Today the big news was that Mark Leavitt is leaving his role as chairman of CCHIT. Healthcare IT news reported on the announcement:

“The board accepts Mark’s decision with reluctance but appreciates his commitment to overseeing a seamless transition,” said H. Stephen Lieber, chairman of the board of trustees and president and CEO of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
…
Lieber said CCHIT trustee Frank Trembulak, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Geisinger Health System, will chair the search committee for Leavitt’s replacement, and that a firm has been retained to conduct the search.
…
“Having the privilege to launch and lead this volunteer-based, nonprofit organization has been one of the most rewarding and educational experiences of my life,” said Leavitt. “Now it is time for me to keep a promise I made to myself and my family when I first took on this role five years ago, knowing that I will leave it in the hands of an exceptional group of volunteers and a highly capable and knowledgeable staff.”

It seems like there’s some mixed reaction to the departure of Mark Leavitt from CCHIT. Some spelling the end of CCHIT, and others saying that it could be a good thing. I personally think that CCHIT isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I hope they ditch their main CCHIT EHR certification path and just stick to ARRA EHR certification, but time will tell for that.

Personally I want to say that I think Mark Leavitt always came off as a very sincere guy who was trying to do good. I certainly differed with him in many areas, but I think he was just trying to do his job the best he could. I can admire that and I don’t blame him for stepping down. Things around EHR certification are going to heat up and become even more political than it’s been.

I’ve previously written about chart disposal after an EMR implementation and the concept of “thinning your paper chart for scanning into an EMR.” Because of those posts, one reader asked me about feedback on a list of what things should be included in the “thinned” paper chart.

Of course, my first reaction was to tell them to ask the doctors. Each doctor/specialty/clinic is unique and so every one of those would have their own list of what they thought was important. However, I also said I’d post their list on here for people to take a look at and provide feedback on things that shouldn’t be on the list or things that might be missing from this list. So, check out this list and I’d love to hear feedback on it in the comments:

Paper Chart to EMR Scanning List (in no particular order):
Birth records, Nursery, NICU, State Screen, Type/cross.
Growth Charts front and back.
Immunization record (multiples may exist, scan all).
Master Problem List.
Chronic/incidental/PRN medications.
Allergies/sensitivities.
All prior well child checks.
School/Scout/etc PE’s.
All acute visits if chronically ill, otherwise do not include uncomplicated CCD.
All special evaluations (ADHD/Feeding/Nutrition etc done in house).
All referral and specialists’ consults/findings.
Family History if known. Adoption may prohibit this.
City water vs well water.
Lab reports – baselines and all if chronic medical issues.
All diagnostic imaging reports.
Insurance history.
Demographic sheet/all address changes.
All legal documents – custody/state/adoption/POA/living will etc.

A look at this list makes me think about what types of things might be useful when exchanging patient records electronically. Seems like the concept of thinning the chart and exchanging data might be worth considering together.