Dear Healthcare Professional,
Welcome to the April issue of the Indidge Advantage newsletter. April is certainly a busy month with 2 major conferences in the healthcare arena and of course it is tax season. Stay tuned for some thoughts on tax season.
We want to thank all the hospital IT folks that stopped by our booth at HIMSS ( Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society ) in Chicago. Our first article contains a HIMSS Conference Recap.
Don't gamble away your future, relying on an antiquated system for managing all those policies and procedures. On April 26-29 at the HCCA's 13th Compliance Institute in Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas stop by Indidge System booth # 704 for a beautiful rose (while supplies last) and a lively educational discussion on policy management.
The Indidge Advantage is produced by Indidge Systems , a healthcare software solutions company specializing in Compliance and Risk Management solutions.
By Carrie Vaughan
April 14, 2009
Attendance was "off" at the HIMSS09 conference held this past week in Chicago, but the hospital, physician, and health plan executives who were in attendance were the "more serious buyers" and the "decision makers," according to the chief information officers and vendors that I spoke with during the event. Providers scaled back their attendance and some vendors had less elaborate booths for obvious budgetary reasons. However, there were still billiard tricks, a green man group, and other gimmicks on the exhibition floor. Here's a quick glance at some of the key takeaways from the conference.
There are still no real answers about the definition of "meaningful use" of certified EHR technology or what the payment schedule will be for doling out stimulus funds. HIMSS did create a discussion forum on the definition of meaningful use and you can post comments through April 17th. Here are a few of the thoughts attendees shared with me about what "meaningful use" should include:
- The ability to quantify and report improved patient safety, quality outcomes, and cost reductions.
- Disease management and decision support tools for patients and families.
- CPOE and e-prescribing.
- The ability to track and communicate public health issues.
- Community health information exchanges between hospitals, clinics, physicians, and patients.
Healthcare providers should not wait until the end of the year for the definition of "meaningful use" to form their IT strategy. The general consensus was if you wait, you will be behind and probably won't qualify for the maximum reimbursement provided in the stimulus package. "It's not time to panic, but it is also not time to procrastinate," said Charles Christian, director of information systems and CIO at Good Samaritan Hospital in southwest Indiana. "We are expected to do the work and show the outcome of that work before we get a nickel," he says.
There was a lot of excitement about the interoperability showcase, which demonstrated how some 78 different products could interact in various care settings. Attendees could take a tour of patient care devices, for example, to see how the equipment that nurses, physicians, and anesthesiologists use could be connected to provide the same information about a preoperative patient in real-time to all caregivers.
Personal health records are no longer optional. HITECH includes specific requirements to provide patients with an electronic copy of their health data upon request, said John Halamka, CIO of Harvard Business School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. There is also speculation about whether data sharing between an EHR and PHR will qualify for the interoperability requirements of meaningful use, he says.
HIPAA requirements are more strict. New privacy and security regulations in the stimulus package require organizations that have a data breach to contact all of their patients, a major news outlet in their region, and the HHS secretary. In addition, business associates that process or handle patient information on behalf of providers are now subject to fines and must comply with the rules, as well. This means that the business relationship between providers and vendors that handle patient information may have to be retooled. For example, should providers only do business with partners that provide a copy of their security audit?
Interoperable EHRs and removable media devices pose new security risks for providers. With the prospect of interoperable EHRs comes a myriad of concerns regarding patient confidentiality. CIOs are also concerned about the security risks of removable media that can be mass storage devices mainly because, unlike a company laptop that goes missing, they may have no idea a removable storage device is being used or was lost.
From HEALTHbeat
April 14, 2009
Nancy Ferrari
Managing Editor
Harvard Health Publications
HEALTHbeat@hms.harvard.edu
Serious health care reform and belt tightening can't happen without new policies from Washington, but individual responsibility and action can both set an example and make a contribution toward bringing health care spending under control. Even people with good medical coverage are paying a larger fraction of their health care bills these days, in the form of co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket expenses. There's a direct personal interest in reining in costs, not just a societal one.
