MedCity News is providing in-depth coverage of HIMSS2012 as part of a special series sponsored by Hyland Software.
HIMSS chief predicts dialed-down health IT requirements. Look for federal regulators to go easier on health systems and others, according to the HIMSS CEO. H. Stephen Lieber told InformationWeek that Stage 2 meaningful use requirements will be milder based on the experience of ICD-10 and Stage 1 meaningful use, among other things. Proposal rules for Stage 2 of meaningful use incentives for the adoption of electronic medical records are due out any day now.
“We stand by the position we have established that the [ICD-10] deadline in isolation was reasonable,” Lieber told InformationWeek.
“Unfortunately, it’s not in isolation,” Lieber added. “It’s also when [ANSI X12] 5010 conversion had to occur. It’s in the middle of Stage 1 and Stage 2 [of Meaningful Use].”
Twitter founder (humbly) calls Twitter “a triumph of humanity.” Twitter cofounder Biz Stone delivered Tuesday’s keynote address, which was preceded by a somewhat incongruous performance by a violinist in a sparkling dress and a shirtless dancer.
Speaking casually and without notes while sharing that he didn’t want to tell healthcare professionals how to run their businesses, Stone largely avoided the topic of healthcare and medicine. Instead, he shared anecdotes about how Twitter was founded (inspired by the taglines on instant messaging software) and when he first knew Twitter was really onto something (mass movements of users between Austin, Texas bars at a South by Southwest conference).
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
He also shared several inspirational aphorisms, including: “Creativity is an infinite resource,” “Opportunity can be manufactured in any field of business,” and “The only deal worth doing is a win-win deal.”
HIMSS leadership survey: it’s staff, not money, that health IT execs need. As health IT executives focus on meeting federal requirements, they now see a need for more staff, according to a HIMSS leadership survey released during the conference. “This is the first time lack of financial resources has been replaced as a top barrier in our study,” Jennifer Horowitz, senior director of research for HIMSS Analytics, was quoted as saying by SearchHealthIT.
Stage 2 meaningful use to be detailed. Buzz among some conference-goers centered on a Wednesday discussion of the Stage 2 electronic health records meaningful use proposed rule. Under a “quiet period” that restricts what officials can say about a rule until it is released, two federal officials struggled to give new information to attendees of HIMSS’ Meaningful Use symposium.
Many HIMSS attendees came into a seminar dubbed “Stage 2” anticipating details around the proposal for the next stage of meaningful use. What many didn’t expect was the news that changes to Stage 1 would be included in Stage 2, according to InformationWeek.
HIMSS: Is the end of the CD era approaching? Some hospitals have estimated that .6 percent of disks are unreadable and wrong patient data are found on .2 percent of CDs. At others, 5 percent of disks cannot be imported.
Watch HIMSS2012 slide shows. Even if you aren’t at HIMSS, you can check out slides of speakers’ presentations here.
Chris Seper contributed to this report.
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