Shaping the Future of Health IT

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Wednesday, October 7th, 2015

• >This week, the health IT community is celebrating the 10^th anniversary of National Health IT Week. This commemorative week is defined as “a collaborative forum and virtual awareness week that assembles key healthcare constituents dedicated to working together to elevate the necessity of advancing health through the best use of information technology.”

  

ICD-10: Issues and Implementation

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Wednesday, September 30th, 2015

• You may have noticed that, with the deadline for transition looming near, ICD-10 has become a top concern. It is one of the leading topics at this year’s AHIMACon in New Orleans, and opinions and recommendations have been popping up all over the internet.
  
  What is ICD-10
  
  ICD is the much-abbreviated acronym for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. The numerical designation “10” simply indicates that it is the tenth version of this classification system. Essentially, the ICD-10 is a series of codes, designating everything from diseases to symptoms to abnormal findings. The World Health Organization uses this classification system to track medical information.

SBMI Visits NOLA for the 2015 AHIMA Convention & Exhibit

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Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015

• The2015 AHIMA Convention & Exhibit officially begins later this week. Several members of the SBMI community will be in attendance for the 87^th annual convention that the organization will host. In honor of the upcoming convention, we have created a “David Letterman Top 10” list of things you must do while in New Orleans for the convention.

  

What do the Best Health IT Employees Want from an Employer?

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Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

• As health IT workplaces continually evolve, the industry is constantly searching for ways to help employees be more productive, efficient and effective. What do the best health IT professionals want from an employer? In pursuit of that answer, things like work life balance, “work perks” and others are becoming increasingly more important. Companies are asking themselves lots of questions like, “Do employees prefer to work from home?” and “Is it important to offer employees professional development training?”

  

SBMI Workforce Grant

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Wednesday, September 9th, 2015
written by Susan Fenton, PhD, RHIA, FAHIMA

• The School of Biomedical Informatics (SBMI) was recently awarded a two-year grant from ONC to revise the existing health information technology (HIT) curriculum as well as create new curriculum around the topics of population health management; care coordination and interoperability; new payment and delivery models; and value-based/patient-centered care. There are many people who will work to make this grant successful. First, SBMI is only one of seven grantees. The others can be found on the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website.

Tips for Successful Online Learning

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Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015

• A new semester has started at SBMI and for many of our newest students, this is their first experience with online learning. Our school strives to optimize the educational experience of each of our students so our Distance Education team has compiled some tips for successful online learning.
  
  Back to the Basics
  Here are some fundamental items that all SBMI students, new and returning, need to keep in mind each and every semester.

Wearable Technology and Cell Phone Apps do more than Count Steps

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Wednesday, August 26th, 2015

• Everyone seems to be jumping on the wearable bandwagon. They’ve popped up on wrists, in pockets, and through cell phone apps, promising to help consumers live healthier lives. This is an admirable goal and the success of companies like Fitbit and Jawbone are a testament to the importance that consumers place on factors like diet and exercise.
  
  As health care and technology experts test the boundaries of wearables and smartphones, new products are being created that tackle a wide array of issues in health care.

The Health IT Safety Center Roadmap: What’s Next?

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Wednesday, August 19th, 2015
written by Dean Sittig and Hardeep Singh

• On July 17, 2015, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released the Health IT Safety Center Roadmap that lays a path forward for progress in the field of health information technology-related patient safety. The proposed Center focuses on two core objectives: “using health IT to make care safer, and continuously improving the safety of health IT.” It recognizes that achieving health IT safety requires continual evidence, education, and engagement from a variety of health care stakeholders.
  
  This is an important step for both policy and practice in an area where researchers like us are just beginning to understand the boundaries and definition of health IT-related patient safety. Herein, we discuss key additional opportunities and challenges to be addressed to help operationalize the next steps inspired by the Roadmap.

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