STEPS to Value Podcast

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.  When those words from the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” were first published in 1798, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge described a story of a sailor who had returned from a long sea voyage, what was gained and what was lost on the journey. If Coleridge was writing today, the line would have probably read, “Data, data everywhere, but is it enough to think?”  A fully digitized hospital could have up to tens of distinct software systems providing data populated into an Electronic Medical record.  Admissions, Anesthesia.  Home care, Intensive care.  Order entry, Outpatient pharmacy. And those are just the internal sources.  Don’t forget about the data coming in from other providers, drug registries, and the like.  But are all these data sources providing clinician’s real-time intelligence that can help them support patient populations or real-time headaches that drive clinicians towards fatigue and burnout.  Are we awash in a sea of data without a lifeboat of wisdom?  Welcome to STEPS to Value, a podcast that explores the intersection of people, processes & technology in healthcare as the industry moves towards a value-focused model.  In this episode, we will explore the promise and reality of clinical intelligence with HIMSS North America Board member Ruben Amarasingham, President & CEO of PCCI, non-profit clinical research and development corporation that specializes in real-time predictive and surveillance analytics for healthcare.  We’ll also hear from James Deren, Director of IT Planning at CareTech Solutions about predictions he will be sharing with the HIMSS innovation community on healthcare trends that will best engage multiple generations of consumers.This Episode’s Guests:Ruben Amarasingham, MDFounder & CEOPCCIPieces TechLearn more about RubenFollow Ruben on Twitter: @RAmarasinghamLearn more about PCCI James Deren, CPHIMSS, PMPDirector of IT PlanningCareTech SolutionsLearn more about JamesLearn more about CareTech SolutionsLearn more about James's health IT trends presentation for the HIMSS Innovation Community This Episode's Promo:HIMSS17 is the meeting place for all things health IT. Experience over 300 education programs, more than 1,200 vendors, hundreds of special programs, and limitless networking opportunities. Collaborate with HIMSS and thousands of colleagues worldwide as you work to positively transform health and lives through IT.Register Today This Episode’s STEPS Categories:This Episode’s Audience Ask:So what impact has clinical intelligence had at your organization?  Send us your thoughts as a voice memo or email and we will play them on the air at the end of our next episode.   You can send your comments to [email protected]

Ever since our earliest days, there has been a connection between the calling to heal the body and the calling to heal the spirit.  Ancient texts speak of this connection.   Buddha says “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”   Proverbs 17:22 states “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” That ancient connection between medical care and spiritual care is still present today. One third of patients in a 2003 study wanted to be asked about their religious beliefs during a routine office visit. Two thirds felt that physicians should be aware of their religious or spiritual beliefs.  As the digitization of healthcare transforms care & business models, how will it impact the processes of delivering spiritual care as well?Welcome to STEPS to Value, a podcast that explores the intersection of people, processes & technology in healthcare as the industry moves towards a value-focused model.  In this episode, we are going to look at a component of patient engagement rarely discussed, exploring the role of health information technology in the pastoral care patients and clinicians receive with Judi Painter, health IT industry veteran, long-time HIMSS volunteer, and recently ordained hospital chaplain.  This Episode’s Guests:Judi Painter, MBA, HMSAExecuSearch Project Manager, VANTAGEEthicon, Inc.Interfaith Minister & Community ChaplainLearn more about Judi Pam JodockSenior Director, Health Business SolutionsHIMSSFollow Pat on Twitter: @pjodockhimssLearn More about HIMSS’ Alternative Payment Model TaskforceLearn more about Pam This Episode's Promo:HIMSS17 is the meeting place for all things health IT. Experience over 300 education programs, more than 1,200 vendors, hundreds of special programs, and limitless networking opportunities. Collaborate with HIMSS and thousands of colleagues worldwide as you work to positively transform health and lives through IT.Register Today This Episode’s STEPS Categories:This Episode’s Audience Ask:So what impact do you think health IT has on the delivery of pastoral care to patients and providers?  Send us your thoughts as a voice memo or email and we will play them on the air at the end of our next episode.   You can send your comments to [email protected]

