Semantic Interoperability on Steriods
over at MBlog.
<MBP.COMBAT/>
Smart Phone Electronic Medical Record / Mobile Contactless Payment / Remote Monitoring, Developments Toward...
<ed.note>Since vendors are looking at remote monitoring for disease management I should list those as well. I'll also be on the look out for sensors which are car-based now that wi-fi is available in automobiles. There are some parallel developments which I guess I should mention: Major League Baseball and other event vendors as well as transportation providers and social networks are putting the cell phone closer to the center of their business models. ( Robert Neelbauer on social graphs here -- cells will eventually be tracked by them. ) Of course, on the other end of the spectrum is home automation.</ed.note>
Phillips (still using POTS lines)
Qualcomm
Nokia's Intellisync Call Connect for Cisco
Shout out to http://www.wirelesshealthcare.co.uk who usually gets these stories before anyone else.
The Tech Scene: Banking by Cell Phone - This Time It's for Real?,
Use of Mobile and Wireless Technology Jumps in Hospitals,
iPhone ? ? ? ( Remember Osirix ), icefirst, liferecord, Access, aKos, ARANZ Medical, Asia eHealth presentations, Banco do Brasil, Blackberry [2], Diebold, Docobo, ebay VOIP (Skype), Gemalto, Google [2][3][4], INSIDE Contactless, J/Speedy, mBlox, mFoundry, Microsoft, m-Wallet, Obopay, payWave, Mayo Clinic InTouch, NTT DoCoMo, PayPal Credit Card, Privium, Samsung, telSpace, Telzuit's Bio-Patch PDA,
Telemedicine & eHealth Directory 2005, Verisign, ViVOtech, FeliCa, [2], Mifare [2], NFC Forum, Blackberry, Ubuntu mobile, Globe Telecom and Smart Communications
Wired for Health Quality Act
here. <ed.note>Note: Sec. 403. Facilitating the Provision of Telehealth Services Across State Lines</ed.note>
HR-XML Adds Support for Healthcare Savings Accounts
post here:
Health care spending account (HSA) support. Under the U.S. tax code, an HSA is a tax-exempt account established exclusively for the purpose of paying qualified medical expenses. A requirement for an HSA is for the account beneficary to be covered by a high-deductible health plan — a plan type supported by the USTierCoverage component of HR-XML’s enrollment schema. See the revised Enrollment documentation for details, but the HSA support involved relatively minor changes to the USTierCoverage component. Several changes also were made to the USSpendingAccountCoverage component to better handle other types of spending account enrollments (healthcare reimbursement accounts, flexible spending accounts (FSAs), dependent care spending accounts, etc.).
LinkedIn OpenHealthCare Group Launched
<ed.note>In order to better network between the various OS efforts touching healthcare I asked LinkedIn to set up a group. If you're a biz dev, booster, coder, contributor, venture-type, the invite is here.</ed.note>
Navigant Capital Advisors Healthcare Services "Quarterly Dialogue"
<ed.note>I met Brad at a Medical Banking Project function and he has been kind enough to keep me in the loop:</ed.note>
2007 continues to be a strong period for the healthcare sector on top of a record year in 2006 as over 250 transactions were announced in Q1. Due to continued liquidity and a buoyant lending market, private equity groups have gained further purchasing power in the marketplace in pursuit of high growth sectors, such as healthcare services and healthcare information technology. Notable first quarter transactions include:
- In the information services sector, The Blackstone Group's $3.3 billion cash acquisition of Cardinal Health's Pharmaceutical Technologies and Services business unit;
- In the alternate site sector, Texas Pacific Group's announcement to acquire HealthSouth's Surgery Division for $945 million; and
- In the long-term care sector, Formation Capital and JER Partners' $1.3 billion buyout of Genesis Healthcare.
In addition to the volume of healthcare M&A transactions, underlying valuations continue to be lofty, as numerous transactions were completed at acquisition multiples in excess of 10.0x TTM EBITDA. Further, public equity returns through Q1 were equally impressive; 12%-15% returns enjoyed in the healthcare distribution, healthcare information technology and long-term care segments. Given these factors and the overall market performance within the healthcare services sector, we expect significant transaction volumes for the remainder of 2007.
In response to these market trends and our sole focus on serving the middle market, the Investment Banking Group at Navigant Capital Advisors has enjoyed significant success having completed more than $1.7 billion of merger, acquisition, divestiture, and recapitalization transactions over the past year. In combination with our cadre of dedicated restructuring professionals, the NCA Investment Banking team now numbers more than 50 professionals, led by seasoned deal professionals focusing on the middle market transaction needs of companies, private equity groups, lenders, and management teams competing in the Healthcare, Business Services, Consumer Products & Specialty Retailing, Industrial Growth, and Insurance sectors.
We welcome your comments and hope that you continue to find our Quarterly Dialogue informative.
Best regards,
Brad Burkett
bburkett@navigantcapitaladvisors.com
Cerner HSA Card [ was: Medical Banking's Vision Preposterous [ Just don't tell Cerner's CEO Neal Patterson ]]
"Cerner to extend health plan ID, payment card to other employers", By Julius A. Karash, The Kansas City Star
UDEF and Electronic Health Records
Ron Schuldt writes:
For those who have not read the President’s Health Information Technology Plan, I recommend that you see the following
I offer the following based on my assumption that an individual’s electronic health record will include topics such as:
Electronic Health Record Information (identification)
Patient Information (identification, address, phone number, date of birth, gender)
Primary Care Doctor Information (identification, address, phone number)
Insurance Coverage Information (identification, address, phone number)
Medical Conditions (identification and time period)
Medical Treatment Process (identification and time period)
Medical Treatment Substances (identification and time period)
Assuming the above topics and probably others are expected to be an integral part of an individual’s electronic health record, I offer the following UDEF names and IDs for each topic. Note: Proposed UDEF extensions are in italics
New Banking Innovations For Better Healthcare At Fifth National Medical Banking Institute
Current Registration Fee Extended to February 28, 2007
Franklin, TN (February 21, 2007) Join thought leaders from Harvard Medical School, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), the National Governors Association (NGA), the National Alliance for Healthcare Information Technology (NAHIT), Booz Allen Hamilton, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BearingPoint and many others at the Fifth National Medical Banking Institute, located at the beautiful Marietta Conference and Resort Center from March 5-7, 2007.
Register Today & Save: http://www.mbproject.org/5MBI2007_registration.php
Our agenda outlines the emergence of an eHealth ecosystem and provides invaluable insight about how banks can assist in the national build-out for both administrative and clinical messaging.
The 1600 employer-strong Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) will chair a new Value In Health Educational Track after moderating a Large Employer Panel featuring Pitney Bowes, Wachovia and Sanofi-aventis (the third largest pharmaceutical manufacturing firm in the world). Through the efforts of a new MBProject/AIAG Joint Taskgroup on Value In Health, a delegate from the Board of the recently announced Dossia Project, that is implementing some 3 million PHRs for employees of Intel, Wal-Mart, Pitney Bowes, BP, Cardinal Health and others, is presenting and participating in MBProject's E/PHR Use Case working sessions at the Institute.
A new 'Medical Banking Blog' (MBlog) is capturing the 'Institute Buzz', and recently interviewed Roy Ramthun, former economic advisor to President Bush in the area of health savings accounts (see MBlog at www.mblog.mbproject.org ) or visit our home page at www.mbproject.org and click on ?MBlog?. Ramthun kicks off Day 2 (March 7th) of the Institute and is followed by national health IT strategist Scott Wallace, President/CEO of NAHIT, who will focus on what?s needed today to move the eHealth agenda forward. We?ll then hear a senior officer at Booz Allen Hamilton talk about the ?MegaCommunity Model? that has been used around the world to convene leaders around complex social issues.
