeking benefiiciaries in South Carolina to participate in a pilot program to assess the benefits of using PHR's.
Consumer awareness is getting tagged from a variety of angles now...
Seniors and medicare beneficiaries through Centers for Medicare Services, Internet giants such as Google Health and Microsoft Healthvault promote this technology to Internet users, Health Insurance providers promote this to their covered lives from insurance giants such as Aetna, Cigna and United Health care health portals, and Academic institutions such as Cleveland Clinic promote it to their patients...lastly, politicians promote this safely as a bipartisan non controversial initiative...
What does this mean?
It means soon we will all know the importance of using this technology...for us that have been fighting awareness in the trenches for the last few years..this is the "golden age".
Consumer awareness is getting tagged from a variety of angles now...
Seniors and medicare beneficiaries through Centers for Medicare Services, Internet giants such as Google Health and Microsoft Healthvault promote this technology to Internet users, Health Insurance providers promote this to their covered lives from insurance giants such as Aetna, Cigna and United Health care health portals, and Academic institutions such as Cleveland Clinic promote it to their patients...lastly, politicians promote this safely as a bipartisan non controversial initiative...
What does this mean?
It means soon we will all know the importance of using this technology...for us that have been fighting awareness in the trenches for the last few years..this is the "golden age".
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
A businessman without an M.D. working in the business of medicine just wont get HIPAA, why should he?
There are times when all the business expertise in the world won’t help you get past understanding the world of medicine and doctors mentalities, concerns, neuroses and motivators..
I have been saying this for years…ever since starting PassportMD in 2004, I have had to wear two hats..one as a physician and one as a businessman…The physician in me understands HIPAA from the “get go” and runs the business in the manner consistent with a medical practice, whereas most businessman that enter the business of medicine just don’t get it…and, understandably, the lay public struggle with this as well..
It has always been my contention and position to underscore the importance of protecting individual medical data through a company like PassportMD even though the type of business we are in is technically not under HIPAA’s current authority.
It is my feeling that one should practice to the “fullest intent” of the law , and even though HIPAA did not see the burgeoning industry of personal health records..it’s intent has always remained constant, and thus, we, at PassportMD, have always followed HIPAA guidelines despite it not being mandated.
PassportMD is not alone. We practice to the fullest intent of the HIPAA mandate and so do many others..however, there are those that find this loop hole , and hide under it…Well, eventually things will catch up and curious enough … An advisory committee in a recent report to Health and Human service Secretary Micheal Leavitt, recommended expanding health data protection beyond HIPAA’s current authority. This is what I have been talking about for the last 3 years to consumers, patients, our users and our partners. Granted I have the advantage of the familiarity of working within HIPAA mandate and understanding it’s logic and intent for years in the medical field. And, hence, therein lies my point..there are distinct advantages to physicians entering, running, executing a business that are clearly above those entities being run without the physician business man…The “medical advisor” is not sufficient as he or she is technically there to review the validatity of medical data, reports, content but doesn’t really have the business acumen on average that those physicians that are active in business from the business side have..Okay , off tangent slightly, but let me get back on point…
According to the report from the National Committe on Vital and Health Statistics, “NCVHS proposes that all organizations and individuals’ access to personal health data follow attributes of appropriate data stewardship”. The recommendations call for a long awaited “transformation” to enhanced protections for all users of health data by all users, independent of HIPAA covered entity status. I applaud that and although this is at least the third time that the committee has recommended expanding health data protection beyond HIPAA’s current authority, one of these times..it will stick. But, before then, at least as it relates to PassportMD, we will continue to exceed expectations and strive to provide the same HIPAA compliance that the covered entities must follow.
I have been saying this for years…ever since starting PassportMD in 2004, I have had to wear two hats..one as a physician and one as a businessman…The physician in me understands HIPAA from the “get go” and runs the business in the manner consistent with a medical practice, whereas most businessman that enter the business of medicine just don’t get it…and, understandably, the lay public struggle with this as well..
It has always been my contention and position to underscore the importance of protecting individual medical data through a company like PassportMD even though the type of business we are in is technically not under HIPAA’s current authority.
It is my feeling that one should practice to the “fullest intent” of the law , and even though HIPAA did not see the burgeoning industry of personal health records..it’s intent has always remained constant, and thus, we, at PassportMD, have always followed HIPAA guidelines despite it not being mandated.