When it comes to governing, everyone has an opinion.  It was Thomas Jefferson who said “I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves.” But on the other hand, it was Jon Stewart that said “You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: it wasn't that long ago that we were swept away by the Macarena.”  It was Leo Tolstoy who said “Writing laws is easy, but governing is difficult.”   In this episode of STEPS to Value, we will explore the impact that governmental policy has on the health information technology industry with Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Acting Assistant Secretary and the former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Dr. DeSalvo also shares her own personal story and advice for women considering a career in the STEM fields as part of HIMSS’ Women in Health IT Initiative.   We’ll also get an update from HIMSS Vice President Pat Wise on HIMSS’ Pathways to Value, a collection of action plans focused on key areas with high potential for health IT value realization: Clinical Decision Support; Remote Monitoring; Clinical Business Analysis; Information Exchange for Care Coordination; and Patient Safety.  This Episode’s Guests:Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MScActing Assistant Secretary for HealthFormer National Coordinator for Health Information TechnologyU.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Follow Karen on Twitter Learn more about the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human ServicesLearn more about Karen Patricia B. Wise, RN, MS, MA, FHIMSS, COL (USA ret’d)Vice President, Health Information SystemsHIMSSFollow Pat on Twitter Learn More on HIMSS’ Value of Health IT Suite & its Pathways to Value action plans Learn more about Pat This Episode's Promo:The Annual National Health IT Week is being held September 26-30, 2016. Join us for this collaborative forum where public and private healthcare constituents work in partnership to educate industry and policy stakeholders on the value of health IT for the U.S. healthcare system.  Initiated in 2006, National Health IT Week has emerged as a landmark occasion for using health IT as part of the overall solution to improve America’s healthcare as a bipartisan, federally led, market driven initiative.  The Week consists of events across the country, including National Health IT Week participants —vendors, provider organizations, payers, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, government agencies, industry/professional associations, research foundations, and consumer protection groups— all working together to elevate national attention to the advantages of advancing health IT.  Make sure your voice is heard.Learn how to participate in NHIT WeekThis Episode’s STEPS Categories:This Episode’s Series ID Employee SpotlightBarbara CousineauRelationship Manager Organizational AffiliatesHIMSSLearn more about our Organizational Affiliates program.Learn more about BarbThis Episode’s Audience Ask:How do you think policy has impacted the health IT industry? Send us a voice memo from your smart phone with your thoughts. You can send them to [email protected] and we will play them on the air at the end of our next episode. (C) 2016, HIMSS North America

We’ve all experienced this, right?  Mom falls.  Dad is getting too difficult to take care of alone anymore.  Grandma finally agrees to let someone help her so she can stay at the house where she and Grandpa built their life together, where so many family memories where born, where the air in the room smells like comfort and yesterday.  We’ve all experienced this, right?  A visit.  The long hallway.  Faces greeting you, some eager, some lost, as you find your way to the right room.  Awkward conversations about who gets what.  Who will take care this.  Who you will need to call. We’ve all experience this, right?  The moment life grabs us, forces us to stop looking ahead or behind.  Forces us to look at ourselves in the right now.  As life transitions from one plane to the next.  Son. Father.  Daughter. Mother.  Care giver.  Care receiver. Welcome to STEPS to Value, a podcast that explores the intersection of people, processes & technology in healthcare as the industry moves towards a value-focused model.  In this episode, we conclude our exploration of the long-term, post-acute care marketplace with John Damgaard, CEO of MatrixCare and IT Committee Chair at the National Association for the Support of Long Term Care.  We discuss with John about the LTPAC digital divide, both within the industry and compared to other care settings.  We explore how to best coordinate care across the acute and long-term, post-acute care settings when one setting’s idea of high-tech is Watson and the other’s is a fax machine.  We’ll also get an update from HIMSS member Floyd Eisenberg on a project HIMSS is collaborating on that helps both clinicians and developers incorporate immunization-related capabilities in their software. This Episode’s Guests:John DamgaardPresident and Chief Executive OfficerMatrixCareFollow John on TwitterLearn more about JohnLearn more about MatrixCare Floyd EisenbergVice President, Quality & RegulatoryCNIAdvantageFollow Floyd on TwitterLearn more about FloydLearn more about the Immunization Integration Project This Episodes NewsLawmakers Join the Long-Term-Care Rate Hike FrayFederal News Radio, August 24th, 2016 A little more than a month after the Office of Personnel Management dropped its long-term-care bombshell, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is asking where exactly that bomb came from.  Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) sent a letter to Craig Bromley, president of John Hancock Financial Services, asking for information on the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program. John Hancock Financial Services was the only company to bid on the FLTCIP contract in 2016.Read MoreMemo: Protecting Resident Privacy and Prohibiting Mental Abuse Related to Photographs and Audio/Video Recordings by Nursing Home StaffCenters For Medicare & Medicaid Services, Center for Clinical Standards & Quality/Survey & Certification Group, August 5th, 2016 Read MoreInappropriate Social Media Posts by Nursing Home Workers, DetailedCharles Ornstein & Jessica Huseman, ProPublica, Dec. 21, 2015Below are details of 47 incidents since 2012 in which workers at nursing homes and assisted-living centers shared photos or videos of residents on social media networks. The details come from government inspection reports, court cases and media reports.Read MoreThis Episode’s PromoThe Long-Term and Post-Acute Care (LTPAC) Roundtable helps shape the direction of HIMSS in serving the needs of LTPAC providers and vendors. The LTPAC Roundtable meetings focus on topics relevant to the LTPAC IT community, to include professional development, public policy initiatives, interoperability, and the value of health IT.Get involved todayThis Episode’s AskSo how can the health care industry bridge the digital divide within the long-term, post-acute care space?  How can acute care and long, term post-acute care providers more successfully leverage health IT to transition patients from one setting to another?  Send us a voice memo from your smart phone with your examples of LTPAC organizations that are effectively leveraging health IT to provide better care for their residents.   Send it to [email protected] and we will play them on the air at the end of our next episode.