The Institute, guided by a new President?s Council comprised of ACS, Mellon, PNC Bank, McKesson and Subimo/WebMD, offers seven educational tracks, five concurrent sessions, insightful plenary sessions with industry leaders, workgroups focused on the 'HSA Accumulator' and bank-driven E/PHRs. Attendees include high level executives from leading banks, financial services firms, healthcare stakeholders, privacy and consumer groups and others.
The Exante Networking Reception at Brumby Hall and Gardens provides an exceptional forum for networking with colleagues.
The National Medical Banking Institute is proud to recognize its sponsors. For more information about each firm, please click on the link provided below.
-- Educational Grantor: Exante Financial Services www.exantefinancialservices.com
-- Platinum Sponsors: Sanofi-aventis www.sanofi-aventis.com; ACS www.acs-inc.com
-- Gold Sponsors: Fifth Third Bank www.53.com; PNC Bank www.pnc.com
-- Silver Sponsor: Cerner www.cerner.com
Our Speakers:
--Ann Mond Johnson, President, Subimo/WebMD
--Bill Marvin, President, CEO & Founder, InstaMed
--Bob Nay, Director, Financial Services Convergence, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida
--B.P. Fulmer, President, Medical Banking Institute; Executive Director, Commercial EDI, ACS
--Brian R. Kelly, Director of Finance & Business Dev., University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Strategic Business Initiatives, Incline Healthcare Solutions
--Christopher Queram, President & CEO, The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality
--Dan Johnson, President & CEO, SearchAmerica
--David Harris, National Healthcare Revenue Cycle Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
--David Hom, Human Resources ? Strategic Initiatives, Pitney Bowes, Inc.
--David McCallie Jr., MD, VP, Medical Informatics, Cerner Corporation
--Dean Mason, President, UnitedHealthcare/Exante Bank
--Devika Kumar, Associate VP, Revenue Cycle Services, QHR
--Eric Racine, Pharm.D., Associate VP, Employers & Quality Associations, US Managed Markets, Sanofi-aventis
--Isaac S. Kohane, MD, Ph.D., Assoc. Professor of Pediatrics & Health Sciences & Technology, Director, Children?s Hospital Informatics Program, Children?s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
--James Dean, Sr. Manager, Financial Services Practice, BearingPoint
--James F. Kragh, Founder, President & CEO, Good Health Network
--Joseph A. Fortuna, M.D., Medical Director, E&C and AHG Divisions, Delphi Corp/Automotive Industry Action Group
--John Casillas, BS, CT (ASCP), Chair, Medical Banking Institute; Executive Director & Founder, The Medical Banking Project (Keynote)
--John Hardin, B2B Product Manager, SOA/Business Integration, Sun Microsystems
--John Lindquist, President & CEO, Electronic Warfare Associates, Information & Infrastructure Technologies
--June St. John, CTP, Sr. VP, Treasury Services, HSA Product Manager, Wachovia
--Karen M. Bell, MD, MMS , Director, Office of Health IT Adoption, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dept. of Health & Human Services
--Katherine C. Haley, Legislative Assistant on Social Policy, US Representative Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
--Kathleen Nolan, Health Division Director, National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices
--Kelly Birch, VP Sales & Channels, Exante Financial Services
--Kimberly Darling, Founder & President, Competitive Health
--Lori Daugherty, President & CEO, WorkingRx
--Mark Trail, Chief, Medical Assistance Plans, Dept of Community Health, State of Georgia
--Maureen L. Turo, VP, Healthcare Market Specialist, Mellon Financial Corp.
--Michael Connors, Executive Advisor, Booz Allen Hamilton
--Dr. Michael L. Nelson, Director, Business Development, Health Market Science
--Paul G. Chicos, President & CEO, E-Duction
--Reggie Van Lee, Sr. VP, Booz Allen Hamilton
--Rex Brooks, President & CEO, Starbourne Communications Design
--Richard Flores, VP, Revenue Cycle Operations, LifePoint Hospitals
--Richard Whitmer, CEO, Insight Healthcare Financial
--Richard E. Williams, Director, Portfolio Management Group, ACS
--Roy Ramthun, President, HSA Consulting Services, former Sr. Health Policy Advisor to President George W. Bush
--Scott Fad, Corporate Director, Projects & Planning, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Delaware
--Scott Krah, VP & Healthcare Product Executive, Healthcare Solutions, Fifth Third Bank
--Scott Wallace, President & CEO, National Alliance for Healthcare Information Technology, Chair, Commission on Systemic Interoperability, Dept of Health & Human Services
--Shawn A. Jenkins, President & CEO, Benefitfocus
--Thomas J. Hricik, National Director, HSA Product Distribution, ACS /Mellon HSA Solution, ACS
--Vincent Marzula, VP and Product Group Manager, Treasury Management Division, PNC Bank
--William A. Howard, Jr., Executive VP, Markets, Fiserv Health
About the Medical Banking Project
The Medical Banking Project (a.k.a. "MBProject") is a policy research, strategic advisory and Industry Action Group that is increasingly member-driven. We facilitate ?medical banking? ? a latent market development evolving from the integration of banking and healthcare systems ? through educational forums and industry initiatives that inform policy and commerce. MBProject is spearheading two related initiatives: a global, open source software platform ("C.O.M.B.A.T. - Cooperative Open-source Medical Banking Architecture & Technology") to combat rising healthcare costs using medical banking principles and technology; and, a fee-based, bank-driven community system ("Charitable Communities Network™") to coordinate safety net healthcare access for the unbanked and underserved. The initiatives demonstrate how banks can deliver substantive cost benefits to care givers, health plans, employers and consumers. For more information please go to http://www.mbproject.org. Medical Banking™ is a trademark of the Medical Banking Project (a.k.a. MBProject).
Contact: Evelyn Marquez Sanchez
615-794-2009
info@mbproject.org
MBProject Sharpens Aim to C.O.M.B.A.T. Healthcare Costs
The Medical Banking Project announced its first pilot effort – the “HSA Accumulator Use Case” – under its national reference architecture program dubbed “C.O.M.B.A.T.”, short for “Cooperative Open-source Medical Banking Architecture & Technology”. The effort uses advanced banking systems to fight against rising healthcare costs.
The Use Case targets a critical problem in consumer-driven healthcare; namely, on-demand access to how much a patient owes when using a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). Because this is often difficult to determine, financial risk by hospitals and physicians under the HDHP formula is expected to increase and this will adversely impact adoption.
“Much like credit card firms authorize payment at the counter, care providers should be able to ascertain what the HDHP patient owes and get paid in real time whenever possible,” said John Casillas, Founder of MBProject. “The issue is troubling employers because they are investing in new consumer-driven plans and want to see them succeed. Accordingly, we’re delighted that Exante Bank and United Healthcare is providing seed funding for this project. Our member banks and financial services firms are also participating to broaden adoption of an open solution.”
The Project organized two national meetings in 2006 (Atlanta/September; Chicago/November) resulting in the organization of workgroups that will meet at the 5th National Medical Banking Institute (March 5-7, 2007 in Marietta, Georgia), open to the public. Registration for the 2-day event is available at http://www.mbproject.org.
“We needed an open forum that could build cross-industry consensus around a hybrid transaction so we turned to MBProject,” said Dean Mason, President of Exante Bank, an operating unit of United Healthcare. The open standard will incorporate seamless transfer of available and/or credited funds from Health Savings Accounts, and will be comprised of existing banking and healthcare standards that incorporate HIPAA and relevant banking requirements.
MBProject asked David Harris, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to facilitate the development of the business requirements at member sessions. “MBProject offers a consensus-based program to standardize cross-industry data exchanges. Their program is supplemented by extensive and ongoing education,” Harris said. “Facilitating adoption of this transaction is important for building out HSAs and other hybrid solutions in the marketplace.” Harris chairs MBProject’s HSA Workgroup and writes a “Dr. HSA” column for the MBProject website.
