http://ehrscope.com/blog EHRScope Blog Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:42:06 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As we saw last time, Section 164.308(a)(1) of HIPAA requires you to conduct a risk analysis.  We covered some basic definitions to help you understand what a risk analysis is, and what it involves.  This week, we cover some basic categories of vulnerabilities and threats, which you must identify as ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/who%e2%80%99s-who-%e2%80%93-vulnerabilities-and-threats/ Magazines and newspapers are spilling much ink over Personal Health Records (PHRs), the latest piece of IT that will fix healthcare. I asked my small-practice doctor a few weeks ago what he would do if a patient presented him with a PHR. Not much, he answered (first I had ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/phrs-the-next-big-thing/ In January 2007, New Haven, Conn. received a $3 million grant from the Center for Community Health Leadership to help the city create a community-wide health information exchange (HIE) to support the exchange of data with community physicians. Saint Raphael Health System, which championed the grant application, is hosting the technology ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/new-haven-scanning-the-environment-to-capitalize-on-emerging/ The first step towards compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule is to perform a risk assessment on your system.   You aren’t required to do this yourself- you may choose to hire a consultant- but you will be expected to understand the assessment findings.  So what are ‘risks’, and how are ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/security-risks-what%e2%80%99s-the-rule/ So you’ve decided to join the EMR revolution.  Welcome!  But where to begin?  The field is booming- new companies are springing up every day.  With so many to choose from, how do you know who to trust?  What should you be looking for in an EMR solution provider?  Here are ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/emr-implementation-progress-or-problems/ Managed care and big business continue to step up to the plate in driving IT adoption to improve healthcare quality and lower costs.   This is natural since doctors certainly can't be relied upon to do so, and payors and employers feel the economic pinch most.  Payors are granting technology to ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/follow-the-money/ Evidence-based medicine is often admired but seldom practiced.  It is rarely practiced because few physicians have the time to critically appraise the medical literature; an unfortunate reality considering the impact on quality of care, and the fact it could be changed. When integrated into an electronic health record (EHR) system, evidence ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/the-benefits-of-evidence-based-medicine-in-ehr-systems/ When health care professionals consider security they are generally thinking of their patient's privacy, and what will happen to their sense of ownership as they move from paper charts to electronic data storage. Although highly sensitive to the cost of transitioning to a paperless office, many physicians lack the time or ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/financial-security-for-health-care-professionals-the-effect-of-it-on-livelihood/ By Lawrence Gordon, MD, CEO of Waiting Room Solutions   Are you thinking of taking the plunge and instituting an Electronic Health Record in your practice?  Before you do, consider web-based software as an alternative to the traditional on premises software.  Many other industries have accepted Software as a Service (SaaS) as ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/are-you-thinking-of-using-a-web-based-ehr/ By Tripp Weeks, President of XLEMR            Perhaps you have heard some of the nightmare stories about EMR implementations. You have certainly heard about the disasters and train wrecks. It seems the negative gets the most press. In reality, however, thousands of EMR installations have been successful and are providing increased productivity ... http://ehrscope.com/blog/where-the-rubber-meets-the-road/