Will IT spending increase in the New Year? Yes, but "how much" depends on who you ask. Different industry surveys show somewhat different outlooks for IT budgets in 2015. What’s clear is that some technologies (hint: security) will attract much more investment than others. ComputerWorld’s annual survey of IT executives projects a rosy view. Some […]
The dizzying pace of change in healthcare IT shows no signs of slowdown, say industry analysts at IDC, a leading IT advisory firm. The group is forecasting increased spending on technologies that improve data security and manage healthcare costs. Other trends that may drive healthcare IT investments include a “focus on consumer experience and engagement, […]
Throughout the year, between the countless calls, emails and meetings to match health IT consultants to clients, we like to give back to our communities through our Cares Program. Similar to Salesforce.com's 1/1/1 philanthropic model, Healthcare IT Leaders and its parent company established the Cares Program to promote the humanity of employees, foster teamwork and help […]
Having returned recently from the NJ/Delaware HIMSS Fall meeting in Atlantic City, I am recalling multiple conversations and sidebars on the topic of data governance. But here’s the thing. To my knowledge, there wasn’t a single presentation on the topic. Now I admit I may have had a glass or two of Cabernet at the […]
In my 17-year career, I’ve witnessed exponential growth in the QA field. Spending on quality assurance and testing now represents about a quarter of a typical IT organization budget, and the job opportunities and salaries for test professionals have grown as a function of this increased focus on software quality. Frankly, some in IT are […]
The year ahead is shaping up as a critical one for physician adoption of health IT. Starting in 2015, eligible providers are subject to Medicare reimbursement penalties if they fail to participate in the Medicare Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program. Then on October 1, if there are no further delays, the ICD-10 implementation deadline kicks in triggering a mandatory switchover […]
Funny, hearing the command “Just relax!” doesn’t do anything to settle your nerves if they’ve been rattled. We can be unnerved by all kinds of factors while on the job, from sleep deprivation to mood fluctuations to high-stress situations. If you ever feel like you’re going to lose it, try one (or all) of the […]
As the holiday season gets into swing, many of us will be traveling, shopping, eating and enjoying other seasonal pastimes that are, for better or worse, now aided by pretty sophisticated software. That’s why I give thanks for my fellow quality assurance and testing pros. They work behind the scenes to improve and debug the […]
Even though only 26% of physicians access their EHR from a tablet or mobile device, those users are more satisfied with their EHR system, according to the new EHR UserView Survey from Software Advice. The survey polled nearly 600 physician users about their current EHR systems’ key benefits and challenges and their future healthcare IT […]
A majority of healthcare providers in a new survey say they used last year’s ICD-10 implementation delay to their advantage and are prepared to start testing. A newly released ICD-10 readiness survey from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) says that 65% of respondents could begin end-to-end testing prior to the fourth quarter of 2015, […]
The creation of a Testing Center of Excellence (TCoE) represents an organizational commitment to software quality. And as I’ve written recently, more IT organizations are adopting a TCoE model, according to the 2014-15 World Quality Report from HP, Capgemini and Sogeti (see chart below). But for every organization investing in quality, there are plenty of others that: Rush to […]
With more than 3,000 known Ebola cases and 1,500 deaths from the virus, public health officials and healthcare organizations are eager to track the spread of Ebola and share this data with others in the industry. Currently, there is no specific ICD-9 code for Ebola; it's tracked in hospitals that have not updated to ICD-10 with […]