Conmergence

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

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.

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 Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

"So the next step is: What services can banks add onto these HIPAA-compliant platforms we're building?" Casillas said.

The Medical Banking Project, which plans to launch a demonstration pilot next year, envisions a day when bank-issued swipe cards will allow health care providers to verify insurance coverage, receive payment from patients' bank accounts and access their electronic health records.

The Independent Health Record Bank Act

"Brownback bill would centralize medical records", Kansas City Business Journal

<ed.note>Hmmm, doesn't this sound vaguely familiar?</ed.note>

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., introduced the Independent Health Record Bank Act on Tuesday, and a companion bill is expected to be introduced later this week in the U.S. House.

The Senate bill, which doesn't yet have a number, was previewed during Brownback's April 14 visit to Cerner Corp. in North Kansas City. Health care information companies like Cerner could profit from the bill by providing necessary technology for the independent record banks.

The Independent Record Bank Act provides legal and regulatory guidelines for establishing the banks by nonprofit cooperative institutions similar to member-owned credit unions.

H.A.T.’s Off to PNC Bank

May/June 2006  Vol. 3, No.3, The MEDICAL BANKING REPORT

Over the past two months, PNC Bank has placed a stake in the ground in the evolving medical banking industry. Besides conducting a survey that helps to lay important groundwork for establishing the value of emerging medical banking services, (Mar/Apr Issue), the bank also organized a new annual seminar featuring prominent healthcare plans and provider systems.

PNC Bank, however, was saving the best for last.

On April 19 the newswires heralded a breakthrough in the medical banking space. PNC acquired a health data clearinghouse – Healthcare Administration Technologies, Inc., (H.A.T.) of Tulsa, OK – and announced that it will now offer services that streamline the entire claims process between
the healthcare provider and the insurance company.

The new integrated platform marks a first in the industry. Other acquisitions of health data management firms by banks have folded (First American/SSI; BoNY/CSI; Nation’s/Covation).
These acquisitions didn’t, however, position the asset within the bank’s treasury management services area.

In fact, MBProject contends that it is precisely this type of alignment – linking cash management and health data management assets – that creates new value for healthcare. Getting behind this new commercial idea has taken the banking and healthcare industries some time, but today, it is now the topic of growing focus.

More here

USA PATRIOT Act and Health Savings Account

THE MEDICAL BANKING REPORT Executive Briefing

Why is the USA PATRIOT Act important to this new, hybrid product that tosses financial services organizations into a new mix of relationships, shared information and clients? Many, perhaps the majority, of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are opened by mail or online, as clients utilize search engines to find the “best” HSA to meet their needs. How do you verify that these clients are who they say they are? How do you monitor their activity?

Banks are working with insurance companies, trust companies and broker-dealers to offer integrated HSAs. How do the respective organizations meet the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act including the Customer Identification Program and Anti-Money Laundering requirements?

With increasing integration among banks and other financial institutions in the HSA market, it is important to review and understand the definition and components of the USA PATRIOT Act and how they are applied, for the purpose of this document, to institutions and clients opening HSAs.

Definition of the USA PATRIOT Act

The official title of the USA PATRIOT Act is “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001.”

USA PATRIOTAct Section 314(b) permits financial institutions, upon providing notice to the United States Department of the Treasury, to share information with one another in order to identify and report to the federal government activities that may involve money laundering or terrorist activity. ¹

The USA PATRIOT Act accomplishes three critical goals: ²

• First, it gives investigators familiar tools to use against a new threat
• Second, it breaks down a wall that has prevented information sharing between agencies
• Third, it updates U.S. laws to respond to the current Internet environment

On October 26, 2001, the USA PATRIOT Act was signed into law. The Act amended current law – primarily the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) – to give the federal government enhanced authority to identify, deter and punish money laundering and terrorist financing activities. On October 1, 2003, Section 326 (Customer Identification Program) of the Act went into effect, requiring the implementation of reasonable procedures to verify the identity of new customers and certain existing customers  opening a new account. Section 3261 of the USA PATRIOTAct requires banks, savings associations; credit unions and certain non-federally regulated banks (“bank”) to have a Customer Identification Program (“CIP”). A broker-dealer in securities is subject to similar, but a slightly different rule. (The CIP is only one part of a bank or financial institution’s AML compliance program.) ³

Terms to Know

• “CIP” - Customer Identification Program
• “AML” - Anti-Money Laundering
• “OFAC” - Office of Foreign Assets and Control
• “KYC” - Know Your Customer
• “BSA” - Bank Secrecy Act

The Basics for Banks

Top Financial Firms Architecting with XML

November 4, 2005 Vance McCarthy, Integrator Development News

Last month, Reuters unveiled a new XML-based secure trade notification system that enables financial institutions to manage their trading capital and risk exposures better as well as improve operational efficiency.