PassportMD is not alone. We practice to the fullest intent of the HIPAA mandate and so do many others..however, there are those that find this loop hole , and hide under it…Well, eventually things will catch up and curious enough … An advisory committee in a recent report to Health and Human service Secretary Micheal Leavitt, recommended expanding health data protection beyond HIPAA’s current authority. This is what I have been talking about for the last 3 years to consumers, patients, our users and our partners. Granted I have the advantage of the familiarity of working within HIPAA mandate and understanding it’s logic and intent for years in the medical field. And, hence, therein lies my point..there are distinct advantages to physicians entering, running, executing a business that are clearly above those entities being run without the physician business man…The “medical advisor” is not sufficient as he or she is technically there to review the validatity of medical data, reports, content but doesn’t really have the business acumen on average that those physicians that are active in business from the business side have..Okay , off tangent slightly, but let me get back on point…
According to the report from the National Committe on Vital and Health Statistics, “NCVHS proposes that all organizations and individuals’ access to personal health data follow attributes of appropriate data stewardship”. The recommendations call for a long awaited “transformation” to enhanced protections for all users of health data by all users, independent of HIPAA covered entity status. I applaud that and although this is at least the third time that the committee has recommended expanding health data protection beyond HIPAA’s current authority, one of these times..it will stick. But, before then, at least as it relates to PassportMD, we will continue to exceed expectations and strive to provide the same HIPAA compliance that the covered entities must follow.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Being part of the HIMSS Show 2008
Well, I was definitely surprised. Initially, expecting just a relatively "mild mannered" trade show with computer geeks (like myself), and healthcare technophobes...I found that I was walking through a surreal convention...the world of healthcare technology and big business have clearly met, engaged, and seem to be walking hand in hand in marital bliss...
All I could think of was Comdex and Las Vegas..this show, HIMSS 2008, is clearly much bigger than ever before, it is over the top in fact... The exhibit booths and display of marketing muscle in terms of investment in presence is unprecedented...
I have seen many trade shows in my 20 years of medicine and business and I was blown away by the 2 and 3 story exhibits...Anyone who is anyone was an exhibitor..if you werent at HIMSS this year , you do not exist...
PassportMD was there and generated a significant amount of buzz....we had tremendous traffic and interest in what we are doing in the consumer directed healthcare space...
It was a very exciting event for us and for all those that participated...
Now, for the real news...
Microsoft Healthvault and Google Health ( http://www.healthvault.com/ and ttp://www.google.com/ig?hl=en) were both there...Contrary to popular opinion, I am in favor of Microsoft and Google's presence in the healthcare IT world...Although many privacy advocacy groups and other competitors, editors, journalists, healthcare veterans differ , I believe that their presence is critical to bringing up everyone's ultimate benefits and interoperability...I am impressed by Microsoft and Google's committment to working with other vendors such as PassportMD, and both are committed to privacy and security. I do not believe that Google or Microsoft are going to shy away from providing the very best in options for forwarding the cause of personal health records and to do it in a manner that is admirable...So, Cudos to Microsoft's Healthvault and to Google's Google Health...
I guess the only concern I would have is their vast underestimation of the significance of the problem of today's healthcare situation , their potential lack of understanding and their risk for arrogance and naivete as they enter this market...simply stated, it is not like entering the software or the Internet search market as they did over the last few decades..there are a number of stakeholders and their are real life critical health issues that need to be considered...I am hoping that PassportMD can help as can the myriads of other vendors that can provide some value and perspective to this massive undertaking ...
It is indeed a very exciting time to be in healthcare IT.
All I could think of was Comdex and Las Vegas..this show, HIMSS 2008, is clearly much bigger than ever before, it is over the top in fact... The exhibit booths and display of marketing muscle in terms of investment in presence is unprecedented...
I have seen many trade shows in my 20 years of medicine and business and I was blown away by the 2 and 3 story exhibits...Anyone who is anyone was an exhibitor..if you werent at HIMSS this year , you do not exist...
PassportMD was there and generated a significant amount of buzz....we had tremendous traffic and interest in what we are doing in the consumer directed healthcare space...
It was a very exciting event for us and for all those that participated...
Now, for the real news...
Microsoft Healthvault and Google Health ( http://www.healthvault.com/ and ttp://www.google.com/ig?hl=en) were both there...Contrary to popular opinion, I am in favor of Microsoft and Google's presence in the healthcare IT world...Although many privacy advocacy groups and other competitors, editors, journalists, healthcare veterans differ , I believe that their presence is critical to bringing up everyone's ultimate benefits and interoperability...I am impressed by Microsoft and Google's committment to working with other vendors such as PassportMD, and both are committed to privacy and security. I do not believe that Google or Microsoft are going to shy away from providing the very best in options for forwarding the cause of personal health records and to do it in a manner that is admirable...So, Cudos to Microsoft's Healthvault and to Google's Google Health...
I guess the only concern I would have is their vast underestimation of the significance of the problem of today's healthcare situation , their potential lack of understanding and their risk for arrogance and naivete as they enter this market...simply stated, it is not like entering the software or the Internet search market as they did over the last few decades..there are a number of stakeholders and their are real life critical health issues that need to be considered...I am hoping that PassportMD can help as can the myriads of other vendors that can provide some value and perspective to this massive undertaking ...
