Radiology departments face the same challenges as the rest of the healthcare market; they must transition to an environment driven by outcomes and value. Yet, this challenge is compounded for imaging departments, since they’re often perceived as a cost center instead of a profit center. One factor that hampers their ability to change, is that their tools—mainly the PACS—were designed to help them read more studies faster. And while maintaining a high reading volume remains important, it’s now accompanied by additional priorities including quality metrics, improved outcomes, patient satisfaction, and reduced costs.  To achieve these goals, radiologists need to streamline their workflows through advanced, modern tools. 

This paper describes both best practices and examples of ways in which workflow can deliver tangible value in these four areas. 

In recent years the healthcare industry has undergone a digital revolution. The replacement of paper files with electronic medical records is just one aspect. Many medical procedures and devices now rely on digital technology. While this digital evolution has resulted in significant improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of treatment, there continues to be pressure to actively manage costs as provider profit margins are forecast to fall by as much as 2% in 2019. As such, hospital executives are increasingly considering partnerships with medical technology companies to curtail costs and drive efficiency. On the other side of the coin, the use of websites and mobile applications has also made healthcare providers increasingly vulnerable to hackers. Data breaches, data manipulation and systems control are three of the biggest cyberthreats the healthcare industry is facing today.
 

There is nothing artificial about AI's impact of healthcare. It is driving improvements across the care continuum, in areas like cardiology, radiology and cancer treatment. Now, AI is poised to tackle the revenue cycle, and its potential to reimagine performance is nothing short of groundbreaking. 

Washington, DC – March 23, 2020 – Today, eHealth Initiative (eHI) sent a letter to Congress, signed by 21 leading digital health and health IT organizations, outlining support for certain provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, as well as additional steps to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Digital health, telehealth, and remote monitoring technology can help providers effectively triage and treat COVID-19 patients,” says Jennifer Covich Bordenick, Chief Executive Officer of eHI. “There is an urgent need to remove regulations and help providers scale this technology quickly.”

The letter outlines support for telehealth provisions, including increased funding, as well as provisions related to the sharing of patient health information. It asks Congress to take additional steps to support telehealth, remote patient monitoring, expand broadband for rural areas, advance patient matching, fund artificial intelligence use and testing, and provide regulatory relief for providers and hospitals.

By aggregating and analyzing different types of data - such as claims and non-claims data - benefits managers can determine crucial correlations between preventive screenings, health outcomes, and healthcare costs. Thus, they can develop more targeted benefits packages that reduce costs while improving overall employee health and productivity. 

The cost of employee health benefits is on the rise. Employers and health plans are struggling to manage these increasing costs. This infographic helps explain the details of using data to design effective preventive screening programs. 

March 10, 2020

The Department of Health and Human Services released two final rules that will have a profound impact on the way patient information is exchanged – and the healthcare system as a whole. The two rules implement interoperability and patient access provisions contained in 2016’s 21st Century Cures Act and are designed to improve the ability of patients to securely access their own personal health information.

The final rule from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), entitled 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program, and the final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), entitled Interoperability and Patient Access, are the culmination of over five years of advocacy and work by consumer and privacy advocates, health care stakeholders, Congress, and the administration to address issues that have plagued the health care system: a lack of interoperability, insufficient patient access to and control of health records, and uncoordinated care.

“While we are still reviewing both rules, eHealth Initiative (eHI) applauds the administration on its work over many years to implement the critical interoperability and information blocking provisions of the 21^st Century Cures Act,” said Jennifer Covich Bordenick, Chief Executive Officer of eHI. “We appreciate the administration’s continued focus on health data privacy and security, in addition to patient access to data. Through our project Building a Consumer Privacy Framework for Health Data, eHI, along with the Center for Democracy and Technology and our expert Steering Committee, will present options to address the current gaps in legal and regulatory protections for health data that falls outside HIPAA coverage. Our goal is that this framework will be useful as stakeholders look to execute the requirements of these final regulations.”

BOSTON, March 10, 2020 - Orion Health has developed the first comprehensive pandemic outbreak monitoring platform to alleviate demand on health systems and reduce the risk of further spread of the COVID-19 virus. The Orion Health software that supports this will be offered at no cost to existing and future customers.

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases grow globally, especially in those countries currently in the community outbreak phase of the disease, there will be a need for more people to receive support at home. Read the full press release at the link below. 

Attached at the bottom are the presenter biographies for the ​Working with Government to Advance Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) event. 

Agenda: 

8:30 – 8:45 am : Welcome and Introductions

• Jennifer Covich Bordenick, CEO, eHealth Initiative and Foundation
• Charles Stellar, CEO, WEDI​

8:45 – 9:15 am : Ethical Use of SDOH​

• Jennifer Covich Bordenick, CEO, eHealth Initiative and Foundation

9:15 – 9:45 am : SDOH – A Transformative Factor in U.S. Healthcare

• Matt Eyles, President and CEO, AHIP

9:45 – 10:30 am : Leveraging Collaborations To Standardize SDOH Data Collection And Use

• Nancy Johnson, RN, PHD, CEO for El Rio Community Health Center, Tucson, Arizona
• Sheila Shapiro, Senior Vice President, National Strategic Partnerships, UnitedHealthcare Care Modernization & Innovation

10:30 – 10:45 am : BREAK

10:45 – 11:30 am : Federal SDOH Initiatives – Addressing SDOH in The Healthcare System

Facilitated by Edward Garcia, Senior Vice President, Healthsperien​

• Erin Iturriaga, Program Officer and Clinical Trials Specialist, NHLBI Division of Cardiovascular Sciences
• Jordan Luke, Director, Program Alignment and Partner Engagement Group, Office of Minority Health, CMS

11:30 – 12:15 pm : State SDOH Initiatives

Facilitated by Samantha Meklir, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the National Coordinator, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• Howard Haft, Deputy Secretary, Office of the Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services, Maryland Department of Health and Hygiene
• Mark Ropiecki, Executive Director, Care Compass Network

12:15 – 1:00 pm : LUNCH

1:00 – 1:30 pm : Connecting SDOH to Social Service Delivery

Facilitated by Ed Hunter, Founder of The National Alliance to impact the Social Determinants of Health (NASDOH)

• Priyanka Surio, MPH, PMP, CHES, Director, Data Analytics & Public Health Informatics, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)

1:30 – 2:00 pm : Hospital Screening for Health-Related Social Needs

• Ryan Moran, Director, Community Health, MedStar Health

2:00 – 2:30 pm : SDOH Data and Interoperability

• Craig Behm, Executive Director, CRISP

2:30 – 2:45 pm : BREAK

2:45 – 3:30 pm : Congressional Support for SDOH​

Facilitated by Krista Drobac, Chair, Aligning for Health

• Sohini Gupta, Vice President Federal Affairs, Centene Corporation
• Shane Hand, Legislative Assistant, Representative Tom Cole (R-Ok)
• Liam Steadman, Legislative Assistant, Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL)

3:30 – 4:00 pm : Moving Forward

• William A. Hazel Jr., MD, Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives and Policy at George Mason University, Founding Chair of ConnectVirginia HIE 

4:00 – 4:15 pm : Closing Remarks  

• Charles Stellar, CEO, WEDI

NextGen explains why it is important to develop a strategy to capture, organize, and understand your practice’s data so these insights can be used to improve care and enhance revenue. Read the eBook Data Analytics in Ambulatory Care to help your practice thrive and grow.