Reuters' service, already selected by Lehman Brothers, offers a trade messaging hub to make a variety of financial integrations easier and cheaper. At its core, Reuters Trade Notification Service (RTNS) is a trade messaging hub that facilitates the electronic transfer of all trade related messages. The service is already operational and is undergoing a controlled introduction.

RTNS will initially focus on trade affirmation and confirmation, and will be expanded to cover allocation and settlement instructions, amongst others. The service will support industry standard message formats such as FIX, FPML, as well as FIX and TWIST...

The FpML spec arises from consensus on XML for financial services reached by UBS Warburg, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Citigroup and others, under the umbrella of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), the international trade association for derivatives traders.

A Guide To Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage for people with developmental disabilities

This Web site will help individuals who receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits, known as dual eligibles, their families and caregivers, and advocates for people with disabilities nationwide understand the new Medicare prescription drug coverage, called Part D.  Dual eligibles must make decisions about which Medicare prescription drug plan will provide access to the medications they need. 

For dual eligibles, Medicaid’s prescription drug coverage will end on December 31, 2005 and the new plans will begin on January 1, 2006, so time is of the essence.

Need to Develop Global Standards for Smart Card ID Applications

Palo Alto, Calif. — November 7, 2005 — In the wake of increasing security concerns, the incorporation of secure identity management systems is assuming top priority for enterprises and governments worldwide. However, tight deadlines, lack of consensus and security loopholes has created considerable confusion in crucial programs such as the e-passport project.

Smart card organizations and governments need to work together in developing global standards for ID applications. Further, open platforms, which are expected to play a key role in this segment due to their scalability and security features, will have to evolve as strong foundations for the credible execution of such vital applications.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.smartcards.frost.com), World Battle of Platforms, reveals that unit shipments for open platform cards totaled 400 million in 2004 and projects to reach to 1.15 billion by 2011.

Leading Global Advisors Join the Medical Banking Project to provide guidance for it's open source, open standards-based initiative

Franklin, TN (October 31, 2005) The Medical Banking Project has announced the ratification of an initial set of Advisory Board members related to its open source, open standards-based initiative called "C.O.M.B.A.T." for "Cooperative Open-source Medical Banking Architecture and Technology". The effort, intended to spur industry adoption of medical banking principles and technology, targets rising healthcare costs by implementing a real time administrative and clinical messaging test platform that banks can use to engage all healthcare stakeholders, including consumers.

"We are delighted that these prominent organizations have joined our membership-driven effort as advisors. We want to help banks to help their healthcare customers speed adoption of a 'medical internet'," said John Casillas, founder and executive director of MBProject.

The C.O.M.B.A.T. Advisory Board members include, by stakeholder:

* Healthcare Providers: American Hospital Association, Solutions (AHA)

* Banks: The National Clearing House (NCHA)

* Consumers: National Health Council (NHC); Consumers for Healthcare Choices (CHCChoices); Family Voices; National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) at The Urban Institute

* Healthcare IT: Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS); Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE); Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC)

* Employers: Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)

MBProject has attracted a growing list of prominent supporters that include The Walt Disney Company, Covisint, United Healthcare/Exante, Lasalle Bank/ABN AMRO, PNC Bank, ACS, Fiserv, Revolution Healthcare Group/ConnectYourCare, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BearingPoint, Duke's Fuqua School of Business and many others. Members, organized into six workgroups, provide input into a Steering Committee that in turn directs subcommittee work to build and test the platform. Use cases will focus on lockbox specialization (speeding X12N 835 remittance adoption), real-time administrative messaging (settling medical claims in real time), bank-driven Personal Healthcare Records and optimizing community safety net resources.

"The banking community can make a significant contribution to healthcare. Our initiative is as much about broadcasting this unique opportunity for all stakeholders as it is about implementing a platform," comments Casillas. "We are entering a very exciting and dynamic phase at MBProject with leading organizations. Our members, now assisted by an Advisory Board, will make a positive contribution towards implementing a digital healthcare environment that reduces costs and saves lives."