It is indeed a very exciting time to be in healthcare IT.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
long awaited HL 7 model to be released
Ever since the HL7 EHR technical committee formed the PHR working group in Feb 2005 ( 3years ago!) , the medical IT world has anxiously awaited their recs..it is interesting that the market and industry sped right past the committee, developing projects and initiatives and not waiting for adopted defined standards. The committee must have watched all of this happen at lightening speed and somehow hoped they would get these out as soon as possible. If they waited much longer..who knows.., the market would have reached the same complete chaos that the EMR market created for itself with development of many independent projects with no interoperability standards. Emr's are now struggling to retrofit to defined standards that should have been implemented 15 years ago. Anyways, finally, it is here..
Health level seven (HL7), has approved the Personal Health Record systme functional model (PHR-S FM) as a draft standard for trial use (DSTU).
I applaud the approval and intent, but wonder "what took so long?"
The PHR-S FM is not a fully American National Standards Institute accredited standard and this will take up to 2 more years to be revised from a draft to a standard...this will most likely be the first industry standard to specify functionality for PHR systems.
Clearly there are stakeholders that are involved and now pushing this initiative "front and center", hopefully the "stakeholders" are not competing for commercial profits but rather for consumer benefits, privacy and rights...
Health level seven (HL7), has approved the Personal Health Record systme functional model (PHR-S FM) as a draft standard for trial use (DSTU).
I applaud the approval and intent, but wonder "what took so long?"
The PHR-S FM is not a fully American National Standards Institute accredited standard and this will take up to 2 more years to be revised from a draft to a standard...this will most likely be the first industry standard to specify functionality for PHR systems.
Clearly there are stakeholders that are involved and now pushing this initiative "front and center", hopefully the "stakeholders" are not competing for commercial profits but rather for consumer benefits, privacy and rights...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Next Generation Healthcare
I am often asked, "What types of new IT products and services are going to be developed to meet the emerging needs of healthcare consumers, payors and providers?"
The short answer is...much simpler than what we have today. The long answer..well, that could take years, scientists, experts, and ridiculous pontificators like myself...but , here goes,
1. New telecommunications including broader use of satellites for a more robust, faster , real time communication.
2. Standardization of data , data query , and data sharing
3. Interoperability and work flow tools to enable real time seamless interface between payor, provider and consumer.
4. Imaging improvements with miniaturization of file burdens including adaptations and modifications of DICOM, non DICOM, pdf healthcare
5. Financial cross platform security protocols, shared risk programs, patient centric usability and information management solutions.
6. tools that take transparency to ROI for patients.
7. tools that take transparency to ROI for providers and payors.
8. Technology that assists with workflow mangement solutions
9. Proactive preventive healthcare solutions that transfer to consumer and provider ROI
10. Integration of standards, P4P, workflow and information management into real time processes.
The short answer is...much simpler than what we have today. The long answer..well, that could take years, scientists, experts, and ridiculous pontificators like myself...but , here goes,
1. New telecommunications including broader use of satellites for a more robust, faster , real time communication.
2. Standardization of data , data query , and data sharing
3. Interoperability and work flow tools to enable real time seamless interface between payor, provider and consumer.
4. Imaging improvements with miniaturization of file burdens including adaptations and modifications of DICOM, non DICOM, pdf healthcare
5. Financial cross platform security protocols, shared risk programs, patient centric usability and information management solutions.
6. tools that take transparency to ROI for patients.
7. tools that take transparency to ROI for providers and payors.
8. Technology that assists with workflow mangement solutions
9. Proactive preventive healthcare solutions that transfer to consumer and provider ROI
10. Integration of standards, P4P, workflow and information management into real time processes.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Future of medicine in the hands of your bank
I am a believer, maybe a visionary, but mostly a pragmatist.
I do see the writing on the wall and it is not hieroglypics…it is the closest thing we have to a market driven solution to healthcare and healthcare technology. William Yasnoff, previously senior advisor in the Dept of Health and Human services is spot on… “If getting an EMR was profitable for doctors, they would all have them” and “Asking docs to pay for something that benefits others will not work”
Further he believes that banks can pay physicians to embrace EMRs….He has proposed several models for financing this…some I don’t necessarily see happening ..
But, here are the reasons why I see this shift inevitably happening…
1. Consumer buy in is easier with banks given that consumers already share their personal information with banks
2. Banks have incentive to provide consumers and physicians these services.
3. Banks have the infrastructure to provide most of the security back bone as well as the access technology backbone to implement this.
4. Consumers already understand how to use online banking for financial purposes…now consumers would just use online banking to transact information rather than money.
So, be aware, as banks and health insurance and health IT converge as a result of natural market forces, (the best type of convergence) to ultimately service the consumer, the physician and to compete in the healthcare IT world…..