MBProject Member ACS sponsored an initial meeting in Atlanta to isolate issues in real time processing. “We bring a real world operating perspective to the table,” said BP Fulmer, Executive Director, Commercial EDI, ACS, “because we do real time adjudication of Medicaid claims in some areas of the country as well as deliver real time eligibility and status reporting – both key components to a solution.” Fulmer is President of the National Medical Banking Institute and heads its President’s Council with leading domain experts in banking and healthcare.
MBProject’s C.O.M.B.A.T. Initiative compiles existing standards and open source components to build out a testing harness and prove a new class of software code called “mbXML”. The program has attracted a growing cadre of global firms like Disney, Sanofi-Aventis, Visa, PNC Bank, McKesson, Wachovia, US Bank, Fifth Third Bank and most recently Sun Microsystems, among others.
“We looked at what they were doing and decided it was ‘Sun-sized’,” said Peter Berkman, Senior Director, Composite Applications and Platforms, Sun Microsystems, a global leader in open standards and information technology. “We joined MBProject because we believe there are opportunities to reduce healthcare costs using the medical banking approach and we’re very pleased to team with the pioneers of this strategy. They are obviously highly committed to making it happen.” Sun will host the C.O.M.B.A.T. platform and has assigned full time resources to build out a new “medical banking ecosystem that is global in nature”.
“Our work is multi-domain and long term in nature,” Casillas said. “When we addressed privacy and security policy in 2001 we believed that a testing platform could demonstrate the efficacy of utilizing banking systems for healthcare. At that time the discussion around the convergence of healthcare and banking was not prevalent and we had to pioneer the dialogue and articulate models that could leverage banks to reduce healthcare costs. Today medical banking discussions are emerging around the globe. Our Members are fully engaged and we’re energized about how new cross-industry innovations in this arena will tackle critical healthcare challenges.”
To learn more about medical banking and the C.O.M.B.A.T. HSA Accumulator Use Case, plan to attend the Fifth National Medical Banking Institute on March 5-7, 2007 at the Marietta Conference Center and Resort in Marietta, Georgia.
To register, see: http://www.mbproject.org/5MBI2007_registration.php
For more information on C.O.M.B.A.T., see: http://www.mbproject.org/combat-homepage.php
For questions please call MBProject offices at 615.794.2009.
SUN and the Medical Banking Project
<ed.note>This is an excerpt of John Hardin's and Peter Berkman's B2B Musings post of Sep 26, 2006</ed.note>
As we head for market leadership in the B2B space, there are lots of opportunities to provide direction and form new marketplace movements. One that is looking to be a truly disruptive set of activities is the newly emerging Medical Banking Project and it's COMBAT Initiative. Lead by John Casillas, the Medical Banking Project (http://www.mbproject.org) is a think-tank and policy organization that is committed to helping banks understand and enter the medical data processing field.
Since banks handle payments for medical payers through a process called "lockbox", they view and process information about the medical care delivered to patients. Lockbox refers to processing paper checks for payers, essentially turning them into EDI payment processes. This activity forced banks to recognize that they are subject to HIPAA regulatory requirements.
Since banks are now subject to HIPAA, and since traditional healthcare data movement processes are so paper-intensive, slow and really not so efficient, the banks are looking to lead the healthcare data processing market into a real-time, "ATM-like" environment. Increasing the banks' exposure and responsibilities in the medical data processing field is also the FSA / HSA health plan movement - which uses traditional bank accounts along with payment cards. So banks are positioned to become prime data-movers for healthcare, with consumers of that data on both the commercial side and the consumer side.
So banks both large and small (PNCBank, USBank, Wachovia, ABN/AMRO, Bank of America, etc), along with health plans / TPA's (United Healthcare and others), and also some very large employers (Disney, Chrysler and others in the Automotive Industry) are all working together in the COMBAT initiative. COMBAT stands for "Cooperative Opensource Medical Banking Architecture and Technology". The mission is to "To combat the rising costs of healthcare using medical banking principles and technology." See more at http://www.mbproject.org/combat-homepage.php. The overall goal is to create and demonstrate a Proof of Concept which will be a long-living technology showcase for the nation.
Sun is now a member of the Medical Banking Project, and we are leading the way for the MBProject for technology to accomplish the goal. Turning the healthcare data market into a real-time "ATM-like" network will take some very large changes, but Sun's Java CAPS and B2B teams are ready for the challenge. If you would like more information about the Medical Banking Project, it's COMBAT project, or Sun B2B, please contact john.hardin@sun.com or peter.berkman@sun.com...
<ed.note>John Casillas notes in a recent email that Sun is a new, strategic member for MBProject and will help us to launch a centralized medical banking platform that can test/stage new standards. Sun Microsystems is dedicating two full time resources for the C.O.M.B.A.T. Initiative. The C.O.M.B.A.T. Platform will be hosted on a Sun Grid. MBP will be making announcements soon about C.O.M.B.A.T. meetings (including a planned workshop at the Institute chaired by HIMSS). </ed.note>
The Banks Are Coming
| Dec. 2006, Philip Betbeze, healthleadersmedia |
| Technological innovation and savvy marketing are hallmarks of the financial services industry. Both have allowed financial institutions to automate and perfect a variety of complex transactions involving stock trading, annuities, 401(k) accounts, individual retirement accounts—all in the name of saving time and money. Lately, financial leaders have begun to investigate how to use their transaction expertise to transform another industry: healthcare. While bringing their own houses to an unprecedented level of automation, financial institutions have long cast a covetous gaze at healthcare’s inefficient billing, collecting and reimbursement. Now, as the employer-based health insurance model continues to deteriorate, consumers are shouldering an increasing percentage of costs and playing a growing role in healthcare decision-making. Such consumer engagement means the healthcare sector is paying closer attention to goals such as transparent pricing, standardized quality measures and electronic medical record-keeping. But as mass media outlets focus on skyrocketing premiums, they’ve largely missed a strong underlying shift--that financial institutions may soon wield heavy indirect influence in healthcare through their custodianship of health savings accounts. By 2010, consumer-directed health plans coupled with HSAs will make up 24 percent of the commercial insurance market, Forrester Research predicts. Someone will have to service—and safeguard—the billions in deposits that will accompany such penetration. With HSAs predicted to total as many as 25 million accounts by 2010 with $75 billion in assets and deposits, according to consulting firm DiamondCluster International, former healthcare outsiders have learned that by cutting prices and raising value, they can make a lot of money. |
ASC X12 WEDI Real-Time Adjudication Conference – Schedule Overview
DAY 1, Tuesday, February 13, 2007
7:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.: Conference Registration
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.: Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Welcome Presentation & Conference Overview
Dan Kazzaz, ASC X12 Chair
Jim Whicker, WEDI Chair
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.: Current State of Batch Claim Processing
J Robert Barbour, VP Finance for MD Services & Tech Development, Montefiore
Medical Center
Rick Click, CIO, Molina Healthcare
Brian Cutler, President, Mercury Data Exchange
10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Networking Break
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Spurring Healthcare into “Real-Time” Through
Collaboration
Jim Lacy, CFO & General Counsel, ZirMed
Fran Watkins, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
Kenneth Willman, Director of Provider Interface, Humana
Ginger Wright, HIPAA Compliance Manager, The Availity Health Information
Network
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Conference Luncheon
1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: Roadblocks to Real-Time Adjudication
Lynne Gilbertson, Director of Standards Development, NCPDP
Gwendolyn Lohse, Project Director, CAQH
Maggie Ohara or Tara Mondock, IVANS
Fred Richards, CTO, HTP, Inc.