In this episode, we find out more about the HIMSS Women in Health IT initiatives from Carla Smith, EVP at HIMSS and gain a perspective on trends in the long-term, post-acute care (LTPAC) marketplace from Lorren Pettit, VP, HIS at HIMSS.This Episode’s Guests:Carla Smith, MA, CNM, FHIMSSExecutive Vice PresidentHIMSSFollow Carla on Twitter Learn more about Carla Lorren Pettit, MS MBAVice President, Market ResearchHIMSS Learn more about Lorren This Episodes Initiatives:HIMSS’ Women in Health IT Roundtable: Engage, Empower and CollaborateAug 25, 2016 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDTRegister today!HIMSS Most Influential Women in Health IT Awards Call for Applications open until Monday, October 17, 2016Nominate an Influential Woman in Health IT today!HIMSS Media’s Women in Health IT News PageLong-Term, Post-Acute RoundtableLearn MoreThis Episode’s Hashtags:#WomeninHIT, #HITWorks, #LTPACThis Episode’s STEPS Categories:This Episode’s Audience Ask:Send us voice memos or emails letting us know about the influential women in HIT you interact with.  How have they influenced you? Send your voice memos and emails to [email protected]

Roughly 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day.  They will keep doing so for another 13 years.  Chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure & cholesterol are more common amongst the baby boomer generation than the generation before it.  As the health care industry continues to respond to an aging population with more long-term health care needs, how does it ensure that it best supports patients as they transition between ambulatory, acute, and long-term, post-acute care settings?  What does patient engagement look like for like for patients that might not have the agency to participate in their care, such as the 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease?  As more and more people receive care in the home, at skilled nursing, rehab and assisted living facilities, how do health care providers ensure that they are working as a team to care for the person, not just the patient?Please note: This is the first episode of season 2.This Episode’s Guest:Chuck CzarnikVice President, Strategic PlanningBrookdale Senior LivingLearn more about ChuckFollow Chuck on Twitter: @ChuckCzarnikMore on Brookdale Senior LivingThis Episode’s News Items: HIMSS LTPAC Roundtable Webinar Series:  Profiling Health IT Adoption and Maturity in LTPAC Settings / Technologies Supporting Care Coordination among Healthcare SettingsIn this LTPAC Roundtable meeting, researchers from the University of Missouri discuss various issues to be considered in the development of national EHR maturation model for nursing home providers and advances in post-acute health information technologies.  Download handouts from this webinar.  Learn more about getting involved with the HIMSS LTPAC Roundtable. Post-Acute IT 'Getting Interesting' as Attention Turns to EHRs, Analytics, InteroperabilityJohn Andrews, Healthcare IT News, May 12th, 2016After years of dwelling in the shadows of healthcare, the long-term and post-acute care industry may finally be ready to join its hospital colleagues in the IT spotlight.  The path is long and steep, but operators of skilled nursing, outpatient rehabilitation, assisted living, memory care, hospice and home care agencies are embracing their important new roles as providers in the dynamic post-acute care environment.  Keep reading

This episode reviews the proposed structure of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System’s Quality Performance Category. We will discuss how the Quality Performance Category will affect eligible clinicians in a variety of care settings.

There are a number of ways through which the protection of patient health information can impact the ability for a clinician to receive reimbursement under the regulations included in the MACRA NPRM. This episode will provide an overview of those impacts on affected clinicians.

Health Information Technology is firmly within the domain of those who provide health care. Physicians, nurses and others document our care encounters. Increasingly, however, we hear of creating a patient-centric health care system, and a lot of smart people are trying to figure out this thing we call “patient engagement.” Is there a role for patients and their families in the provision of care? How can we leverage technology to do that?In this episode, we hear about one woman’s experience taking care of three parents suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and how technology does and doesn’t work in her role as a caregiver. MaryAnne Sterling has been a caregiver for her aging parents for 20 years as well as an educator on Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on family caregivers. During that time MaryAnne has also acted as a thought leader in health information technology and health policy. She currently serves on the Advisory Council for the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Patient & Caregiver-Powered Research Network, as Ambassador for PCORI, Consumer Ombudsman for the National Association for Trusted Exchange, CEO of Sterling Health IT Consulting, & Co-founder of Connected Health Resources, which spearheads innovative new projects to improve how patients & family caregivers navigate the healthcare system.

In this age of rapid digital transformation, the speed at which innovation occurs often impacts success. We know this is true for organizations, but what is its role in systemic transformation? As we move towards a health care delivery system that is based more on value than on volume will innovation come in the form of wholesale transformation or will it occupy in small spaces, chipping away at the old model over time? How do we define the future state? What does it look like? Is it all about technology? Or must we rethink the way we think about health care. In this episode we talk with Dr. Jacob Reider about this timely topic, about the innovative use of technology, the promotion of benevolence in business and the opportunities that lay ahead for each of us to improve the health of our communities.