I do see the writing on the wall and it is not hieroglypics…it is the closest thing we have to a market driven solution to healthcare and healthcare technology. William Yasnoff, previously senior advisor in the Dept of Health and Human services is spot on… “If getting an EMR was profitable for doctors, they would all have them” and “Asking docs to pay for something that benefits others will not work”
Further he believes that banks can pay physicians to embrace EMRs….He has proposed several models for financing this…some I don’t necessarily see happening ..
But, here are the reasons why I see this shift inevitably happening…
1. Consumer buy in is easier with banks given that consumers already share their personal information with banks
2. Banks have incentive to provide consumers and physicians these services.
3. Banks have the infrastructure to provide most of the security back bone as well as the access technology backbone to implement this.
4. Consumers already understand how to use online banking for financial purposes…now consumers would just use online banking to transact information rather than money.
So, be aware, as banks and health insurance and health IT converge as a result of natural market forces, (the best type of convergence) to ultimately service the consumer, the physician and to compete in the healthcare IT world…..
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Healthcare Technologist's Happy New Year Poem
Twas the night before New Years
And all through the house
Each PC was sleeping including the mouse
And all of the Acronyms,
Lined up through the hall
PHR, EHR, and HIPAA,
Adoption so small.
Healthcare Companies clamoring,
Come one, and come all
Microsoft battles Google,
Steve's Revolution yet crawls.
WEBMD is King
With the most monthly visits,
As competition heats up
Draws away all the people
Including the cynics.
DOSSIA was floundering,
Nearing it’s death
Reinvestment, a lawsuit,
Phrs as an HR benefit
is given new breath.
Consumer Directed,
consumer this and that,
Consumers need money,
Emrs and phrs
Second at bat.
MDVIP and concierge medicine is sprouting,
Discharged uninsured families and children,
without their doctors are left pouting.
Minute Clinics vs. AMA
in a battle of turfs,
Reminds me of court
held by the smurfs.
In the end ,
the new year will inevitably bring,
the promise of better healthcare,
But realistically,
wont change a thing.
And all through the house
Each PC was sleeping including the mouse
And all of the Acronyms,
Lined up through the hall
PHR, EHR, and HIPAA,
Adoption so small.
Healthcare Companies clamoring,
Come one, and come all
Microsoft battles Google,
Steve's Revolution yet crawls.
WEBMD is King
With the most monthly visits,
As competition heats up
Draws away all the people
Including the cynics.
DOSSIA was floundering,
Nearing it’s death
Reinvestment, a lawsuit,
Phrs as an HR benefit
is given new breath.
Consumer Directed,
consumer this and that,
Consumers need money,
Emrs and phrs
Second at bat.
MDVIP and concierge medicine is sprouting,
Discharged uninsured families and children,
without their doctors are left pouting.
Minute Clinics vs. AMA
in a battle of turfs,
Reminds me of court
held by the smurfs.
In the end ,
the new year will inevitably bring,
the promise of better healthcare,
But realistically,
wont change a thing.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
PDF Healthcare
PDF is a file format that can be used to send or receive information during the process of the health information exchange. In other words , PDF's are being used in healthcare as "capsules" or "containers" to include or attach images or information for sending or receiving purposes. The PDF Healthcare Best Practices Guide is a result of the a working group, co chaired by INtel and Adobe that has decided to submit PDF Healthcare to the ASTM (American Society fo Testing and Materials International and the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM)for balloting to demonstrate that it's compatible with CCR (Continuity of Care Record as proposed by ASTM and Health Level Seven's Clinical Document Architecture (CDA).
The best practices guide is tailored to the healthcare industry and describes use of fonts, metadata, security and the way PDF is used. It is generally agreed that PDF is a format this is very consistent with the ultimate goals of standardization. Additionally, security can be enhanced with PDF by embedding paswords and permissions on the dcoument.
Clearly, the advantages are: familiarity, and also that PDF uses XML (extensible markup language) standards, so that you can incorporate xml data into and as a standardized data set within the PDF. So, as a result, it is now being developed and proposed to put the CCR XML inside of a pdf . Thus the pdf can either be printed off in the event the end user does not have EMR (electronic medical records) or if they do have EMR, the emr can extact the CCR XML data to populate the EMR.
This can be used for PHR's and EMR's.
The best practices guide is tailored to the healthcare industry and describes use of fonts, metadata, security and the way PDF is used. It is generally agreed that PDF is a format this is very consistent with the ultimate goals of standardization. Additionally, security can be enhanced with PDF by embedding paswords and permissions on the dcoument.
Clearly, the advantages are: familiarity, and also that PDF uses XML (extensible markup language) standards, so that you can incorporate xml data into and as a standardized data set within the PDF. So, as a result, it is now being developed and proposed to put the CCR XML inside of a pdf . Thus the pdf can either be printed off in the event the end user does not have EMR (electronic medical records) or if they do have EMR, the emr can extact the CCR XML data to populate the EMR.