2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Really Real Time Implementations of Real-Time Adjudication
David Boucher, AVP of Healthcare Service, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
Allen DeGraw, Founder & CEO, Post-N-Track Corporation
Barnet Dreistadt, Director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
Amy Hinrichs, Director, Provider Portal, UnitedHealthGroup
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Networking Break
Continue reading "ASC X12 WEDI Real-Time Adjudication Conference – Schedule Overview" »
Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council
The PCI Security Standards Council is an open global forum for the ongoing development, enhancement, storage, dissemination and implementation of security standards for account data protection.
The PCI Security Standards Council’s mission is to enhance payment account data security by fostering broad adoption of the PCI Security Standards. The organization was founded by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide, and Visa International.
By establishing an independent body to govern the security standards for the payments industry, the founding members of the PCI Security Standards Council are creating a unified, global system that is more accessible and efficient for all stakeholders – merchants, processors, point-of-sale vendors, financial institutions, and payment companies alike.
The PCI Security Standards Council owns, develops, maintains and distributes the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS). To improve compliance and reduce costs and lead times for implementation of the standard, the PCI Security Standards Council also defines qualifications for Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) and Approved Scanning Vendors (ASVs); and trains, tests and certifies QSAs and ASVs.
5th National Medical Banking Institute Educational Track Chairs
The Medical Banking Project announced its Educational Track Chairs for the 5th National Medical Banking Institute – a slate of global leaders that will oversee programming centered around the Institute’s 2007 Theme – A Digital Pathway to Better Health.
“Our Track Chairs and faculty demonstrate our continued outreach to new stakeholders that are impacted by medical banking,” explains John Casillas, Executive Director of MBProject and Institute Chair. “These groups improve cross-industry dialogue at the Institute and we believe this is essential for developing new medical banking programs in the marketplace.”
Among the Chairs is the influential 1600 employer-strong Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). “Embracing the banking community in our drive for higher quality healthcare is a strategic initiative we are pursuing with MBProject,” said Joe Fortuna, MD, Medical Director, Delphi Corporation and manager of AIAG’s Health Focus group. Fortuna worked with Casillas to spearhead a new Joint Taskgroup for Value In Health that seeks to integrate value in health areas of practice with medical banking models by supporting demonstration programs.
MBProject announced a Repeat Educational Track at the Institute, making a total of 6 tracks, as well as a Medical Banking Venture Capital Forum that will attract investment bankers and entrepreneurs. “Educational excellence and a new capital-raising forum demonstrate MBProject’s longstanding commitment to pioneer and facilitate the medical banking industry”, said BP Fulmer, Executive Director, Commercial EDI for ACS, who is President of the National Medical Banking Institute series.
The Educational Track Chairs of the 5th National Medical Banking Institute include:
• Track 1: Bank-Driven Revenue Cycle Management – Devika Kumar, Associate VP, Revenue Cycle Services, QHR LLC, Brentwood, TN
• Track 2: Electronic/Personal Healthcare Records - Pam Matthews, FHIMSS, Director of Business Information Systems, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Blue Ridge, GA
• Track 3: Value In Health - Joe Fortuna, MD, Medical Director, Delphi Corp., Troy, MI; Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) Healthcare Focus, Detroit, MI
• Track 4: Innovations in Consumer-Driven Healthcare Track - Kirsten B. Trusko, Sr. Manager, Financial Services, BearingPoint Inc., Danville, CA
• Track 5: Medical Banking 101 - John Casillas, Executive Director, MBProject, Franklin, TN
• Track 6: Repeat Track Programming - Maureen Turo, VP, Healthcare Market Specialist, Mellon Financial Corp., Pittsburgh, PA; Chair, President's Council, Medical Banking Institute
Plenary sessions include a Global Pandemic Influenza Panel with guests from the World Bank and World Healthcare Organization; Better Partnerships for Healthcare: Banks Unite With Health Plans featuring synergistic models between banks and health plans; an Independent Health Record Banking Panel will review the IHRB Act of 2006; The Megacommunity Model, a concept developed by Booz Allen Hamilton that examines leading multi-stakeholder initiatives designed to solve complex community problems; HSA Policy & Directions by Roy Ranthum, former Senior Health Policy Advisor to President Bush, a C.O.M.B.A.T. Initiative update and much more.
Special room rates are available; Early registration is strongly recommended. A Networking Reception will be held at the beautiful Brumby House and Gardens located on the hotel property with a view of the Kennesaw Mountain.
Early Bird Registration (expires 12/15/2006): http://www.mbproject.org/5MBI2007_registration.php
Institute Agenda: http://www.mbproject.org/5MBI2007_Agenda.php
For questions please call MBProject offices at 615.794.2009, The Medical Banking Project, 320 Main Street, Suite 230, Franklin, TN 37064.
About the Medical Banking Project
The Medical Banking Project (a.k.a. "MBProject") is a policy research, strategic advisory and Industry Action Group that is increasingly member-driven. We facilitate “medical banking” – a latent market development evolving from the integration of banking and healthcare systems – through educational forums and industry initiatives that inform policy and commerce. MBProject is spearheading two related initiatives: a global, open source software platform ("C.O.M.B.A.T. - Cooperative Open-source Medical Banking Architecture & Technology™") to combat rising healthcare costs using medical banking principles and technology; and, a fee-based, bank-driven community system ("Charitable Communities Network™") to coordinate safety net healthcare access for the unbanked and underserved. The initiatives demonstrate how banks can deliver substantive cost benefits to care givers, health plans, employers and consumers.
MBProject organized a 14 month lecture series from 2003 - 2005 that changed the national dialogue in medical banking from compliance to interoperability. This set the stage for our national institutes, which feature a new generation of banking models to improve healthcare for consumers. For more information please go to http://www.mbproject.org.
ebBP News - ebBP in OASIS Standard Vote!
Everyone, The ebBP v2.0.4 vote for OASIS Standard vote began 16 November (vote: http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/ballot.php?id=1150) and continues to 30 November 2006. The response thus far has been favorable. In support of business collaboration, ebBP is a valuable addition to the OASIS Standard specification set and to the marketplace. We encourage those that work with OASIS or have voting organizational members to cast their affirmative ballot by 30 November 2006 and to enable the next step to promote to ISO-15000 standard. For those of you that have voted or encouraged your community to do so, we appreciate the support. For others, we trust you will pass along this information on our behalf.
The ebBP (ebXML Business Process Specification Schema) is a business collaboration process standard useful for monitoring rather than an executable language. The ebBP enables the collaborative or eBusiness processes relevant to trading partners across enterprises or collaborating parties. It could also map to WS-BPEL that engage processes within an enterprise.As a business collaboration definition targeted specifically for and developed by business communities, ebBP is well-positioned for eBusiness. For example, our TC has worked with user communities in Italy, the Netherlands, Asia, and the United Kingdom on sample or actual real-world process definitions. We've also worked with Universal Business Language (UBL) to create modular process definitions that support that OASIS standard and ebBP.
The permanent locations for the v2.04 packages are found at: http://docs.oasis-open.org/ebxml-bp/2.0.4/. The public web site is located at: http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=ebxml-bp.
ebBP is also in the news:
1. METU has provided an updated ebBP Editor Tool. See: http://sourceforge.net/cvs/?group_id=154705. Their cumulative efforts are important to eHealth and to the domain of businessprocess in general. Congratulations to METU!
2. We've now posted sample Japanese process definitions from JEITA. See: http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/download.php/20133/ecom-jeita-ebbp-samples-definitions-aug2006.zip.
3. ebBP and the framework ebXML technologies were recently featured at Linux World. Stay tuned for more information.
4. More is to come too from Object Management Group as ebBP has contributed to their work on Business Process Definition Metamodel (BPDM) and Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN). The experience around and requirements for choreography and business collaboration from ebBP experts has positively received by those groups. As their work evolves, so will the functionality to support our primary areas of interest.
All referenced information and more is available on our public web site that includes:
The ebBP TC would greatly appreciate your support and vote for advancing ebBP to OASIS Standard.
