Top Story

• Mostashari: Care coordination, payment and value fuel HIE growth
  Most groups that already are exchanging health data cite business value for patients and doctors as the key driver for HIEs. On the whole, HIEs are "trending toward care coordination, trending to the arc of payment, trending toward value, not volume," National HIT Coordinator Dr. Farzad Mostashari said during a joint HIT Policy and Standards Committees hearing. Government Health IT online (1/30)     

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EHRs and MU

• Ga. provider to use Epic EMR system
  Piedmont Newnan Hospital announced it will implement the Epic EMR and practice management system today. The Georgia provider expects the system to streamline the payment process for patients, as well as help its physicians, nurses and other staff easily access patient data, such as test results and reports. The Times-Herald (Newnan, Ga.) (1/30)     

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Advancing Care With IT

• Mobile app aims to help patients find quality docs
  BetterDoctor recently unveiled a mobile application to help patients look for quality dentists, pediatricians, general practitioners, OB/GYNs and optometrists in their area. The free app, which works on the iPhone, searches by location and insurance and gives users a list of doctors based on their education, affiliations, referral data and patient reviews. GigaOm (1/31)     

Technology Trends

• Health care groups request security of Channel 37 spectrum band
  A coalition of health care organizations, including the American Hospital Association's American Society for Healthcare Engineering, recommended the Federal Communications Commission secure the Channel 37 spectrum band used by hospitals to operate wireless medical devices. "The potential threat to patient safety created by the widespread use of unlicensed devices operating co-channel to WMTS devices is too great to allow such devices to 'share' this band," according to the group. AHA News Now (1/28)     

• Utah Senate passes data protection bill
  A bill that would mandate that Utah's Department of Technology Services secure personal data by following industry best practices has been approved by the state Senate. The proposal was designed to help prevent future data breaches, such as the one that compromised the health information of around 780,000 patients last March. The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah) (1/31)     

• Software developer completes acquisition of ACO services provider
  Medecision has finalized its acquisition of Cerecons to boost the services it offers to accountable care organizations. The company also confirmed the appointment of Cerecons CEO Philip Paul as an executive vice president for Medecision. Health Data Management (1/30)     

HIE

• HIE readiness survey tool unveiled by WVHIN
  A Web-based survey tool was posted by the West Virginia Health Information Network to help providers evaluate how prepared they are to use their EHRs to link to the state's HIE network. "The survey helps the WVHIN understand the providers' connectivity goals, baseline their EHR system capability to connect to the WVHIN and to gather general information about their organization," said Amber Nary, WVHIN business development manager. Modern Healthcare (subscription required) (1/31)     

Events Calendar

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

2/19	National HIPAA Summit HCCA, Feb. 19 to 21, Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. or online

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.

Click here to view the complete calendar of events

Career Track

• Ga. university to launch health informatics degree program
  Georgia State University will enroll students in its new Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Health Informatics program this fall, with applications due March 15. The program was created through a partnership between the university's business school and school of nursing. American City Business Journals/Atlanta/A Healthy Conversation blog (1/31)     

• HIT firm names new managing director for Philadelphia office
  Brian Selfridge was hired by Meditology Services as managing director for the firm's office in Philadelphia. Selfridge previously served as AtlantiCare's chief information security officer. Modern Healthcare (subscription required) (1/31)     

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.     

• Take the WEDI ICD-10 Progress Survey
  The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) is conducting a survey of ICD-10 preparedness. The questions are geared toward an organization's status and how the one-year delay affected plans. The information will be used to inform WEDI, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other organizations about the state of ICD-10 readiness. It also can help plan how to assist vendors, health plans and health care providers in meeting the Oct. 1, 2014, deadline. All types of health care organizations are encouraged to participate in the WEDI ICD-10 Progress Survey online. The survey closes Feb. 20. For more information, contact Samantha Holvey at WEDI (202-618-8803).     

SmartQuote

Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat." --F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer