Health plans are struggling with value-based reimbursement (VBR) due to internal and external barriers are hampering payers’ adoption of value-based programs, according to a new survey by HealthEdge and Survata. The survey reveals that for payers to have a significant chance at success with VBR programs, they must have modern and flexible technology systems that can easily collect and share data, quickly test and model new programs, and are designed to build more trust among providers of all
Read More
EPCS and Prior Authorizations: Prescriptions for Better Patient Care
Editor's Note: Stephen Beck, MD, FACP, FHIMSS, currently serves as Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Mercy Health . In 2010, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revised regulations to give prescribers the option to write electronic prescriptions for controlled substances (EPCS) such as opioids and ADHD medications, while permitting pharmacies to receive, dispense, and archive these e-scripts. EPCS increases patient and community safety, too. Doctors document everything discreetly
Read More
Patient Record Exchanges Made “Right”: Sharing the Right Data with the Right Provider at the Right Time
At Mercy Health, one of our most important goals is keeping patients safer by allowing critical information to move with them – whether they’re traveling to an institution like the Mayo Clinic for treatment or seeking emergency care while away from home. The importance of exchanging records seamlessly, and the added value of providing better care for patients, cannot be overstated. Indeed, I’m continuously amazed by just how much information exists relative to how providers are exchanging
Read More
How Mercy Health Is Using Telehealth to Make Healthcare Easier
At Mercy Health, our promise to the community we serve is to make lives better – mind, body and spirit – and to genuinely enjoy being of service while making healthcare easier. One way we’re accomplishing this is through telehealth initiatives. Telehealth represents the biggest entry point for providers like ours to manage the population, particularly the baby boomer and older generations, as the physician shortage looms and care between visits becomes increasingly important. In 2029, when
Read More
EHR Usability for Ongoing Optimization
Dr. Stephen Beck, CMIO at Mercy Health (formerly Catholic Health Partners) discusses how his organization is approaching EHR usability to deliver improvements in efficiency, care quality and provider satisfaction. Nearly every day I read a new article about physician dissatisfaction with EHRs. There seems to be many reasons for this attitude. Part of it is the need for better data collection tools to ensure ongoing optimization to keep pace with changing regulations. For example, an October
Read More
How Mercy Health Is Improving Patient and Population Health
Dr. Stephen Beck, CMIO at Mercy Health (formerly Catholic Health Partners) discusses how his organization has set the bar high when it comes to improving patient and population health. Though “population health” means different things to different people, most definitions share a focus on improving the quality of care delivered across the community. That’s certainly in keeping with our mission at Mercy Health (formerly Catholic Health Partners), Ohio’s largest health system, which
Read More
Mobile Health Is Enhancing Clinical Decisions At the Point of Care
Dr. Stephen Beck, CMIO at Catholic Health Partners discusses how his organization is enhancing clinical decisions at the point of care through mobile health to improve the quality and effectiveness of healthcare. Smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are becoming ubiquitous in doctors’ offices and hospitals as a means to standardize care protocols, improve the flow of information, and ease the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs).[i] In fact, mobile devices are
Read More
Improved Patient Engagement for Better Outcomes and a Higher Level of Care
Achieving Successful CDS-EHR Integration via the HL7 Infobutton
Dr. Stephen Beck discusses how HL7 Infobutton technology helps improve outcomes, accelerate clinician adoption of CDS and EHR technologies at Catholic Health Partners.
Read More