We polled the Harvard Health Letter editorial board to get some ideas about what people might do as individuals about health care spending. Here are a dozen suggestions for making yours a bit smaller:
1. Develop a good working relationship with a primary care physician. A primary care doctor who knows you, your medical history, and your circumstances is most likely to make decisions and give advice that will keep you healthy. He or she can take care of you in context.
2. Don't use the emergency department unless absolutely necessary. Call your doctor or the office's answering service to get some advice over the phone - or, better yet, in person. Emergency care is fantastically expensive partly because the doctors and nurses often need to order a lot of tests so they can make diagnostic and treatment decisions quickly.
3. Get - and stick - with the program. Taking prescribed medications, getting regular check-ups, and adhering to lifestyle changes can keep chronic diseases under control at relatively modest cost.
4. Don't go directly to a specialist without checking with your primary care doctor, even if your insurance allows it. Whenever possible, let your primary care physician coordinate your care. If he or she doesn't know what's going on, it can lead to wasteful-and possibly harmful- testing and treatments.
5. Ignore the drug ads. The heyday of pharmaceutical advertising may be winding down, but there are still plenty of slick direct-to-consumer come-ons being broadcast and published. New drugs may have real advantages over older ones, but the virtues of the old standbys often get overlooked. Older drugs are frequently just as effective (if not more so) and safer - and almost certainly cheaper.
6. Go generic. Generic drugs cost less than their brand-name equivalents. Most insurers have higher co-pays for brand-name drugs, so using generic medications can mean a cost savings both for you and for the health care system. But check with your doctor and your pharmacist about what's available as a generic.
7. Fight inertia. If you're taking a medication, discuss with your physician how long you've been taking it and whether it's working. If it isn't, it may be time to reassess.
8. Screen the screening tests. Screening tests can save lives by catching a disease at an early, more treatable stage. But a screening test can also cause a lot of mischief: false alarms, a false sense of security if a disease is missed, and unnecessary testing and treatment. Talk to your doctor about which screening tests are necessary for you.
9. Question the need for expensive tests. Don't push to get new, expensive tests just because you think new is better. If your doctor orders an expensive test like an MRI or CT scan, ask why it's necessary and how it will make a difference. It's the expensive inputs into our health care - all the drugs, tests, high-tech treatments, highly compensated specialists - that drive up the collective medical bill, not so much the volume.
10. Wait, and it may go away. Often it's critically important to get medical care straightaway. Prompt treatment of a heart attack or stroke can save your life or prevent devastating disability. But people frequently get tests and treatments for aches, pains, and other discomforts that might have gone away on their own because the illness-producing stress of work or school lets up, for example, or the immune system fights off the infection. If you are feeling sick, by all means get evaluated, but if your doctor suggests the test of time, take the test.
11. Discuss end-of-life issues with your family and physicians. Roughly a fifth of the money that Americans spend on health care goes for care in the last year of life. Talking about your preferences may help-a 2008 study found that cancer patients who had discussed end-of-life care with their physicians received hospice care sooner and had lower rates of ventilation, resuscitation, and admission to an intensive care unit.
12. Stay healthy! Quit smoking, eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. You'll reduce your risk for conditions that require medical care.
At Indidge Systems we develop products that are process management tools designed to maximize resources and minimize legal exposure. I can almost hear a resounding chorus of yawns reverberating around the country.
We develop software for hospitals. That is the language I am inculcated with. It is the language that is expected of me as a salesperson. But, hang in there with me. I'm going to tell you, honestly, what it is I sell. A few of you will recognize it. The balance of you will gasp with unbelief!
GIVING VALUE - DOING MORE THAN EXPECTED
Value is what you do up front, before the sale, and what you do during the relationship. You don't add value - you give value. If I had to define "value" in a sentence it would be: "What's in it for YOU."
At Indidge we strive to keep that in a "top of mind" mentality. Our webinars, our User meetings, product customization, this newsletter, are all designed to give value, something that adds to the relationship without any expectation of return.
Following is a principle we do our best to live up to...