Consumer-Directed Healthcare and the HIPAA 835 Remittance Advice

Oct. 24 2005, Kepa Zubeldia, Claredi

An analysis of several options for using the 835 to post payments involving Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, and other consumer-directed healthcare payments.

THELMA to Provide Financial Transactions in US Health Network

ICSGlobal Limited has signed a Letter of Intent with MedAccess Plus Health Informatics Network (MAPHIN), for THELMA to provide financial transactions such as insurance eligibility checking and electronic claims and remittance into MAPHIN's Health Informatics Network. The combined platform will be then rolled out across the United States, the world's largest healthcare market with over 30 billion electronic healthcare transactions per annum. MAPHIN is a Kentucky-based eHealth firm with swipe-card driven Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology that uses the Internet to integrate information generated by medical providers, insurers, hospitals and patients into a comprehensive EHR. The plan is to integrate THELMA's any-to-any electronic transaction technology with MAPHIN's EHR technology. The combined technologies will cover all functionality scenarios required to transform the US health system, and put MAPHIN and ICSGlobal at the forefront of eHealth system providers in the US.

The Letter of Intent outlines a non-exclusive arrangement between ICSGlobal and MAPHIN, with each party earning revenues principally through transaction fees from their respective technologies. MAPHIN will represent the MAPHIN/THELMA Network in the US. While there may be joint opportunities for the MAPHIN/THELMA Network in countries other than America, the initial working relationship will focus on the US health care industry. ICSGlobal and MAPHIN commenced a Proof of Concept for electronic claims and remittance in August, which is planned to be completed this calendar year. The Proof of Concept will see the MAPHIN/THELMA Network configured to send and receive transactions in 18 States of the US. The plan is then to implement the MAPHIN/THELMA Network on parallel fronts: firstly beginning in Kentucky, connecting health care providers to private health insurers as well as the State-based government Medicaid systems, then replicating this system through the other 18 States. In parallel, the Top 50 employers will be targeted, who are major payers in the US healthcare system. Discussions are in progress with General Motors and The Walt Disney Company.

ICSGlobal and MAPHIN met through their participation in the Medical Banking Project, a Tennessee-based firm whose objective is to integrate banking technology, infrastructure and credit resources with healthcare administrative operations to alleviate inefficiencies (see www.mbproject.org). John Casillas, the Founder and Executive Director of the Medical Banking Project, said the teaming of ICSGlobal and MAPHIN is indicative of a quickly expanding market opportunity for real-time healthcare transaction processing, not just in the US but around the world. "A highly secure and scalable web services architecture that is accessible via a simple card-swipe, like the MAPHIN/THELMA Network, can dramatically transform healthcare cost and quality. Even the large US employers are forming initiatives with the Medical Banking Project to implement this type of technology to contain soaring healthcare costs. We are at the ground floor of real-time financial and clinical processing in global healthcare markets, and the MAPHIN/THELMA Network is well placed to capitalise on this" says Casillas.

Released by: ICSGlobal Limited. For further information or media inquiries:
Tim Murray
Managing Director
ICSGlobal Limited
Ph: (02) 9247 2111
Tim.Murray @ icsglobal.net

About ICSGlobal and THELMA
ICSGlobal Limited is a publicly listed Australian company whose core business is the ownership and operation of the unique "any-to-any" health industry clearing house technology THELMA (Transactional Health Exchange Linking Multiple Applications). THELMA creates interoperability between the broad range of new and legacy software systems that typically exist in health systems. This enables health industry business partners in any country to conduct financial, clinical and administrative transactions electronically over the Internet. For more information visit www.icsglobal.net and www.thelma.com.au.

About MAPHIN
MedAccess Plus Health Informatics Network (MAPHIN) is a Kentucky-based eHealth firm with swipe-card driven Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology that uses the Internet to integrate information generated by medical providers, insurers, hospitals and patients into a comprehensive EHR. MAPHIN's Chief Executive Officer, Dr Steven Spady, is a highly respected Family Physician in Kentucky with a Master of Medical Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr Spady is seen as a leader in the field of eHealth, communicating his vision for real-time, integrated healthcare information processes to government and private health organisations since 1998. MAPHIN's Chief Technology Officer, John Hardin, is seen as a leader in the Internet business field. Mr Hardin most recently served as Chief Architect of e-Business for General Motors, and is the current chair of the OASIS e-business Service Oriented Architecture Technical Committee. For more information visit www.maphin.net.

Leavitt and Cerise: Katrina demonstrates the need for an interoperable health information exchange

Marchibroda: E-health work keeps pace, Sept. 16, 2005, By Janet M. Marchibroda, govhealthit.com

Interest in the room was extremely high, beginning with the first general session, during which Mike Leavitt, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, punctuated his remarks with verbal snapshots of his encounters with victims of Hurricane Katrina at temporary health facilities in Louisiana. Dr. Frederick Cerise, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, joined us by telephone from Louisiana and spoke of the challenges that people there face.

Their firsthand accounts of the plight of those left homeless or displaced by the hurricane and the unforeseen loss of thousands of paper medical records underscored the need for an interoperable health information exchange.

Sri Lankan OSS in Healthcare

Lighting Up the Hospital at Nidahas.com

<ed.note>My thanks to James Governor of RedMonk for passing this permalink!</ed.note>

One of the biggest issues with software applications are that they don’t always take in to account the end user. As a result, there are many people who have issues easily solved, that aren’t solved because they don’t have the necessary knowledge. Dr. Nandalal Gunaratne used to be just an end user, but now he’s become part of a program to make good use of LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Perl/Python) for the Health Services.

Dr. Gunaratne started off his presentation by mentioning his postition as an end user and asked everyone to bear with him if he doesn’t use as many technical terms as the other speakers. After that, there was an interesting mention of the ruins of an ancient hospital in Mihintale. The story behind this would be explained later.

Apparently, there’s a huge need for Health Information Technology (HIT), so that’d be a great place for people start looking into. This is mainly due to the fact that data needs to be collected, manipulated and analysed a lot. Also, there was a need to shift from text based applications (which had been in use earlier) to Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) in order to enable the applications to be used by non-IT staff - i.e. doctors, nurses etc.

One of the main highlights of the presentation was the statement made with regard to the need for Electronic Medical Records (EMR) which the doctor says, are required “from Womb to Tomb”. So much so, that sometimes the staff ask parents at Kalubowila (Colombo South) Hospital for the kids’ names, before they’re even born. This is probably quite disturbing for the parents, since many would be waiting to check for auspicious names based on the time the kid is born, but I digress.

Teachers Federation Health signs up for THELMA

Teachers Federation Health ("Teachers"), the private health fund for educational union members and their families, have signed a three year User Agreement to use THELMA for eligibility checking and now have the ability to receive claims electronically.

Teachers is the ninth largest health fund in Australia, with some 77,000 members. Teachers is also the largest of the 23 health funds that use the HAMBS member management software, which THELMA is fully integrated to. Teachers will go live on THELMA next week.

For more information about Teachers, visit http://www.teachershealth.com.au.

About ICSGlobal and THELMA
ICSGlobal's core business is the ownership and operation of the unique "any-to-any" health industry clearing house technology THELMA (Transactional Health Exchange Linking Multiple Applications).  THELMA creates interoperability between the broad range of new and legacy software systems that typically exist in health systems. This enables health industry business partners in any country to conduct financial, clinical and administrative transactions electronically over the Internet. For more information visit www.icsglobal.net and www.thelma.com.au. For further information or media inquiries:

Tim Murray
Managing Director
ICSGlobal Limited
Ph: (02) 9247 2111

Hurricane Katrina - Testing Our Resolve To Do Better

By John Casillas, Founder, The Medical Banking Project

One of the worst hurricanes to hit Amerian shores evolved into a quagmire of epic proportions: poor communications, inadequate response to a post-disaster crime wave, infrastructure collapse, inaccessibility to bank accounts and healthcare records and much more. The outcry from the media has been steady: why didn't we respond sooner? Its hard to cast blame in a situation that morphed beyond the collective expectations of a nation. Were preparedness systems in place? Yes. Were these systems overwhelmed? Absolutely. Should we cast blame? Probably not. But we can do better.

The fact is that everyday, emergency units in communities across America respond to crisis. While these "mini-episodes" don't equal the impact of a Katrina, they are demanding and persistent and they impact quality of life. A systemic collapse of response, however, must be reviewed with a critical eye. Beyond the blame game, how can we fix things to do better?

One area that could help is the implementation of technology that is interoperable; specifically in the area of communications, healthcare and banking. We call this area "medical banking communications". These key systems form a fundamental response axis in every community. Yet the ability to send messages seamlessly among these stakeholders is for the most part, non-existant today. MBProject's C.O.M.B.A.T. initiative could change this.

The C.O.M.B.A.T. Initiative (stands for "Cooperative Open-source Medical Banking Architecture & Technology") has a driving mission: to fight against rising healthcare costs using medical banking principles and technology. Inherent to this effort is creating a seamless process between banking and healthcare systems that expedite payments and/or leverage existing banking systems to open information-rich portals (like online banking portals) that provide access to electronic health records. Another aspect of the platform is identity management, which can help folks access funds when the local banking system is compromised. The confidence level you expect when accessing your funds or your medical records is pretty much equivalent, so identity management is a key area that should be linked in a medical banking model.

In addition, MBProject has launched Charitable Communities Network to develop a bank-driven plan for helping charity, non-profit and faith-based healthcare communities to funnel help in areas where it is needed. By providing logistics, providers in emergency situations are able to gain quick access to help and thus care can be better coordinated and delivered. Integrating funding to this platform allows third parties like foundations, charity organizations, churches and others, to steer funds to discrete areas based on preference or need.

Finally, communications plays a vital role in this process, whether voice, data or video. Merging the nation's communications infrastructure to support medical banking interactions will improve first response systems and assist biosurveliance, prepardness and support "command post" functions that are necessary to drive responsive action.

John Casillas
Chair, Medical Banking Institute
Executive Director, Medical Banking Project
320 Main St., Ste. 230
Franklin, TN 37064
v: 615.794.2009, ext. 3
f: 615.794.1481
http://www.mbproject.org

eHealth, New Orleans - Revisited

Nic Robertson, CNN Senior International Correspondent, reported that in Jefferson parish recently families had to have photographic I.D. and show they have residency in the area. What would have been truly helpful for those who got out of New Orleans and needed medical attention would have been if that photo id were on the front of a portable healthcare infocard connected to a medical internet that allows for storage and back up of electronic healthcare data in more than one location (if necessary). While one set of servers is no less waterptoof than your local doc's paper files, wouldn't it be cool if, as a consumer, you could take a recent snapshot of your electronic healthcare record and have it held in a private, consumer medical data vault somehwere? When's the last time your doc suggested xeroxing your files at her|his office and storing it in a safe place?

ebXML registry suited for SOA complexities, say proponents

Sept. 05,  2005 By Colleen Frye, SearchWebServices.com
 
As deployments of service-oriented architectures grow more complex, the need for federated information management and governance is emerging -- areas for which an ebXML registry is particularly well suited, according to proponents. As such, the OASIS ebXML Registry Technical Committee is hitting the virtual road this month with webinars aimed at educating attendees on the features and capabilities of the ebXML Registry v3.0, which OASIS approved as a standard in May.

Use of an ebXML registry is also "an obvious next step for people looking to migrate from EDI [electronic data interchange]," said Carl Mattocks, consultant and project leader, asset inventory process improvement for Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. in Bridgewater, N.J., and a member of the technical committee (TC). Among vertical industries, Mattocks said e-government and health care are early implementers and, he predicted, "are obvious places where you'll see growth."
    
Vertical industry groups that have implementations of ebXML Registry include the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) initiative, the Data Interchange Standards Association (DISA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). "NIST has created a registry to help people register artifacts across the Web," Mattocks said.

ebXML Registry v3.0 Webinars - Thursday, 15 Sept 2005

Discover the advantages of the new ebXML Registry v3.0 OASIS Standard from the people who developed it. The OASIS ebXML Registry Technical Committee invites you to attend an open webinar to learn more about how ebXML Registry enables secure, federated information management within and across enterprises.

ebXML Registry provides the functionality you need to manage electronic artifacts for SOA including WSDL, XML Schema, BPEL, e-business and other process descriptions, ebXML Collaboration Protocol Profiles and Core Components, as well as application-specific artifacts. The OASIS Standard promotes service discovery and interoperability, while enabling secure, efficient sharing, reuse, and version control of artifacts. ebXML Registry can also be implemented for event or information asset registry and repository. In fact, any requirement you have for describing and registering items of interest to an organization can be accomplished with ebXML Registry.

