Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP In the beginning, interoperability and health information exchange (HIE) were key selling points for physicians considering adoption of and investment in electronic health records (EHRs), but today most are left feeling misled, stranded on a bridge that leads nowhere. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) defines EHR interoperability as “the ability of different information technology systems and software applications to communicate, exchange data, and use the information that …
Read MoreDon’t Drink the Kool-Aid
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP I did and not just a little. I guzzled the entire Jim Jones carafe full of it. I was an early electronic health record (EHR) adopter and I loved it! In fact, I still do; however, as with any Kool-Aid (particularly when it’s served in Guyana), you can’t just guzzle it and hope for the best. You have to know what is in it or else it can bite …
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Planning for Meaningful Use? The Clock Is Ticking
Urgent message: CMS offers stimulus funds to providers who “attest” that their EHR use improves patient care: up to $18,000 in 2011 alone. The sooner you do, the more you stand to earn. Eric McDonald, CEO of DocuTAP “Meaningful use” refers to the use of a “certified” electronic health record (EHR) to meet specific objectives established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers the EHR incentive program. An EHR is certified …
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