Latest California Healthline Stories
Free Data Spark Innovation, Proponents Say
One of the keys to successful health care innovation is the freeing-up of data, according to Todd Park, chief technology officer for the federal HHS.
“We are working on so many exciting things right now, but the initiative we’re most excited about is the health data initiative,” Park said. “We are unleashing the power of open data and open innovation.”
Park was one of a group of experts who convened in Sacramento Wednesday for a health information technology forum put on by the Center for Health Improvement. One of the co-sponsors was the California HealthCare Foundation, which publishes California Healthline.
Design Element the First Step Toward No-Wrong-Door
California took an important first step toward implementation of the Health Benefit Exchange last week when it unveiled the initial design for enrolling Californians and determining their eligibility in 2014.
The initial design of the project, called Enroll UX 2014 (UX stands for “user experience”), was presented to the Health Benefit Exchange board by project director Terri Shaw.
“We have teams from 11 states participating in the process,” Shaw said. “The objectives are two-fold — to develop a first-class user experience, and to ensure retention of consumers.”
Data Could Be King in Reformed Health Care System
The unfettered distribution of health information could mean better, more timely care and could be invaluable for public health efforts. But in California’s complex and multitiered health system, that’s easier desired than done.
Spotlight on New PHR Model Privacy Notice
To help address consumer privacy concerns, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released a Personal Health Record Model Privacy Notice that allows providers of Web-based PHRs to inform consumers about their data sharing and privacy and security policies.
Stakeholders Map Out Next Tasks for HIE
The health information exchange revolution is under way in California.
“There is tremendous enthusiasm across the state for what’s happening in HIE,” according to David Lansky of the Pacific Business Group on Health, who spoke at yesterday’s Health Information Exchange Stakeholder Summit 2011 in Sacramento.
“We represent large purchasers of health insurance, so in a way it’s odd that we’re so involved in this,” Lansky said. “But we feel HIE is a critical, foundational support tool for transforming the health care delivery system.” The health care reform effort aims to make health care affordable and high-quality, he said, “And we can’t make it succeed without this project.”
Telehealth May Be Led by Telederm
April Armstrong thinks the medical specialty that’s perfect for California’s nascent telehealth system is dermatology.
“Dermatology is visual,” according to Armstrong, director of the teledermatology program at UC-Davis Medical Center. “That’s the great thing about it, why it’s so suitable for telehealth, is that it’s a visual field. If the image quality is clear, you can tell a lot.”
Today, the Center for Connected Health Policy is scheduled to release an issue brief Armstrong authored on teledermatology. The brief was funded by the California HealthCare Foundation, which publishes California Healthline.
New Law on Telehealth May Mean Better Care, Easy Access
A new telehealth law in California will institute a series of small regulatory changes that could affect the number of health care providers who can participate in telehealth and the number of patients who might benefit from it.
Federal Health IT Activity Heats Up in Q3 2011
There were numerous federal health information technology developments during the third quarter of 2011. For example, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released its final health IT strategic plan, and President Obama proclaimed a week in September as National Health IT Week.
State Readies Medicaid EHR Incentive Program
California health care providers could corral as much as $1.4 billion in federal incentive money for the meaningful use of electronic health records. The state recently launched a staggered application process for its Medicaid portion of the program.
The Next Five Years in Health IT: ONC’s Plan for the Future
The recently released Federal Health IT Strategic Plan outlines the federal government’s goals for using health information technology to improve health care over the next five years. The plan incorporates policy priorities included in the HITECH Act and the health reform law.