We weren’t able to make it out to beautiful Ojai, Calif., this week to cover the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems‘ (AMDIS) 24th annual Physician-Computer Connection symposium, but we have been watching the social media.
It’s obvious that interoperability of healthcare data is lagging, as is engagement of patients in their own care. What seems apparent from afar is that the CMIOs who make up the bulk of the AMDIS membership could do more to help remedy those shortcomings — and some may not even realize it.
This tweet from Dr. Colin Banas, CMIO of Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, is telling.
I was shocked that more hands didn't go up when a room full of CMIOs were asked if they were on OpenNotes yet. Time to push harder. #AMDIS15
— Colin Banas (@Colin_Banas) June 25, 2015
OpenNotes is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded program — some call it a movement — that encourages healthcare providers to share complete, unedited clinical notes with their patients.
It has proven to be very popular among those who have adopted the concept and, more importantly, clinically effective, according to one presenter.
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.
https://twitter.com/garbardas/status/614101066926309376
VCU started with OpenNotes just two weeks ago, Banas said.
Banas also shared this unscientific survey:
In a room full of CMIOs – question asked was – who here knows their DIRECT address – only 2 people raised their hands. More MU fun #AMDIS15
— Colin Banas (@Colin_Banas) June 24, 2015
The Direct Project is a protocol for health information exchange via secure e-mail. Even healthcare privacy watchdog Dr. Deborah Peel, a frequent critic of current health IT systems, is supportive.
AMDIS members, a smart bunch, also have a tendency to point out absurdity in America’s dysfunctional healthcare industry. This gem comes to us from Coray Tate, vice president of clinical research at KLAS Enterprises:
