While attending the EHR Summit by HBMA, I got the chance to learn more about the AZ REC and HIE. Here are some tweets about the things they said that worth noting with my own comments:

Arizona REC

AZ REC had trouble getting vendors to take their free EHR interns. #EHRSummit11

This was pretty interesting since they said that doctors were more than willing to take on their student interns, but vendors were reticent to take them on. I do love the education program that the AZ REC put together. Internships like this are valuable.

Biggest complaint the HIT students had was access to actual EHR software. AZ REC created a EHR software lab to solve it. #EHRSummit11

This is a really common complaint by the RECs. In fact, I just helped a REC get access to some EHR software to solve this problem. It’s amazing to me that more EHR vendors aren’t happy to provide their software for these education programs.

AZ REC has a list serv of 2500 doctors and a list for vendors. See: http://www.arizonarec.org/? #EHRSummit11

I found it interesting that they had a doctor list and a vendor list. Makes sense.

AZ REC looking at optimizing health IT for ACO’s to be sustainable. I think this will be a common strategy. #EHRSummit11

The idea of REC sustainability is an important one. I think many are looking towards the ACO requirements as one pathway to sustainability. Of course, how stable are ACO’s? One thing seems certain, the relationships the RECs create with doctors could be leveraged for good if done right.

Arizona HIE

The case for the benefits of good information from something like a HIE is easy. The problem is making it actually happen. #EHRSummit11

This was my gut response when the AZ HIE was talking about the benefits of having the information an HIE provides. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say that exchanging information would be a bad thing and produce worse clinical outcomes. Sure, they want to ensure privacy of the data when it’s done, but the benefits of having the best information are completely apparent.

HINAz (AZ HIE) didn’t depend on grants to create the HIE. They focused on the benefits of the HIE to users. #EHRSummit11

This seems like something that’s a bit unique to AZ. Most HIE’s are so focused on the grant funding. In this sense, I think that this might give the AZ HIE a chance to be successful. Plus, I loved that they did actual research into which users benefited from the HIE.

AZ HIE, Hospitals pay 50% of costs, Plans pay 50% of costs. Physicians pay nominal fee to participate (cause nominal benefit). #EHRSummit11

This is where the real fun begins. The hospitals and plans are paying for the HIE since the AZ HIE found that they’re the ones that would benefit from it. They found that doctors received nominal benefits from using the HIE and so they shouldn’t be charged to use it. Of course, the other beneficiaries not mentioned here is the benefit to the patients. I’m sure hospitals and plans will pass the cost on to patients, so I guess that works out in the end.

Today and tomorrow I’ve got the opportunity to attend the EHR Summit that’s being held by the Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA) in Phoenix (officially Scottsdale). I first heard of this conference about a year ago and loved the idea. In fact, this conference was kind of what I’ve dreamed of creating in an EHR conference. The idea is to have actual practical advice on how to select and implement EHR software.

Here’s a sample of some of the topics that will be covered:

• EHR: Where are we Today?
• Vendor Selection
• Medical Legal Considerations
• An Insider’s Perspective
• Training for Meaningful Use
• REC & HIE Update
• Market Needs Your Help with EHR
• Workflow & Process Management
• EHR Implementation Planning
• EHR Implementation Support
• EHR Adoption & Ongoing Support
• EHR Optimization, Meaningful Use & Use in Health Reform

That’s quite a bit different agenda than all the other EMR and healthcare IT related conferences that I’ve seen. I also love that the conference has some built in time for users to get some EHR demos. In fact, it’s almost like they’ve created a track of EHR demos as part of the conference. I do wish they’d had a session on EMR demos on the first day to better help attendees make the most of their EHR demos. Things like how to ask the right questions (ie. Don’t ask Yes/No questions)

I’ll be doing a number of posts talking about the messages shared at the EHR Summit on this site, EMR and EHR, and EMR Thoughts over the next couple of days.

If you don’t want to wait for the blog posts, I’ll be doing a fair amount of tweeting from the event on my @ehrandhit account.

I haven’t been to a healthcare IT conference in a little while. Mostly, because I hadn’t seen one that I really wanted to attend. So, I’m excited that August 12th I’m going to the Health Tech: Next Generation Conference in San Franscisco, CA.

I’m actually going to be there the whole weekend since there’s a WordPress conference happening that weekend as well. Plus, there are a number of people I’m planning to meet with while I’m there. If you’re in San Francisco that weekend, let me know so we can get together. I always love meeting readers of this site.

I’m really excited for this healthcare IT conference. They have the amazing Guy Kawasaki as one of the keynote speakers. He’s a dynamic person and I can’t wait to see him speak in person for the first time. Plus, I’m sure he’ll offer an interesting “outsiders” perspective on healthcare IT. I believe every attendee gets a free copy of his book “Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions.”

I’m going to be moderating a panel about EMR 101. Most long time readers of this site won’t likely want to attend. Although, hopefully it will be a great session for those doctors who are diving into the EMR and EHR world. So, if you’re a doctor near San Francisco, come and learn. Nice thing is that it’s only a one day event so it’s not a huge ordeal. Plus, there are some other really smart people that will be at the event as well.

Here’s the full description of the Health Tech healthcare IT conference from their press release:

HealthTech:NextGeneration will host it’s first upcoming Conference & Exposition at the Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront Hotel, Burlingame, CA on August 12th 2011. This one day comprehensive event will assimilate leaders & professionals in Healthcare & Information Technology under one roof. It will showcase up-and-coming strategies and technologies to tackle today’s healthcare delivery obstacles, shaping and advancing the healthcare industry forward into tomorrow’s paradigm of patient controlled environments.