This can be used for PHR's and EMR's.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Consumer Directed Healthcare, Continues to Grow
Having been in medicine since I was 17 (over 25 years), I have heard all the talks about how healthcare needs to be fixed. I have been on all sides, patient, provider, and healthcare executive, but nothing is as compelling to me as the consumer directed healthcare movement. I believe it is here to stay (or at least until something better comes along), but, it is the closest concept that I have seen to helping "fix" a broken healthcare system. In short, give the consumer control to decide where and how he spends his healthcare dollar, give him transparence and information, educate him. For whatever the many reasons, medicine and the business of medicine for the last century has been unlike any other market or industry. You basically went to the doctor and didnt care what it cost as insurance covered you..so you had no incentive to do your "due diligence", with consumer directed heatlhcare it is different, and you, the consumer , have incentives to understand where best to receive care, how much to pay, how to prevent, educate , and inform. Your incentive....savings.. The more you save on your healthcare annually the more you save...thus, 87% of healthcare savings accounts roll over..and if you are in an eligible plan, you can use your savings after age 65 just as another retirement account. It makes sense.
It makes so much sense it is bipartisan swinging from Hiliary to Newt. Consumer directed healthcare plans are now growing 7-8% annually and it is predicted by 2010 that 27% of all insurance plans will be a derivative of this. Minute clinic is a fall out of this as is MDVIP (concierge boutique medicine) though on 2 different ends of the spectra. An industry is burgeoning with solutions to help the consumer execute, understand, educate and more...Doctors on Demand is an offshoot of this as well...
I support it...give the consumer control, intelligence and let the natural market forces that affect every other industry or sector, that we consumers participate in...naturally correct the inefficiences..I do think we are on the right track.
It makes so much sense it is bipartisan swinging from Hiliary to Newt. Consumer directed healthcare plans are now growing 7-8% annually and it is predicted by 2010 that 27% of all insurance plans will be a derivative of this. Minute clinic is a fall out of this as is MDVIP (concierge boutique medicine) though on 2 different ends of the spectra. An industry is burgeoning with solutions to help the consumer execute, understand, educate and more...Doctors on Demand is an offshoot of this as well...
I support it...give the consumer control, intelligence and let the natural market forces that affect every other industry or sector, that we consumers participate in...naturally correct the inefficiences..I do think we are on the right track.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
RFID Implant cancer questions concerns patients
In the News Update: RFID implant cancer questions concern patients
News that radio frequency identification (RFID) implants could pose dangerous health risks -- even cancer -- has the healthcare and personal health records (PHR) industries wondering how to provide medical professionals with vital patient health records in case of emergency.
A simple, free and non-invasive alternative already exists. Consumers can use Web-based services, CD-ROMs and simple paper-products designed to hold critical data that can be easily accessed or carried, said Steven M. Hacker, M.D., founder and CEO of PassportMD Inc., a leader in consumer-managed healthcare products.
"It's a twist George Orwell couldn't have imagined -- that some 'big brother' computer chip injected under the skin may jeopardize your health," Hacker said. "Products like PassportMD provide a safe, secure and non-invasive alternative. It's free and the information is immediately accessible without access to a phone or Internet connection."
Glass-encapsulated RFID transponders from companies like VeriChip are implanted under the skin. A special scanner must be used to reveal a 16-digit code that's then entered into a Web database to retrieve the patient's medical information. Earlier this month, it was reported that some lab animals implanted with chips developed cancer and sarcoma. Other possible adverse effects include tissue reactions, migration of the implanted chip, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) incompatibility, electrical hazards, infection and even compromised information security. Already used to identify lost pets, some 2,000 people worldwide have RFID chips implanted for PHR applications.
Products like PassportMD.com provide safe and secure access to patient records. Subscribers can create a free personal health record by following a simple, 10-step tutorial. The PHR can be printed on a wallet-sized card or can be accessed anytime through a password-protected Website. Unlike chip-based solutions, PassportMD allows subscribers to store, access and print living wills or advance medical directives. By upgrading to the premium service, subscribers can use PassportMD's unique "Doctors Notes on Demand" service that lets consumers easily request, receive, store, print and access their doctors chart notes.
"Life-saving access to personal health records should be the solution to a medical problem -- not the cause of one," said Mitch Bernatsky, President of PassportMD, Inc.
http://www.passportmd.com/
News that radio frequency identification (RFID) implants could pose dangerous health risks -- even cancer -- has the healthcare and personal health records (PHR) industries wondering how to provide medical professionals with vital patient health records in case of emergency.
A simple, free and non-invasive alternative already exists. Consumers can use Web-based services, CD-ROMs and simple paper-products designed to hold critical data that can be easily accessed or carried, said Steven M. Hacker, M.D., founder and CEO of PassportMD Inc., a leader in consumer-managed healthcare products.