Regards.
Dale Moberg, US Axway
Monica J. Martin, Sun Microsystems
[for the OASIS ebXML Business Process TC (ebBP)]
A National Summit: Moving Toward Interoperability - Technologies for Accessible, Affordable Healthcare October 18-19, 2006 [ Updated ]
Presentations available online here.
NIST Administration Building, Gaithersburg, MD
Keynote Address:
Michael O. Leavitt (confirmed)
Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Carlos M. Gutierrez (invited)
Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce
Craig R. Barrett (confirmed)
Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation
Just Announced...
Keynote Address (Day Two):
Mike Magee, MD, Director, Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative and Vice President, Science and Medical Advocacy, Pfizer Inc. (confirmed)
This is a unique opportunity where government and industry will come together to chart a path toward a far-reaching vision for connected, home-based health technologies through public-private partnerships.
Five session topics will cover today's interoperability issues, such as:
- Market Drivers and Societal Issues
- Technology Gaps and Barriers Networked, Interoperable Solutions
- Device Standardization and Interoperability of Equipment
- EHR and PHR Standards as a Foundation for Future Digital Healthcare Systems
Register Today!
Register online now. The registration fee is $195 and includes meals, summit materials, and transportation to and from the NIST facilities to the Gaithersburg Holiday Inn.
Hotel and Travel
Reserve a hotel room at the Gaithersburg Holiday Inn. A limited number of rooms are available for the rate of $104 per night. Book online or call (301) 948-8900 to make your reservation . Please refer to the "NIST/Moving Toward Interoperability Workshop" room block. The group booking code is MTI.
Posters and Case Studies
Interact with researchers at universities, companies and government on technologies to support our aging population during our poster networking session.
Questions?
Contact Rebecca Scritchfield
E-mail: rscritchfield@agingtech.org
Tel: (202) 508-9416
Official Event Web site: http://www.itl.nist.gov/Healthcare%20Summit/intro.htm
Who Should Attend
Technology Researchers and Developers
Healthcare and Aging Services Providers
Government Agency Representatives
Healthcare Product Vendors
Company Executives
Standards Development Organizations
Associations
Consumer Organizations
Companies, government, and consumers are developing partnerships to address the challenges of the coming "age wave". Through the application of consumer-directed technologies, opportunities exist to empower individuals to take charge of their own health care and maintain independence.
To achieve this vision, our country must advance the development of new technologies and ensure the interoperability of these devices. To help explore the best way to enable the vision of connected home-based health delivery, Center for Aging Services Technologies, the Department of Commerce's Technology Administration and National Institute of Standards and Technology have come together as partners to host a National Summit to identify issues around the needs and challenges to make interoperability a reality. Recommendations from the Summit will drive needed public and private sector action.
Co-Sponsored by:
Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST)
U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration (TA)
For more information about this Summit, visit the official website at http://www.itl.nist.gov/Healthcare%20Summit/intro.htm
Edifecs Launches Free CAQH CORE Phase I Rules Certification Testing Portal
Bellevue, WA. October 2, 2006 — Edifecs, Inc., the proven leader in B2B transaction-based interoperability, today announced that it has officially launched its free CAQH Committee on Operating Rules for Information Exchange (CORE) Phase I operating rules certification testing service. Edifecs is the first vendor authorized to offer certification testing for the CAQH eligibility and benefits verification initiative. Edifecs will be responsible for testing whether or not healthcare organization IT systems are in compliance with the CORE Phase I rules.
To demonstrate its full support of the CAQH CORE initiative, Edifecs will provide this service at no cost to all healthcare organizations seeking CORE Phase I rules certification. This testing service will be available through Edifecs Collabrus website at www.Collabrus.com.
CAQH’s CORE Steering Committee recently decided to leverage Edifecs services and products to provide comprehensive healthcare transaction certification testing services for rules based on data content, connectivity, response time, acknowledgements, companion guide, and system availability.
Edifecs has become the market leader in providing healthcare EDI solutions and a partner of choice for most leading integration vendors. With over 300 customers in healthcare, and with very active and extensive participation in healthcare industry groups, Edifecs is also the dominant vendor in the market for HIPAA and other healthcare transaction testing & certification. Edifecs will employ products like Edifecs® Ramp ManagerTM community enablement solution, Edifecs® SpecBuilderTM, and Edifecs® XEngineTM transaction validation software to verify CORE Phase I rules compliance.
CAQH launched CORE in January 2005 to promote interoperability and improve provider access to eligibility and benefits information before or at the time of service using the electronic system of their choice for any patient or health plan. CORE is comprised of more than 85 industry stakeholders - health plans, providers, vendors, CMS and other government agencies, associations, regional entities, standard-setting organizations and banking industry experts. They are collaborating on a set of operating rules, modeled on those used in the banking industry to facilitate ATM banking, to
- Enhance interoperability between providers and payers
- Streamline eligibility and benefits data transactions
- Reduce the amount of time and resources providers spend on administrative functions — time better spent with patients.
CORE will address additional eligibility components and business transactions in Phase II (2006-2007) and later phases (2007-and beyond).
“Edifecs is delighted to achieve this significant milestone with our partner, CAQH,” said Sunny Singh, CEO of Edifecs, Inc. “Supporting CORE is consistent with our mission of helping organizations achieve a dramatic return on investment by enabling interoperability among trading partners. Edifecs free certification service is the right thing, at the right time for the healthcare community we serve.”
“Edifecs has been a committed partner in developing the Phase I certification testing functionality,” said Gwendolyn Lohse, CORE project director. “We greatly appreciate their enthusiastic support for our initiative.”
Continue reading "Edifecs Launches Free CAQH CORE Phase I Rules Certification Testing Portal" »
Barry Smith, Werner Ceusters, and Rita Temmerman on Interoperable Electronic Health Records Ontology Best Practices
The last two decades have seen considerable efforts directed towards making electronic health records interoperable through improvements in medical ontologies, terminologies and coding systems. Unfortunately, these efforts have been hampered by a number of influential ideas inherited from the work of Eugen Wüster, the father of terminology standardization and the founder of ISO TC 37. We here survey Wüster’s ideas – which see terminology work as being focused on the classification of concepts in people’s minds – and we argue that they serve still as the basis for a series of influential confusions. We argue further that an ontology based unambiguously, not on concepts, but on the classification of entities in reality can, by removing these confusions, make a vital contribution to ensuring the interoperability of coding systems and healthcare records in the future.
AIAG Conferences Tackle Multi-Billion Dollar Interoperability and High Healthcare Costs
DETROIT – The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) is hosting its first-ever Enterprise Interoperability Showcase conference on Nov. 15, 2006, at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Mich., to tackle the multi-billion dollar challenge created by proprietary IT investments over time that no longer support today’s business process needs— ranging from the shop floor and across the global enterprise, to trading partners and from dealer to supplier.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) estimates that the automotive industry wastes $5 billion annually due to the lack of interoperability, and has provided similar data for other industries. The lack of end-to-end visibility of data when needed impacts decision-making and creates waste at all levels.
AIAG’s conference will present perspectives from industry leaders on successfully integrating the global extended enterprise, as well as feature presentations and demonstrations covering specific industry scenarios in the areas of engineering, quality, material replenishment, warranty and manufacturing. Fred Killeen, chief systems and technology officer, General Motors Corp., will deliver the event’s keynote address and other key speakers include:
• Karla Norsworthy, vice president software standards, IBM Corp. – What Interoperability Means to Users • Dr. Steve Ray, division chief, integrated manufacturing systems, NIST – Virtual Supply Chain • Mark Schenecker, board member, European Enterprise Interoperability Centre, Brussels; director, industry standards, SAP – Enterprise Interoperability Centre (EIC) • Dr. Christine Legner, Universitat St. Gallen, Switzerland – Interoperable Data Exchange – Interoperable B2B Collaboration (BMW-Magna Steyr) • Pat Snack, AIAG executive loan from GM – AIAG Community Approach to Interoperability Standards
An exhibit area will showcase solution providers who have or are developing applications to support interoperability and a networking reception will conclude the event.
Individuals may register for AIAG’s Enterprise Interoperability Showcase by visiting www.aiag.org or calling AIAG customer service at (248) 358-3003. Details on the agenda and speakers are available at http://mows.aiag.org/staticcontent/EIAttendee.pdf.
On Dec. 1, 2006, at Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Mich., AIAG’s Health Focus Group will host a distinguished medical faculty including Ronald M. Davis, president-elect, American Medical Association (AMA), as well as leaders from automotive companies and other health care provider organization’s who have developed best practice solutions at the second annual health event—AIAG AutoMed 2006: Bringing Quality and Value to Health. Presentations focus on actionable and powerful steps attendees can take to improve quality and value in their own workplaces and practices.
The dynamic agenda delves into what is currently being done on health related projects and how AIAG is working to build up and maintain e ective, user-friendly channels of communication within the industry and develop real solutions to the true issues that continue to drive health care costs upward. Presentations and discussions focus on achieving real value and sustainable quality in health. Sessions will explore:
• Quality in Health Care – Programs that have a proven ROI
• Getting in Right in Corporate Health – Case studies of successful endeavors that
can be implemented in any organization
• New Horizons in Health – Upcoming initiatives for improving quality and value
in health
By improving the health wellness and the overall health status, related health costs can signi cantly be reduced and quality improved. Stakeholder collaboration is critical to achieving this change. Get involved with AIAG, health organizations, physicians, pharmaceuticals, employers and employees as we continue to work together to reduce waste in the system, improve health wellness and ultimately make health care more a ordable and accountable.
Tentative Conference Agenda
7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
7:45 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
Welcome
Speaker: J. Scot Sharland, executive director, AIAG
Setting the Stage
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. AIAG Health Focus Group Update: What We Have Done for You Lately
Speakers: Dr. Joe Fortuna, Delphi Corp.
Jim Patterson, ArvinMeritor, Inc.
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. e MSMS Future of Medicine Initiative: A Progress Report
Speaker: Dr. Alan Mindlin, Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS)
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Keynote
Physicians and Employers: Partnering for Success
Speaker: Dr. Ronald M. Davis, American Medical Association President-Elect
9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Break
Quality in Health Care
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. e New IWA Health QMS Primer: Son of IWA-1
Speaker: Mickey Christensen, TQM Systems
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. e ROI of ISO 9001 at the Detroit Medical Center: It Works
Speaker: Dr. Tammy Lundstrom, Detroit Medical Center
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Integrated Health Care at Toyota
Speaker: Dr. Ford Brewer, Toyota Motor Manufacturing N.A., Inc.
11:30 a.m. – Noon Q & A
Noon – 1:00 p.m. Luncheon Presentation
Speaker: TBA
Getting it Right in Corporate Health
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. e Value-Based Initiative in Health: Pitney Bowes – Designing for Success
Speaker: David Hom, Pitney Bowes
1:30 – 2:00 p.m. Aligning the Corporate Incentives for Health – PPG: A Successful Case Study
Speakers: Tom Welsh, PPG Industries, Inc.
Dr. Alberto Columbi, PPG Industries, Inc.
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Diabetes in the Salaried Population of DaimlerChrysler AG: Wellness Pays
Speaker: Cyndy Parker, DaimlerChrysler AG
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Q & A
3:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Break
New Horizons in Health
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. e EHR: Where Are We Now, Where Are We Going and When Will We Get ere?
Speaker: Dr. Steve Grant, United Physicians
3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Health Savings Accounts: Here Come the Banks!
Speaker: Paula Fryland, PNC Bank
4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Q & A
Speakers: Dr. Joe Fortuna, Delphi Corp.
Jim Patterson, ArvinMeritor, Inc.
4:30 PM - 4:45 PM Closing Remarks
Speakers: Dr. Joe Fortuna, Delphi Corp.
Jim Patterson, ArvinMeritor, Inc.
Committee on Operating Rules for Information Exchange (“CORE”) of the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) [ Update: Portal Available ]
Promoting Interoperability: Online Eligibility and Benefits Inquiry
The benefits of an interoperable healthcare system are well understood. The availability of information in real-time at the point of care can reduce medical errors, allow physicians and their patients to make informed decisions about treatment options, and reduce administrative burdens. The challenges are equally well understood. Technology adoption rates, data security, and inconsistency associated with transactions and interactions between stakeholders are limiting the ability to realize a complete solution.
Through CORE, CAQH is working to make it easier for physicians and hospitals to access eligibility and benefits information for their patients at the point of care. CORE operating rules will allow providers to submit a request, using the electronic system of their choice, to obtain a variety of coverage information for any patient and from any participating health plan. Providers will receive more consistent and predictable data, regardless of health plan.
Portal news here.
Medical Banking Infrastructure Investment
<ed.note>In "A secure investment: Banks, hospitals buy into high-tech defense" Robin Roger, Herald Staff Writer makes some points which run parallel to the article "The Identity Management Arms Race - The Next eHealth Hurdle", by John Casillas, in the September/October 2006, The Medical Banking Report, Vol. 3, No. 5. Normally folks only get access to John's cutting edge insights and summary of current medical banking thought if they are MBP members but since the mission of the MBP is to try to communicate the hybrid domain/worldview which is medical banking I want to make this article available more widely ( with his permission ) at the "more" link.</ed.note>
Continue reading "Medical Banking Infrastructure Investment" »
Ignacio H. Valdes, MD, MS, Editor of Linux Medical News, posts about Open Source Healthcare
at the os-wg mailing list ( os-wg@mailman.amia.org - http://mailman.amia.org/mailman/listinfo/os-wg )
eChannel line reports: 'According to a newly released IDC study, open source software has spread far beyond Linux and is gaining enormous momentum. The study, which analyzed IDC surveys from over 5,000 developers in 116 countries, finds that developers worldwide are increasing their use of open source. The study declares that open source software represents the most significant all-encompassing and long-term trend that the software industry has seen since the early 1980s. IDC believes that open source will eventually play a role in the lifecycle of every major software category, and will fundamentally change the value proposition of packaged software for customers...'
http://www.linuxmednews.com/1156343542/index_html
The recent LinuxWorld conference hosted a 'Healthcare Day' with a few recaps:
There is a wiki page of all the presentations at the recent Linux World Healthcare Day presentations: 'On August 15th, 2006 OSDL hosted the first ever Healthcare Day at LinuxWorld Expo. Below is a recap of the event as well as links to the presentations from Medsphere CEO Dr. Kennth Kizer, Joe Alexander - Bull's Director of Strategy and Planning as well as panel discussions moderated by Bernard Golden and Fred Trotter...'
http://www.linuxmednews.com/1155997922/index_html
and more here:
ePassports à Go-Go
The "old" form factor (Australia), the new, a parallel traveling development and a healthcare version. And another healthcare approach.
Sprint network to use Intel's WiMax
By John Markoff and Ken Belson, The New York Times
Intel has also made progress in South Korea, which is using a version of WiMax called WiBro, and in developing countries like Brazil and Pakistan.
...More broadly, Intel has long wanted to create a global wireless network that mirrors today's land-based Internet, in which dozens of competitors build equipment designed to support a single open standard.
Sprint says it expects to reach a third of the U.S. population with its new network by the end of 2008.
Sprint's WiMax gambit could put pressure on Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless, and on equipment makers, to move toward more open standards and what the industry refers to as "network neutrality," a network design in which all types of data traffic are treated equally by the network operators.
