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The Perfect Storm in Healthcare
series: IT Post # 1 - Who Moved My Cheese?
September 12, 2014
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MU 2
Attestation.
The
problems...
Problematic Components: The impact of ACA and CMS mandates are
universal; providers must evaluate a VBP program, manage an EHR/EMR selection, consider an acquisition/partnership/alliance, participate in an HIE, manage Big Data, HIPAA & data security, optimize
the supply chain and staffing, consider outsourcing services, manage
the ICD 10 and MU 2 attestation delays, and manage a population health strategy
and its associated risk, among others - all in an effort to reduce health
care costs while improving patient outcomes. This avalanche of capital
intensive projects has collided to create the perfect storm.
Break out
component - EHR/EMR: Because of this collision, can health care providers
really focus on the individual components as needed? Some have
and some have not! EHR/EMR for example; colossal failures and victories have
emerged. MU 2 provider
attestation is paltry and numbers are not good. Providers
are either screaming to get help from their vendors with little
forthcoming, scrapping their EHR and starting over with another vendor,
or aligning with another provider to adopt their EHR/EMR (crazy as
that sounds its happening). MU 2 challenges continue. With an October
deadline, now delayed, most healthcare providers are still finding they
cannot meet the 5% Patient Engagement and the Interoperability requirements.
·
Patient Engagement: MU 1 attestation was a piece of cake -
right? What’s so difficult about 5% Patient Engagement?
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Interoperability: Disparate vendor EHR pricing
differentials, lack of affordable vendor IT support, complexities in
use and integration, IP issues with “closed networks”, and cross
communication platforms that don’t work, etc.. What do we do? Who
do we turn to for advice? Unless there is a magic wand (I'm
not aware of one - please tell me differently) that can
be waved to make MU 2 and beyond a reality, we're in for
quite a ride...
Governments
subsidize, vendors design solutions to meet the demand, and providers
implement them. Buyers beware – Right? Trust but verify – Right? Then, why
can’t a uniform solution be mandated and developed?
It’s usually the same answer - "Follow the money".
It's the 1849 US gold rush for vendors and providers! I
guess it’s a form of stimulus…? Learn
More
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The Costs.
Leadership Turnover: I'm in sales - I make calls - I blog.
My LinkedIn network has Blown Up with people changing jobs, more
now than ever before. I "Pay it Forward" to help
as best I can. But the turnover in health
care leadership is crazy!
Money: The toilet flushing sound that you hear is the
wasted $$$ from the countless demands of “The Perfect Storm”. For example, EHR. Poor performing
EHR’S are not a solution, they are excuses. Bad EHR’s can decrease staff
productivity, increase frustration and decrease self-worth, or result
in M&A’s so providers don’t have to pay for another EHR (seriously?),
or the scrapping of the entire first EHR/EMR and implementation of new second
system, and there’s more. These poor performing EHR’s, and ICD 10 and
MU 2 attestation delays have cost providers in the Billions of
dollars! All of this work and frustration to “mine for the government
cheese". A great book and video comes to mind - "Who Moved
My Cheese!"
Pulling it all together: 5% Patient
Engagement is an educational "process". It’s a full contact sport, not a paper
handout, about next steps in the patients care cycle and beyond. First point of contact, however,
usually is the Primary care physicians' office personnel. Your
design should begin with your Physician Engagement Plan – broaden your plan to include education on Patient
Engagement. Have the PCP teach their patients/customers how to use a
phone or computer, perhaps involve their families in their
care. How about creating an Educational CD or Video series
(in multiple languages) located on a laptop or iPad in the
physician’s office to teach them what their responsibilities are and
what they need to do next.
And for Pete’s sake –
“K.I.S.S.”, need I say more? Physicians – listen… On my EHR - I got this comment
from my PCP on a recent blood test "Test results are
normal"… that’s it! I see
the various tests… But do lay consumers know what their blood
tests really mean when they review them? I don't! My response; “So
I won’t die? What a relief!!” I need more info and engagement! “Normal as compared to what? Do I need to change anything?
Now that I am engaged in my own health as a consumer, managing out of
pocket expenses, I'm a shopper which makes me want to know more, and
where I can buy health related services at the best value - transparency
and sharing of information. Educate me to use you and not
somebody down the street.
Interoperability at its core
should be simple in form and design – use common sense. What should have been developed by
CMS was a "uniform standard" for an open network platform
EHR/EMR (that horse is out of the barn, however) from which all innovation
was to be developed. An EHR that is
both user and patient friendly, integrates and plays nice with others
in the "sand box", is scalable, and is both HIPPA compliant, secure and part of a larger picture
for HIE. Widgets are nice, but
seriously? We need ‘basic blocking and tackling” – please don’t
tell me it does this and that (awe cute..!) – can it attest to MU
2? The 7 P's
– Isn’t that what all of this is about - Saving Lives! Money is tight – I get it! LFC Capital can help guide you to
better financial solutions.
Solution - Quit treating your
staff and physicians like mushrooms (keeping them in the dark and
feeding them a load of...)! Be Bold! Be
Courageous! Involve everyone in searching for the solution
- hire good consultants and good lawyers! Health care needs
leadership and it needs COURAGE
(follow the link it’s a great read) to move this ahead!
We've come this far,
shouldn't we do whatever it takes to improve patient care and save lives?
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Possible Solutions:
LFC Capital and
our partners
We've strategically aligned with specialists' from a broad range of expertise
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LFC Capital specializes
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out, it doesn't cost you anything to put us on your bid list,
and besides, if LFC is good enough for a large New England, investment
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aren’t you?
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James Blandi
Managing
Director, Healthcare
312.228.1358
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