Top Story

• Rapid ACO growth could change the face of health care
  There were 428 commercial and Medicare accountable care organizations across 49 states as of January, according to this report, and physician groups now outpace hospitals as the main supporters behind the organizations. Analyst David Muhlestein of Leavitt Partners predicts that if ACOs see success in the coming years, the framework could become the main care model in the U.S. Health Affairs Blog (2/19)     

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Technology Trends

• Report: Tech isn't a hurdle in move to ICD-10
  Technology isn't an issue in the transition in health care IT from ICD-9 to ICD-10, a KLAS report says. Most organizations are more worried about training and clinical preparedness, the report says. InformationWeek (2/20)     

• Report recognizes top U.S. hospitals, cities for patient care
  Healthgrades has released this year's list of the top-performing hospitals in the U.S. as well as the leading cities for patient care according to in-hospital mortality rates. As many as 165,000 lives could have been saved if all facilities examined in the report demonstrated performance similar to that of the top hospitals, officials said. Healthcare IT News (2/20)     

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EHRs and MU

• EHR adoption lags among U.S. physicians, study finds
  One in 6 U.S. physicians are making sufficient use of EHR systems to attest to meaningful use, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers said costs and productivity concerns play roles in low EHR adoption rates. "My guess is that more people are on the journey [to using electronic records] than have attested to it. But, there are still some physicians who haven't started using electronic health records at all," said researcher Adam Wright. HealthDay News (2/20)     

mHealth

• Humetrix boosts Blue Button app capability
  A multi-platform capability was added by Humetrix to its iBlueButton application that enables doctors and patients to use Android smartphones, iPhones and iPads to securely share health data and other clinical information at the point of care. "By taking advantage of one of the most powerful tools that patients and their families own -- their smartphones -- iBlueButton enables a quick and secure exchange of critical health information to help improve the safety and effectiveness of the care received," said Humetrix CEO Dr. Bettina Experton. Government Health IT online (2/21)     

Health IT Poll

• Are you attending HIMSS13 in March?
  

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Advancing Care With IT

• E-prescribing curbs drug errors, but adoption remains modest
  Electronic prescribing helped prevent 17.4 million drug mistakes in one year, and wider adoption of the practice could eliminate more than 50 million errors annually, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. However, e-prescribing adoption remains modest despite its apparent efficacy, researchers said. HealthDay News (2/21)     

• Denver-based firm to form ACO with UnitedHealthcare
  An accountable care organization is being formed through the partnership of UnitedHealthcare and New West Physicians in Denver. Payment incentives will be offered to New West's doctors and other providers based on several standards, including disease prevention and management, patient safety and readmission rates. BeckersHospitalReview.com (2/21)     

HIE

• VA offers innovation contracts to boost data sharing
  The Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday awarded 13 innovation contracts under its Innovation Initiative. Agilex Technologies was tapped to create the VA Mobile Blue Button to enable patients to exchange health information using mobile devices, while Ray Group International was selected to create an imaging application to allow veterans to easily see and download their medical images. NextGov (2/21)     

• Houston HIE expands with addition of Kelsey-Seybold Clinic
  Greater Houston Healthconnect has expanded its health information exchange network with the recent addition of Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. The clinic brings 370 physicians to the HIE, which already has more than 3,200 doctor participants. "We truly value Kelsey-Seybold's participation as a leader in the medical community. Their presence will help us to accelerate adoption among other major group practices and create considerable momentum," said Dr. Bernard Harris Jr., Healthconnect board vice chairman. Modern Healthcare (subscription required) (2/21)     

Events Calendar

Upcoming events are managed by the Health IT SmartBrief team.
Please email healthITevents@smartbrief.com to have your event added.

2/28	End-To-End Testing Virtual Event: A Collaborative Approach to Testing, Readiness and Compliance WEDI, Feb. 28, Online, 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

3/1	WEDI HIX Virtual Event: An Overview of Health Insurance Exchange and What It Means to Your Business WEDI, March 1, Online, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

3/3	HIMSS 13 Annual Conference and Exhibition HIMSS, March 3 to 7, New Orleans, La.

Click here to view the complete calendar of events

WEDI News

• WEDI National Conference -- Hotel rooms are filling up!
  Discounted rooms at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas are filling up fast. Register now for the WEDI National Conference, being held May 13-16, and book your room immediately to reserve your space and lock in the discounted room rate. Sign up for the conference now to also save up to $200 on your event registration. Learn more about the WEDI National Conference.     

• WEDI webinars now available online
  Did you miss a WEDI webinar due to a scheduling conflict? Several key webinars from 2012, 2011 and 2010 are now available for purchase on the WEDI website. Visit the WEDI website to view the various resources available to you. Purchase the webinar now and have access to it within minutes. All future WEDI webinars will be made available online for those who cannot attend the live events.     

SmartQuote

You can do anything in this world if you are prepared to take the consequences." --W. Somerset Maugham, British writer