In the aftermath of two hurricanes, help is arriving from all directions. CMS has announced temporary loosening of certain regulations designed to make it easier for any available clinician to care for any needy patient, regardless of eligibility and paperwork restrictions. Software vendors with customers in the affected region are bending over backward to rescue customer data, create ad hoc online backup systems and even provide office space. We present as many stories of technology heroism, to be followed by weekly updates as events develop. more . . .

The handy thing about having a national convention in Seattle is that you can usually convince someone to drive down from Redmond and offer a keynote about technology. Dr. Bill Crounse, head of Microsoft’s Healthcare and Life Sciences division, woke home care people up Monday morning with a rousing presentation that insisted that healthcare cannot move into the future without heavily relying on technology. “30% of all face to-face healthcare episodes are generated by the need for information or reassurance. One-on-one, appointment based care is a very expensive way to deliver information and reassurance.” To the familiar “perfect storm warning” components – aging Baby Boomers and the worsening nurse shortage – he added growing Federal deficits and out-of-control insurance company profits to the causes of the crisis squeezing not only healthcare providers but also GM, Starbucks and other U.S. corporations. more . . .

Are Information Systems merely an operating expense, taking dollars from your bottom line? Or is technology a strategic business investment returning to your organization far more than it costs? Great Lakes Home Health and Hospice of Jackson, set out three years ago to determine whether investing up to 10% of revenues in technology woul result in a net loss or a competitive benefit. At the end, in the fall of 2005, CEO William Deary reflected on three years of roughly 40% annual growth, the best Home Health Compare numbers in its region and lower costs whether measured per patient or per employee. Even one of the largest contributors to overhead, employee health insurance, is being successfully addressed, as are expenses related to recruiting quality staff. This summer, Great Lakes bought and moved into a new building. Ask Deary to what he attributes such results and the answer comes without hesitation but not without a Cheshire grin, “technology.” more . . .

The Blue Shield of California Foundation will donate $1 million to the California Regional Health Information Organization (CalRHIO) to help fund information exchange services to public hospitals, clinics and providers in rural and other medically underserved areas, Modern Physician reports. The 18-month grant will also enable CalRHIO to connect emergency departments, support medication management safety, improve administrative efficiency and create online personal health records. more . . .

On September 23, CMS published in the Federal Register a proposed rule adopting standards for electronic healthcare claims attachments, which are documents and information, such as physician notes and medical images, required by health plans to adjudicate certain claims. The electronic claims attachment standards include:
    • Two ASC X12 Insurance Implementation Guides in version 004050
          1. Transaction Set 275 - Additional Information to Support a Claim or Encounter, and
          2. Transaction Set 277 - Request For Additional Information.
    • HL7 Specifications, based on its Clinical Document Architecture (CDA), Release 1. This includes an Implementation Guide for Claims Attachments as well as six Additional Information Specifications (AIS) and a listing of Modifier Codes. more . . .

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