HealthTech:NextGeneration will feature expert speakers from both the Healthcare and IT industries, including renowned author Guy Kawasaki & Dr. Mattison who is CMIO at Kaiser Permanente. The track sessions will address crucial topics such as Data Privacy and Security, Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records, Role of Social Media, Cloud Computing In Healthcare, Health Information Exchange, Funding Opportunities for Healthcare Businesses and Global Healthcare Systems. The conference is designed for Healthcare & IT Executives, Consultants, Entrepreneurs and Professionals. Attendees will also include Policy Makers, Vendors, Insurers, Medical Administrators, Directors, Managers and VCs.

I hope to see a number of my readers at the event. If you can’t make it to the event, but are in San Francisco, definitely drop me a line and I’d love to meet up with others as much as possible. If enough are interested we could do a dinner event or something one of the nights I’m there.

I’ve been really enjoying the EMR conference yesterday and look forward to it again today. I’m a bit tired from it all, but the people at the conference have been great. It’s pretty small in numbers, but I’ve enjoyed the small intimate crowd and the smart people I’ve met.

I’ve been talking to a lot of people who’ve asked if I’m going to various conferences. I’d like to go to more, but I must admit that it’s quite an expensive (financially and time) to go to a conference. I am planning to make the trek out to HIMSS 11 in Orlando and I posted the first HIMSS 11 keynote speakers on EMR and EHR.

I’ve got at least a dozen new blog topics from this conference that I’ll be posting soon. So, look forward to some good stuff over the next couple weeks.

If I had a quick takeaway from this conference so far, I’d say that I don’t think that we have an idea of the impact that healthcare reform can and will have on healthcare IT. There have been a number of people talking about in their presentations and in side conversations about the potential impact of healthcare reform. In fact, it seems like the uncertainty of it all might be the worst aspect. As one speaker said, In the face of uncertainty most people decide to do nothing. Sounds like the past year and a half in the EMR world, no?

I’m really excited about a meaningful use and EHR conference that’s being held literally in my backyard. It’s the Inaugural Digital Medical Office of the Future: Driving Toward Meaningful Use Conference and Exhibition. The conference is scheduled for September 9-10, 2010 at Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas, NV. You can see more details at the EHR conference website.

The whole conference seems really well done and should have a great mix of EHR, EMR, Meaningful Use and HIE topics. I’m personally most excited to hear the famous Mark Anderson from the AC Group speak in person. Our paths have crossed a number of times in the digital world, and so I’m excited to meet him in the physical world. I also noticed that David Kibbe is on the agenda. Both are legends in the EMR and EHR world which should make for an extraordinary time.

If any EMR and HIPAA readers plan to attend, it would be fun to meet you in person. Maybe we could do an EMR and HIPAA dinner or something. It’s always fun to meet readers of the site in person.

Full Disclosure: I’ve been given press access to the conference and exchanged the ad you see in the right sidebar for EMR and HIPAA listed in the conference materials.

As I mentioned in my post discussing the last year on EMR and HIPAA, I thought it worth talking about some of our plans for the coming year. 2010 is going to be an absolute banner year for EMR. We’re going to see the beginning of major shifts in the EMR world. Everything from merging EMR companies to clinics fretting over the EMR stimulus money. It’s going to be a very exciting and interesting time for those interested in EMR.

EMR and HIPAA Blogging – We’ll continue blogging, although maybe not as much as we did last year. However, it’s just part of my routine so I’ll be surprised if too much changes in that regard. I’ve NEVER had an issue with things to blog about. In 2010 I think sifting through all the content and news will be the real challenge. At the end of the day, my goal with blogging is to provide value to readers. Hopefully I can achieve that goal in 2010.

EMR and EHR Blog – Many of you know that I’ve been doing quite a bit of blogging on EMR and EHR. I expect the blogging on that site will increase in 2010. There won’t be too much difference between EMR and HIPAA and EMR and EHR, but EMR and EHR will generally focus on more news items. Also, I’m considering launching another EMR site that just does EMR news. We’ll see how that evolves.

EMR – EHR Conference – I’m working together with a partner to hold an EMR and EHR conference. I’ll be helping to put together the agenda for the conference which will likely be held around September 2010. The focus of the conference will be on providing practical information on selecting and implementing an EMR.

EMR Selection Book – I’ve made really good progress on my EMR selection e-Book. I expect to launch it to the world in early 2010. Then, I’ll start working on an EMR implementation e-Book along with other related e-Books. Hopefully I can add some value to those searching for the right EMR. Not to mention improve EMR implementation success rates. In some respects, I think these books as a cliff notes version of this blog. Other people have called it an “EMR for Dummies” type book.

Attending HIMSS 10 – I’ll be attending the HIMSS annual conference for the first time. If you can’t attend, then we’ll be covering it for you. I’m still deciding the best way to cover the conference. If you have suggestions or ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments. I was told we’ll have a Meet the Bloggers session at the conference also. I’m excited to meet readers of the site and also to talk with potential advertisers. I’m also interested in talking with someone who wants to sponsor all the posts I do at HIMSS. If you’re interested in more details, drop me a note.

I’m sure there’s a lot more, but that’s some of the major things. I’m also working on a side project which deals with online fundraising for organizations. I’d be interested in talking with non-profit hospitals to learn more about what they’re doing to fundraise. If you have a few moments to talk, let me know on my contact us page.

P.S. If you’re looking for my thoughts on the ONC “meaningful use” final rule, it will come in the next couple days. I like to give myself a few days to synthesize the information. It’s 76 pages (or something like that) for goodness sake.