ebXML Registry is particularly suited to support application- and domain-specific use cases. The fully ratified OASIS Standard has been adopted and deployed in vertical industries including government, health care, geospatial, telecommunications, banking, and finance.

http://www.oasis-open.org/events/webinars/webinars.php

Health IT leaders congregate

Aug. 16, 2005 By Janet M. Marchibroda, FCW.com

The number of policy changes on tap that relate to quality and health information technology are at an all-time high, both within the Bush administration and in Congress. The eHealth Initiative will host the second annual Health Information Technology Summit (www.hitsummit.com) Sept. 7- 9, 2005, in Washington, D.C. The summit will bring together national, regional and state stakeholders to discuss the current menu of emerging policy changes relevant to eHealth Initiative and its goals.

Health IT has been increasingly at the forefront of public and private sector efforts to improve health care safety, quality and efficiency. The federal government, Congress, some states and private sector leaders have responded with the introduction of a myriad of policies and strategies designed to improve the American health care system through IT.

Physicians as Retailers: Banking on Convergence

August 19, 2005 Richard L. Reece, M.D., HealthLeaders EXTRA!, HealthLeaders.com

A funny thing happened to healthcare on the way to the bank: Common interests of banks, HSAs, high-deductible consumer plans, information technologies and physicians converged. Doctors realized electronic records would allow them to be paid promptly, completely and reliably at the point of care, through cash or credit, debit or smart cards, just as with any other retail transaction. Banks realized they could market and serve as repositories for HSA funds. Consumer-driven plans realized banks could serve as powerful marketing and claims processing partners.

Suddenly everyone knew that a new era--with physicians as retailers with lower practice overhead; quicker, more transparent transactions; satisfied and more informed consumers; and efficient payment of physicians in their offices--was at hand.

What Do HSAs and Electronic Health Records Have in Common?

August 2005 - Vol. 3 David Harris, National Healthcare Revenue Cycle Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, NY, NY © 2005 All Rights Reserved

Even though the healthcare industry has been talking for years about national EHRs it seems we are no closer today than during the last Bush administration.  We're still locked into a cold war of sorts between policy, standards, commercial interests and more.  The "Berlin Wall" is still standing in healthcare.

In fact, think of hospitals as different countries speaking their own language and the equivalent of the Berlin Wall protecting every border.  How do you break down the walls within the healthcare industry, and across industries, so that patient information can be "liberated" in a secure fashion and delivered at the precise moment when and where it is needed; sort of like our personal financial information in the banking community?

MBP Health Savings Account Workgroup Online Meeting

The Medical Banking Project is hosting an open Health Savings Account (HSA) Workgroup meeting (held online) on Monday, August 22, 2005 at 1:00 pm CDT. The HSA Workgroup is led by Dave Harris, National Healthcare Revenue Cycle Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and MBProject's Dr. HSA columnist. The online session will continue the work of the first HSA Workgroup meeting held at the 2005 Medical Banking Leadership Forum, an exclusive MBProject membership event that was hosted at the Vanderbilt Center for Better Health in Nashville, TN in July.

"The HSA environment is driving convergence between banks and healthcare in ways that are hard to imagine today. David Harris' vision is that one day we will be able to walk up to a medical kiosk, swipe a card and purchase the healthcare required with no further obligations, much like how we purchase airline tickets online today. No paper trail of confusing statements or EOBs but a seamless, real time process. That took some time to develop, required bank participation and industry consensus, but was well worth the effort," comments John Casillas, founder of MBProject.

At the Forum, MBProject officially announced a new open source project dubbed "C.O.M.B.A.T." for "Cooperative Open-source Medical Banking Architecture and Technology". The initiative of the mission is to "combat the rising costs of healthcare using medical banking principles and technology". The HSA Workgroup represents one of six workgroups that will build out business level requirements and operating protocols that will be programmed into the reference architecture and tested in three safety net settings. The HSA Workgroup will build out real time administrative processing rules. The C.O.M.B.A.T. effort has gained increasing support among large employers, financial services firms and technology firms.

Registration for the event is required. MBProject members may place reservations at any time until Thursday, August 18th, by emailing us at evc@mbproject.org. Non-members may send an email to info@mbproject.org to reserve seating, which is limited to the first 50 non-member registrants.