"It's a twist George Orwell couldn't have imagined -- that some 'big brother' computer chip injected under the skin may jeopardize your health," Hacker said. "Products like PassportMD provide a safe, secure and non-invasive alternative. It's free and the information is immediately accessible without access to a phone or Internet connection."
Glass-encapsulated RFID transponders from companies like VeriChip are implanted under the skin. A special scanner must be used to reveal a 16-digit code that's then entered into a Web database to retrieve the patient's medical information. Earlier this month, it was reported that some lab animals implanted with chips developed cancer and sarcoma. Other possible adverse effects include tissue reactions, migration of the implanted chip, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) incompatibility, electrical hazards, infection and even compromised information security. Already used to identify lost pets, some 2,000 people worldwide have RFID chips implanted for PHR applications.
Products like PassportMD.com provide safe and secure access to patient records. Subscribers can create a free personal health record by following a simple, 10-step tutorial. The PHR can be printed on a wallet-sized card or can be accessed anytime through a password-protected Website. Unlike chip-based solutions, PassportMD allows subscribers to store, access and print living wills or advance medical directives. By upgrading to the premium service, subscribers can use PassportMD's unique "Doctors Notes on Demand" service that lets consumers easily request, receive, store, print and access their doctors chart notes.
"Life-saving access to personal health records should be the solution to a medical problem -- not the cause of one," said Mitch Bernatsky, President of PassportMD, Inc.
http://www.passportmd.com/
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Secure email is preferred
A recent study published in the American Journal of Managed Care… Patients with online access to an Electronic Health Records are choosing to use secure email to communicate with doctor or doctor’s office…The study showed that secure email linked to an Electronic health record.. decreased annual adult primary care outpatient visit rates by 7-10% and led to 14% fewer phone contacts..The study demonstrates that email is more convenient and efficient for both the physician and the patient for non urgent concerns..
Friday, September 07, 2007
Ben and Jerrys Aisle 5, Hot Pockets Aisle 3, Nurse Practitioner Aisle 1. A double standard for doctors that want to dispense…
Times they are a changing….
Revolution Health buys Minute Clinics to reach customer in pharmacies. Express Care and ShopRite partner to provide health care in ShopRite super markets…
It is happening everywhere…
Here is an interesting thought.
Pharmacies can employ healthcare clinics and nurse practitioners to get more customers into their pharmacy …and sell them other items as well as pharmaceuticals and “healthcare”. Pharmacies don’t get it why AMA and doctors protest … and yet is it not a double standard though..when doctors want to sell pharmaceuticals to their patients…. Here the pharmacies protest that the doctors have a conflict of interest..and should not dispense from their office…
In both scenarios..if you boil it down , it is about… a bigger piece of the pie…pharmacies want to participate in the upside of medicine under the guise of convenience and affordability for their customers… and doctors want to participate in the upside of dispensing under the guise of convenience and affordability for their patients..meanwhile they both scream "holier than thou" in their efforts to keep either one from pursuing each other… the irony..both might be providing convenience and affordability in the midst of clear conflicts of interest, self referral abuses, stark law issues…
Revolution Health buys Minute Clinics to reach customer in pharmacies. Express Care and ShopRite partner to provide health care in ShopRite super markets…
It is happening everywhere…
Here is an interesting thought.
Pharmacies can employ healthcare clinics and nurse practitioners to get more customers into their pharmacy …and sell them other items as well as pharmaceuticals and “healthcare”. Pharmacies don’t get it why AMA and doctors protest … and yet is it not a double standard though..when doctors want to sell pharmaceuticals to their patients…. Here the pharmacies protest that the doctors have a conflict of interest..and should not dispense from their office…
In both scenarios..if you boil it down , it is about… a bigger piece of the pie…pharmacies want to participate in the upside of medicine under the guise of convenience and affordability for their customers… and doctors want to participate in the upside of dispensing under the guise of convenience and affordability for their patients..meanwhile they both scream "holier than thou" in their efforts to keep either one from pursuing each other… the irony..both might be providing convenience and affordability in the midst of clear conflicts of interest, self referral abuses, stark law issues…
Friday, July 27, 2007
Another Bill, Another Day, Another Dollar
This Bill is not the one you receive in the mail from the cable company.
This is a bill introduced and has some bi-partisan support, it is called the "The Independent Health Record Trust Act, which was introduced into Congress in mid-July by Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) and on last count this week has bi-partisan support from 49 House members, aims to create independent health record trusts, or IHRTs, that would manage the electronic medical records of patients upon voluntary participation by consumers signing up for these electronic accounts." as reported by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee in InformationWeek .
I dont know about you...but most patients and people I know.. are not going to jump to give their personal medical information to the government to control. What an interesting name the bill has though... "trusts", this should conjure up images of George Orwell smirking over us.