Focused on Creating an Advanced and Interoperable Medical Network, HIMSS and Internet2 Announce Collaboration
The two organizations will leverage each other’s expertise to explore the viability of an independent and logically interconnected medical network in the United States
CHICAGO, Ill. and ANN ARBOR, Mich. - August 1, 2006 – The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and Internet2 announced today that the two organizations have created a partnership to explore the development of a secure, reliable and advanced networking solution for the transmission of medical information, messages and images throughout the broad healthcare industry.
The two organizations are exploring a new network designed to offer the health sciences and healthcare sectors a private and secure medium for exchanging health information. A next-generation architecture built to meet federal regulatory requirements, this new network may also have value to offer in the work of the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN).
This ground-breaking collaboration is a natural extension for both not-for-profit organizations. Through a membership of 20,000 individuals, 45 chapters, and more than 300 corporations representing millions of employees, the HIMSS mission focuses on the betterment of healthcare through the most effective use of information technology and management systems. Internet2, the U.S. ’s advanced networking consortium led by 208 U.S. university members in partnership with over 100 industry and government members, works to develop and deploy advanced networks, applications and resources.
“HIMSS and our members look forward to this collaboration with Internet2,” said H. Stephen Lieber, HIMSS president/CEO. “The synergies between HIMSS and Internet2 brought our organizations together to consider and evaluate the feasibility of establishing a network that would meet the evolving needs of the biomedical and healthcare delivery community.”
Since 1999, Internet2 has operated an advanced nationwide network that supports leading-edge Internet technology development for the research and academic community. Internet2 recently announced a major upgrade to this network to provide members 10 times the capacity and speed of its current infrastructure. In addition, the Internet2 community has successfully developed important middleware technologies to address critical issues in authentication and authorization in order to enable active privacy management. Through this partnership, HIMSS and the Internet2 community will work closely together to leverage these leading-edge technologies to explore development of brand new capabilities that meet the specific security and privacy needs of the healthcare industry.
“The research and education community has long understood the potential for leveraging advanced Internet technology to enhance the healthcare industry’s ability to serve the public’s needs, to improve the flow of information for research, to streamline care processes and to enable cost savings,” said Douglas Van Houweling, Internet2 president and CEO. “Our partnership with the HIMSS community is a major step forward in realizing this vision. Together we will work to create a new state-of-the-art platform for biomedical research, education and clinical practice on a national scale.”
Through the partnership, four working groups have been established to explore the requirements and capabilities needed to create an advanced medical network during the next year. HIMSS and Internet2 will join each other’s organizations. Members of both organizations will also join each of the four working groups, which include:
In addition, members of both organizations will work for the development and implementation of the network with other partnerships and collaborations, including Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE).
Federal Reserve Board Eyes New Role in Medical Banking
The Medical Banking Report, July|August Vol. 3, No. 4
As ONCHIT seeks to harmonize standards, technology and architecture to create an electronic health records system, another effort suddenly finds itself in the landscape of the possible for implementing our “medical internet”.
While related to the work of the Medical Banking Project, the new “Independent Health Record Bank” (IHRB) is far different. Yet the profile of IHRBs in medical banking was signficantly raised when a new House bill seeking to establish IHRBs appointed the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) as the governance agency.
Because IHRBs can emerge external to existing banking infrastructure, MBProject doesn’t classify it as a pure medical banking play. Core to medical banking is leveraging existing banking systems for healthcare. Yet if IHRBs gain traction banks will likely get much more involved, especially if the FRB is involved.
“Yes, the IHRB can be implemented outside of banks but it can also work within the banking community,” insists Amnon Shabo, PhD., in an email to MBR. Shabo, who did early work in creating the IHRB model, works at IBM’s Almaden Institute in Haifa, Israel. Yet offering the new service could present challenges to banks. The proposed “Independent Health Record Bank Act of 2006” suggests that IHRBs are non-profit entities only, and that they are right off the bat, a HIPAA clearinghouse.
LinuxWorld Healthcare Day Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Room 310 - Healthcare Day Wiki
Join us at the Linux World Conference & Expo first ever Healthcare Day and become part of the force that is re-shaping the healthcare IT landscape.
Learn from industry peers about the issues and driving forces behind the growing use of open solutions throughout healthcare. OSDL has created a compelling program that will provide essential information on how Open Source Software and Open Standards are being developed and deployed by innovators throughout the healthcare industry.
Healthcare Day will:
Enable developers and integrators with experience in developing/porting/integrating applications for the Open Source platform to share, learn, and/or begin the process.
Develop a community of health IT organizations, to collaborate, learn, and collectively promote Open Source solutions and standards.
The agenda includes real world application demos, deployment case studies, interactive discussions and a close up look into the emerging revolution of open solutions and standards for the next generation of healthcare.
Healthcare Day Agenda
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Keynote Presentation – Open Source and Healthcare
Dr. Kenneth Kizer, CEO, Medsphere
11:00 a.m. to Noon
Linux, Open Source and Open Standards – A Positive Disruption for Healthcare
Joe Alexander, Director, Strategy and Planning, Bull
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Lunch Break
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Opening up Healthcare Markets with Open Source
Bernard Golden, Navica – Moderator
Agfa, HP, Medsphere, Free Open Source Solutions
2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Innovation in Healthcare with Open Source – Who is Doing What ?
Fred Trotter, Linuxmednews.com – Moderator
Agfa, Eclipse, IBM, Intel, McKesson, Open Sourcery
3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Coffee Break
3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Building a Global Healthcare Open Source Community
Joe Alexander, Bull - Moderator
Eclipse, IBM, Medsphere, McKesson, Open Sourcery
Harkin Introduces Bill to Improve Medical Access for People with Disabilities
<ed.note>Accessibility is one of the realistic interoperability challenges ( along with federated dirty data and digitization of legacy paper records ) to which I have not seen much electronic medical record media attention paid -- so I'll pay it.</ed.note>
Legislation Also Creates New Wellness Grant Program and Improved Training Guidelines for Physicians
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today introduced legislation to establish accessibility standards for medical diagnostic equipment and create wellness grants to fund health programs that focus on the unique challenges faced by individuals with disabilities.
We must recognize the unique situation of individuals with disabilities and work to make certain they are not limited in their access to quality medical care, or in their opportunities for health and wellness, Harkin said. We want to set standards, ensure proper funding, and make certain that medical professionals receive the appropriate training so that they can provide the best quality care for all.
Harkins Promoting Wellness for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2006 also creates a National Advisory Committee on Wellness for Individuals with Disabilities. This board would set priorities, review grant proposals, make recommendations for funding, and evaluate the progress of the program.
In addition, the legislation requires medical and dental schools, along with their residency programs, to increase training to improve competency and clinical skills in providing care to patients with disabilities, including those with intellectual disabilities.
The wellness grant program established in the legislation would help fund programs for smoking cessation, weight control, nutrition and fitness that focus on the unique challenges faced by individuals with disabilities; preventative health screening programs; and athletic or sports programs that provide individual with disabilities an opportunity to increase their physical activity.
Harkin was the chief sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation which provides equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for millions of Americans with physical and intellectual disabilities.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Maureen Knightly/Tom Reynolds
202-224-3254
July 24, 2006
Mirth Project
Mirth 1.0 on July 18th, 2006.
The goal of the Mirth Project is to develop Mirth, an open source cross-platform HL7 interface engine that enables bi-directional sending of HL7 messages between systems and applications over multiple transports.
By utilizing an enterprise service bus framework and a channel-based architecture, Mirth allows messages to be filtered, transformed, and routed based on user-defined rules.
Creating HL7 interfaces for existing systems becomes easy using the administrative interface and channel creation wizard which associates destinations with Mirth channels.
We have a PowerPoint presentation avaialble for more information on the Mirth Project development goals and architecture. More here.
