Not a month goes by that I don’t make 3 important points during conference presentations to providers, meetings with policy makers, or in interviews with reporters in the technology trade press.
- Adoption of electronic health records (EHR), health information exchange (HIE) and other technologies is a business imperative for providers of long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC). I recently made this point in a Senior Housing News article that is featured in this issue of Tech Time.
- LTPAC providers should not have been excluded from the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. These providers, and the older adults they serve, definitely need and deserve more support from the government so they can implement technology solutions that improve quality of care and reduce health care costs.
- Being a smaller provider, or having limited financial resources, is no longer a good excuse for not jumping on the technology bandwagon, however. LTPAC providers need to think outside the box and find new ways — such as creative partnerships and creative use of low-cost technologies—to enhance their ability to collect and exchange health information.
The Federal Government Listened
After many months of hammering homes these points, I received some great news just this week: the announcement of a new grant program by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
The $1 million Community Interoperability HIE Program will support “a more comprehensive digital data picture of health for people and their communities.”
Most important to me, and to all those at LeadingAge who have been advocating for more government support of HIE, is the fact that this grant program was designed specifically with LTPAC providers in mind.
This is great news, and not only because it will bring more resources to bear as we try to increase EHR adoption in the LTPAC sector. The grant program also illustrates that we have finally been successful in getting LTPAC providers on ONC’s radar screen.
I hope you will read our article and begin searching for community partners with whom you can present a grant application to ONC by the June 16 deadline.
Tomorrow’s Deadline for the LTPAC Showcase
Now that another successful PEAK Leadership Summit is behind us, CAST is getting ready for 2 more exciting gatherings over the next few months.
Tomorrow, April 17, is the deadline to submit an application for the Interoperability and Innovations Showcase that CAST is leading during this year’s LTPAC Health Information Technology Summit. It is also the deadline for the discounted Early Bird registration, if you haven’t registered already! The Summit takes place June 21-23, 2015 in Baltimore, MD.
If you haven’t submitted your application for the showcase, I hope you will do so today or tomorrow. Successful applicants may get the opportunity to speak at the Interoperability Track during the Summit. Please see our LTPAC Showcase article for more information.
August in Australia
I’d also like to invite you to attend a Technology Forum that CAST and the International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (IAHSA) are sponsoring this summer in conjunction with the joint conference of IAHSA and Aged and Community Services Australia.
The daylong forum takes place on Aug. 31, 2015 in Perth, Australia. I’ll be there to lead the forum, along with CAST’s Aging Services Technologies Manager Scott Code.
See our article about the CAST-IAHSA Technology Forum for more information about the agenda, which will include the sharing of CAST’s practical, hands-on tools for planning, selecting and implementing appropriate technologies. As an added bonus, the forum will give you a great opportunity to build an international peer network that can support you in your technology planning and implementation.
Highlighting CAST Associates
This issue of Tech Time is filled with great news from CAST Sponsors, Patrons, Business Associates, University Members, and LeadingAge Members.
First, I’m happy to let you know that CAST has developed a new Case Study describing how LeadingAge Member Miami Jewish Health Systems in Miami, FL, partnered with CAST Supporter BlueOrange Compliance to safeguard the privacy and security of its residents, clients and patients.
I urge you to read Turning HIPAA and HITECH Complexities into Compliance through the Power of Partnership, which is featured in this issue of Tech Time.
Second, CAST is very pleased to announce that Ziegler is a new CAST Supporter and Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay is a new CAST Patron.
In addition, CAST has 3 new Business Associates: Medocity, Levi + Wong Design Associates, and PharmRight Corporation. I hope you’ll take a minute to learn more about these news associates.
Third, 3 articles in this issue highlight the accomplishments of CAST members:
- Philips, a LeadingAge Silver Partner and CAST Supporter, recently added a new predictive analytics engine to the Philips Lifeline remote monitoring solution. The new CareSage platform will allow health providers to better monitor and care for older adults.
- CAST Business Associates Healthsense, AOD Software, PointClickCare, and American HealthTech/Healthland; CAST University Member Carnegie Mellon University; and LeadingAge Member The Lutheran Homes Association have made news this month for their innovative research, cutting-edge technology solutions, and market-changing expansions. Read more in our monthly Member News article for the details.
- Joseph Coughlin and Luke Yoquinto from the AgeLab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a CAST University Member in Boston, wrote an interesting article in Slate suggesting the most vulnerable members of society — and old and the sick — could be in danger unless we take steps to protect the security of interconnected smart home devices.
I hope you enjoy these and other articles in this issue of Tech Time. Please contact me with any comments or questions.