Patrick Kennedy also introduced a bill earlier this year to incentivize doctors to adopt electronic medical records. So, our politicians are taking heed.
Unintended consequence. It does serve a greater and grander purpose ;the so called unintended consequence. This is the unintended consequence for the overall good, (not Marxist, I promise) but, educating and raising the bar on awareness of the need for people to generate their own Personal Health Record or PHR.
In the end , the PHR will be the stimulus for healthcare revolution. A revolution that will not take place until control of healthcare information and the healthcare dollar is given to the people, "the masses"...so, in my eyes, this is a good thing.
Control of your healthcare information is the "opioid of the masses", just watch.
This is a bill introduced and has some bi-partisan support, it is called the "The Independent Health Record Trust Act, which was introduced into Congress in mid-July by Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) and on last count this week has bi-partisan support from 49 House members, aims to create independent health record trusts, or IHRTs, that would manage the electronic medical records of patients upon voluntary participation by consumers signing up for these electronic accounts." as reported by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee in InformationWeek .
I dont know about you...but most patients and people I know.. are not going to jump to give their personal medical information to the government to control. What an interesting name the bill has though... "trusts", this should conjure up images of George Orwell smirking over us.
Patrick Kennedy also introduced a bill earlier this year to incentivize doctors to adopt electronic medical records. So, our politicians are taking heed.
Unintended consequence. It does serve a greater and grander purpose ;the so called unintended consequence. This is the unintended consequence for the overall good, (not Marxist, I promise) but, educating and raising the bar on awareness of the need for people to generate their own Personal Health Record or PHR.
In the end , the PHR will be the stimulus for healthcare revolution. A revolution that will not take place until control of healthcare information and the healthcare dollar is given to the people, "the masses"...so, in my eyes, this is a good thing.
Control of your healthcare information is the "opioid of the masses", just watch.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
should Doctors withhold a patient's record?
Doctor's receive requests for their patient's records every day. This is part of their practice and in fact, some doctors, have staff to just perform the function of copying and sending their notes to their patients or to the insurance companies, lawyers, or other doctors that request their notes.
Can doctors refuse to transfer or release their patient's medical records?
No, it is un ethical for a doctor to refuse to promptly respon to a valid request for a record transfer. So, if your doctor is not complying with your request, then you might want to have a discussion with him.
I think most doctors are aware of this and I am unaware of doctors that intentionally withhold their patietns medical records. It should be emphasized that most states allow for doctors to charge a reasonable fee for the work and costs associated with releasing, copying, and sending records.
Here is some shameless self promotion... webservice like PassportMD.com , makes it easy, in a Hipaa compliant fashion, to request , receive and automate the process of getting your doctors records, notes, charts , etc and store them in a centralized, secure environment that can be accessed from anywhere and printed off from anywhere.
Can doctors refuse to transfer or release their patient's medical records?
No, it is un ethical for a doctor to refuse to promptly respon to a valid request for a record transfer. So, if your doctor is not complying with your request, then you might want to have a discussion with him.
I think most doctors are aware of this and I am unaware of doctors that intentionally withhold their patietns medical records. It should be emphasized that most states allow for doctors to charge a reasonable fee for the work and costs associated with releasing, copying, and sending records.
Here is some shameless self promotion... webservice like PassportMD.com , makes it easy, in a Hipaa compliant fashion, to request , receive and automate the process of getting your doctors records, notes, charts , etc and store them in a centralized, secure environment that can be accessed from anywhere and printed off from anywhere.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
E health project that is failing, clearly a bigger Personal Health Record (PHR) is not better
When we first read about Dossia's intentions we applauded it. Now, we see the realities of multi-corporate "cooperation".
It is easy to see why large initiatives fail...widespread usage of a commodotized PHR will be inevitable , but , will probably be through slow adoption, acquisition and mergers rather than super large initiatives. Large government initiatives or large multi corporate partnerships are good in theory, but , practically speaking, precedents suggest otherwise..
Read the recent article entitled: Another E-Health Project In Disarray
Partners in initiative known as Dossia squabble over money, deliverables. Will the health industry ever get this right?
in http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201001393
and I quote "An ambitious program to provide electronic health records to more than 2.5 million people is starting to unravel, as the partners in the multimillion-dollar initiative turn to legal action against each other."
It is easy to see why large initiatives fail...widespread usage of a commodotized PHR will be inevitable , but , will probably be through slow adoption, acquisition and mergers rather than super large initiatives. Large government initiatives or large multi corporate partnerships are good in theory, but , practically speaking, precedents suggest otherwise..
Read the recent article entitled: Another E-Health Project In Disarray
Partners in initiative known as Dossia squabble over money, deliverables. Will the health industry ever get this right?
in http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201001393
and I quote "An ambitious program to provide electronic health records to more than 2.5 million people is starting to unravel, as the partners in the multimillion-dollar initiative turn to legal action against each other."