Global Health Information Networks Get a Boost
IEEE DS Online Exclusive Content, Greg Goth
...The next step in expanding the interoperable and open source mindset among healthcare developers might not come from patient-facing applications such as VistA. Instead, some healthcare IT experts see it in projects such as the [Global Pandemic Initiative], the new Eclipse Open Healthcare Framework project, and the Open Group’s Universal Data Element Framework. Chris Harding, who heads the Open Group’s UDEF working group on semantic interoperability, describes UDEF as a Dewey decimal-like classification system for data semantics. He thinks it might allow even healthcare organizations with disparate top-level architectures to share metadata: “Because they have a common indexing method,” he says, “they’ll know what each other is talking about.”
UDEF is based on the ISO 11179 standard for metadata registries. Harding says it’s also intended to integrate Semantic Web technology, therefore serving as a sort of bridge between the two. Among the organizations interested in testing the UDEF for its potential in improving interoperability is the US National Cancer Institute.
Build Eisenhower's Highway System for Today's Needs
<ed.note>Everyone who has been around me has heard my call for two universal services (once for 2 years after high school, once for 2 years after 65|retirement) and the need for the information superwaterway (fiber in conduit next to, or in the concrete of, an east-west canal system to carry data and water back and forth more efficiently for those pesky wildfires and droughts we seem to keep having (vote technotarian!). The former program would allow the creation of the latter project -- but I think Newt's project is likely to be completed first.</ed.note>
On June 29, 1956, fifty years ago today, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act. It called for the construction of more than 40,000 miles of interstate highways and appropriated $25 billion over ten years. This was a vast sum of money, considering that total federal spending in 1956 was $70 billion, making it one of the nation's highest priorities.
President Eisenhower forced the country to act: "The obsolescence of the nation's highways presents an appalling problem of waste, danger, and death." The President, the Congress, and the states knew that a national, interconnected highway system would be a vital tool to prepare for and respond to a national emergency. Many envisioned their use as runways for military aircraft in case of a national emergency, so it was no mistake that the original name of Eisenhower's vision was the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. As he put it, an interconnected system "is as necessary to defense as it is to our national economy and personal safety."
Fifty years later, another national, interconnected system is needed. Our generation must build a national health information system because it, too, is vital to our national security. Just like Eisenhower's highways, a health information network will eliminate the "waste, danger, and death" of the current health system.
A modernized, interconnected healthcare system would electronically link physician offices, hospitals, pharmacies, public health agencies, and other key first responders, providing valuable data to prepare for and respond to an emergency.
Continue reading "Build Eisenhower's Highway System for Today's Needs" »
Unified Medical Language System
The purpose of the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Unified Medical Language System ® (UMLS) is to facilitate the development of computer systems that behave as if they "understand" the meaning of the language of biomedicine and health. To that end, NLM produces and distributes the UMLS Knowledge Sources (databases) and associated software tools (programs) for use by system developers in building or enhancing electronic information systems that create, process, retrieve, integrate, and/or aggregate biomedical and health data and information, as well as in informatics research. By design, the UMLS Knowledge Sources are multi-purpose. They are not optimized for particular applications, but can be applied in systems that perform a range of functions involving one or more types of information, e.g., patient records, scientific literature, guidelines, and public health data. The associated UMLS software tools assist developers in customizing or using the UMLS Knowledge Sources for particular purposes. The lexical tools work more effectively in combination with the UMLS Knowledge Sources, but can also be used independently.
There are three UMLS Knowledge Sources: the Metathesaurus ®, the Semantic Network, and the SPECIALIST Lexicon. They are distributed with flexible lexical tools and the MetamorphoSys install and customization program.
First Nationwide Health Information Network Forum June 28-29, 2006
Purpose:
The purpose of the Nationwide Health Information Network Forum is to identify and catalogue the list of functional requirements that will frame the development of a Nationwide Health Information Network.
In the design of network systems, functional requirements are brief, verifiable, declarative statements of what a system and its components must do or the actions they must take (i.e., locate, transmit, retrieve, etc). The NHIN functional requirements will define the behaviors of systems, services, and networks that wish to participate in a Nationwide Health Information Network. The statement “the Record Locater shall return pointers that enable retrieval of patient records from data sources and repositories” is an illustration of the type of statement that could be considered a NHIN functional requirement.
While other processes continue to explore the policy determinants for nationwide health information exchange, the development of functional requirements will focus on the critical technical components of architectures to support a Nationwide Health Information Network.
The identification of functional requirements will lead to the foundational specifications of the next phase of Nationwide Health Information Network development. In addition, the functional requirements will provide a framework for the Health Information Technology Standards Panel's efforts to define implementation level guidance in their interoperability specifications, and input for the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology's compliance certification criteria that address the infrastructure or network components through which EHRs interoperate.
Overview:
As a key element of the Administration's health information technology strategy, the development of a Nationwide Health Information Network will provide the foundation for an interoperable, standards-based network for the secure exchange of health care information.
On June 28 and June 29, 2006, a forum to address the functional requirements of a Nationwide Health Information Network will be held. The Nationwide Health Information Network Forum will be open to the public and include participants in key processes supported by the Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (including the four consortia developing prototype Nationwide Health Information Network architectures, the Health Information Technology Standards Panel, the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology, and the Federal Health Architecture) and key representatives from other public, private, and non-profit health information technology stakeholders.
The Nationwide Health Information Network Forum will be structured as an interactive discussion with facilitated breakout sessions to illuminate the technical components of a Nationwide Health Information Network.
More details here.
Medical Banking Communications [Update]
Marketplace.org is slated to do a story on cellphone-based financial services Friday so this is a placeholder; hopefully I can link to it here. Audio here. There's also a related story at destinationCRM -- "Dialing Up Financial Services".
I'm interested because of my involvement with the Cooperative Open-source Medical Banking Architecture & Technology reference architecture initiative: http://www.mbproject.org/combat-homepage.php
We're currently interacting with various health initiatives such as the HL7-OMG Healthcare Services Specification Project workgroup’s SOA for HL7 initiative, the Eclipse Open Healthcare Framework, OpenEHR, Open|WorldVistA, HIMSS IHE, etc.
I recently blogged telehealth for the Blogposium ( healthnex.typepad.com ) and I personally anticipate a medical banking grid (connecting Healthcare Savings Accounts, smartphone-based Electronic Medical Records, real-time remittance, integrated charity care eligibility) where medical data is expressed via cell phones, web tablets, and IPTV set top boxes facilitating remote disease management (interactive home healthcare servers to be extended with sensors and other devices) as well as ATMs, kiosks, and web portals. John Casillas, the MBP director, refers to this kind of data exchange as medical banking communications.
Today, the Nokia (of Finland) and Siemens (of Germany) merger story hit. Also, I noticed that The American Telemedicine Association will be having its 2007 summer conference here in Nashville, the healthcare innovation coast.
Bills stoke debate about health records
June 16, 2006 by Rob Roberts, Staff Writer, Kansas City Business Journal
Banks say they have systems, know-how
Legislation introduced by two members of Kansas' congressional delegation is sparking debate about who should become the bankers of Americans' electronic health records -- financial institutions or independent health record banks.
U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican, introduced the Independent Health Record Bank Act on June 6. U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, a Democrat, filed a nearly identical House version two days later.
The bills call for independent health record banks to be formed by nonprofit cooperatives that, for a fee, would maintain members' lifetime electronic health records and make them accessible through swipe cards.
Some sources, however, say it makes more sense to build a nationwide health information network on top of the banking industry's existing financial infrastructure.
"We're advancing a model that is much more bank-centric than the independent health record bank model," said John Casillas, executive director of a Franklin, Tenn., think tank called the Medical Banking Project.
Casillas said the financial industry is positioned to roll out health record banking quicker and less expensively due to its nationwide electronic networks, 55 million online customers and existing accounts with health care providers and insurers.
Banks that provide services such as cash disbursement for health plans or lockbox check-processing for health care providers already must be compliant with the Health Insurance Port