"Here is a simple but powerful rule: Always give people more than what they expect to get." - Nelson Boswell
INTEGRITY
When your promises and performance match, you have integrity - something that clients want and need.
Integrity is quality. We believe people who earn our belief; those who tell the truth, even when it hurts them. When you tell the truth, people know what to expect. They feel more confident.
Integrity comforts. It assures people that in a world of considerable uncertainty they can predict what you will do from what you say. That feeling is rare and because it is rare, it is valuable.
In this age of so many choices and messages, with trust declining and mobility and opportunity splitting communities and family connections apart, and with so many of our choices involving things we cannot see or inspect, today's client feels uniquely uncomfortable. This means clients crave comfort more than anything.
At Indidge Systems we have developed high quality products. We develop relationships with our prospects and clients and tell them the truth, even when it may not be to our advantage to do so. We want our clients to be comfortable with us individually and with us organizationally. Our integrity is on the line every day.
HONESTY IS THE BEST TACTIC.
We disbelieve our newspapers, our priests and preachers, and our political and business leaders - and one another. In 1960, 55% of Americans agreed that "most people can be trusted." By 2000 only 34% did. Today it is far less than that. A salesperson must sell more honestly and believably than ever- just to get an audience.
An Arab proverb states, "Trust in Allah, but tie your camel."
Because we feel we can trust fewer people, we value those we trust even more; they are more rare and therefore more valuable. Trust is something that is earned every day. It is something that is difficult to earn, and easy to lose. That means when I make you a promise you expect me to keep it. When I tell you I am going to do something within a certain period of time, you expect me to do the task within the time frame we have discussed.
We all build up credibility as relationships develop. It is similar to putting money into a checking account. When I put money into my account I am free to write checks expecting my bank to honor those checks and subsequently withdraw matching funds from my checking account. However, if I write a check that is for more money than I have deposited into my account, the bank refuses to pay the merchant to whom I have written the check.
Relationships are the same way. There is a certain amount of credibility I build up when I meet and/or exceed your expectations. When I make a mistake you, in your own mind, debit my account. If I write checks for more than I have deposited then I am in trouble and you have every right to "bounce" my and my company right out of your business.
Therefore, I want to make sure I do more than is expected so my account is always balanced.
Albert Schweitzer told us, "Aim for service and success will follow." Something salespeople and companies often forget is how to serve. We are in business to SERVE you. We are challenged to meet your needs. When we give you value, when our talk matches our walk and we act with integrity, when we speak and present ourselves with honesty, we believe our mutual success is imminent.
What's the difference between an I.R.S. agent and a mosquito?
One is a bloodsucking parasite, the other is an insect.
--Anonymous
What do you call 25 skydiving I.R.S. agents?
Skeet.
--Anonymous
"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the Income Tax."
-- Albert Einstein
"Worried about an IRS audit? Avoid what's called a red flag. That's something the IRS always looks for. For example, say you have some money left in your bank account after paying taxes. That's a red flag."
-- Jay Leno
"It would be nice if we could all pay our taxes with a smile, but normally cash is required."
-- Anonymous
What's the definition of an accountant?
Someone who solves a financial problem you didn't know you had
in a way you don't understand.
--Anonymous
It's hard to believe America was founded to avoid high taxation.
--Anonymous
A political promise today means another tax tomorrow.
--Anonymous
April 14, 2009
News Flash - Hospital Policy Net provides Nursing and other Joint Commission solutions to idTracks-Docs policy manager for an integrated policy and procedure package designed to fit any size hospital.
News Flash - Elesevier partners with Indidge Systems idTracks-Docs policy manager. Elsevier plays a leading role in establishing standards and policies that improve scientific communications, promote business ethics, and encourage continued , sustainable growth in the field of scholarly publishing.
One webinar is Wednesday, May 6, 2009 from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT. If that does not fit your schedule, register for Friday, May 8, 2009 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT. Send Tom Reid an email at tom.reid@indidge.com to register or call him now at (480) 829-0479 Ext. 138 to schedule a convenient web demo that better fits your schedule.
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