Friday, June 15, 2007
Hurricane Season is here, have you done your PHR?
As we approach the time of year that hurricanes pay us visits... all of us in geographically susceptible regions, must be thinking about preparation.
Personal health records should be atop the list of "first aid" preparation particularly the elderly.
Think about it.. a hurricane hits, your pharmacy is closed, you dont recall your medication list, interactions, dosages and more. You need to have this information accessible. If Katrina taught us anything, it was preparedness makes a difference. Several doctor's offices were closed, people could not reach their doctor's for help regarding their history. Additionally, most doctors have paper based charts, and those in the wake of Katrina, lost many of their files... This was part of the problem that was brought to the forefront of the medical community's attention. It was a precipitant to wake up and move towards an electronic patient record.
A new interesting website hosted by the American Red Cross is http://www.Safeandwell.org , this website was created to help natural disaster victims get updates on the status of family members, friends and loved ones and to potentially communicate with those involved in rescue efforts.
Is there any reason to not take the time to sign up for a phr? I dont think so, privacy perhaps is the biggest concern, but most phr's are committed to not sharing personal health data.
As you know , we have a free phr service located at http://www.PassportMD.com and although there are many others that are very good as well, I can speak to the purpose and success of PassportMD. It is free and you can print off your medication list before any natural disaster and keep it in your wallet or with you at all times.
Take a few moments to do this and to tell your friends about this, it is very important.
If you do not feel comfortable being prepared for disasters using a phr, let me know why so we can address those concerns and correct them if they are an issue with our service.
Personal health records should be atop the list of "first aid" preparation particularly the elderly.
Think about it.. a hurricane hits, your pharmacy is closed, you dont recall your medication list, interactions, dosages and more. You need to have this information accessible. If Katrina taught us anything, it was preparedness makes a difference. Several doctor's offices were closed, people could not reach their doctor's for help regarding their history. Additionally, most doctors have paper based charts, and those in the wake of Katrina, lost many of their files... This was part of the problem that was brought to the forefront of the medical community's attention. It was a precipitant to wake up and move towards an electronic patient record.
A new interesting website hosted by the American Red Cross is http://www.Safeandwell.org , this website was created to help natural disaster victims get updates on the status of family members, friends and loved ones and to potentially communicate with those involved in rescue efforts.
Is there any reason to not take the time to sign up for a phr? I dont think so, privacy perhaps is the biggest concern, but most phr's are committed to not sharing personal health data.
As you know , we have a free phr service located at http://www.PassportMD.com and although there are many others that are very good as well, I can speak to the purpose and success of PassportMD. It is free and you can print off your medication list before any natural disaster and keep it in your wallet or with you at all times.
Take a few moments to do this and to tell your friends about this, it is very important.
If you do not feel comfortable being prepared for disasters using a phr, let me know why so we can address those concerns and correct them if they are an issue with our service.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Toward Electronic Patient Records
After a decade of debate, electronic records for patients through their doctors is gaining acceptance. EMR's have arrived. I think that it is generally now a "given" about electronic records that it is no longer "if" but now is "when" will my doctor, my hospital or "myself" be a participant in the electronic and digital revolution that is encompassing all of healthcare.
I spent two days touring TEPR2007, the annual trade show for EMR vendors and came to the conclusion that there are a myriad of choices from software vendors, middleware and hardware. The paradigm shift is inevitable and in full swing. EMR's are being standardized and as a result commoditized. Bells and whistles unique to particular vendors but at the end of the day, they all do the same thing.
Certification of vendors as long as not costly prohibitive to prevent creative development by smaller vendors is a good thing. Standardization is a must.
I predict XML will be the winner as the standardization tool with integration and flexibility to maintain CCR, HL-7, X12N, NCPDP and I also think PDF's will move to forefront of medical information sharing capabilities.
Key concepts in the PHR world will be access audit trails and transparency of data, 2 factor authentication and exciting work will be developed as a result of RHIO's and Markle grants.
I spent two days touring TEPR2007, the annual trade show for EMR vendors and came to the conclusion that there are a myriad of choices from software vendors, middleware and hardware. The paradigm shift is inevitable and in full swing. EMR's are being standardized and as a result commoditized. Bells and whistles unique to particular vendors but at the end of the day, they all do the same thing.
Certification of vendors as long as not costly prohibitive to prevent creative development by smaller vendors is a good thing. Standardization is a must.
I predict XML will be the winner as the standardization tool with integration and flexibility to maintain CCR, HL-7, X12N, NCPDP and I also think PDF's will move to forefront of medical information sharing capabilities.
Key concepts in the PHR world will be access audit trails and transparency of data, 2 factor authentication and exciting work will be developed as a result of RHIO's and Markle grants.
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