From reader DKBerry:

You’d think that buying a common EHR platform and deploying it across all of Defense Department’s medical centers (Army, Navy, Air Force) … that they would have done better.  How did VA succeed where DoD is failing?

Unless the Defense Department addresses weaknesses in project planning and management that have hampered its current electronic health-record system’s capabilities, it risks undermining its new EHR initiatives, according to a Government Accountability Office report (PDF) requested by Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), the ranking minority member of the Senate Budget Committee.

The report notes how the Defense Department has obligated some $2 billion since 1988 to an EHR system for the 9.6 million active-duty service members, their families and other beneficiaries but has come up short and has scaled back its original expectations for AHLTA. (AHLTA was originally an acronym for “Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application,” but the department later declared it was no longer an acronym, but a brand.)

After finding AHLTA’s early performance “problematic” in terms of speed, usability and availability, the Department of Defense has sought to acquire a new system known as EHR Way Ahead, according to the report.

The new system, according to the GAO report, “is expected to address performance problems; provide unaddressed capabilities such as comprehensive medical documentation; capture and share medical data electronically within DOD; and improve existing information sharing with the Department of Veterans Affairs,” and has initiated efforts to “stabilize” AHLTA so it can act as a bridge until the system is ready.

The Defense Department has allocated $302 million in its 2011 budget request, according to the report, but has not changed its EHR acquisition process to avoid the same shortcomings it experienced with AHLTA.

Source

NOTE: I had this post sitting ready to be posted back in July and never got around to it. I think it’s still pretty relevant even though we are a few months farther along. Some of the time frames might not be quite right now, but the sentiments are interesting.

DKBerry sent me a passionate email in reference to this Modern Healthcare article about the EHR subsidies unanswered questions and the possibility of EHR Stimulus money flowing in May 2011. While I don’t agree completely with DKBerry, I have to admit that it’s quite disturbing that an 800 page meaningful use final rule later and we still have lots of questions. The following is DKBerry’s reaction/summary of the article:

Trudel makes it sound like a doc could validate his meaningful use on 30 April (end of the first possible 90 day period for reimbursement) … and would get paid by CMS in May.  Wonder how long she has worked for CMS?

I especially like this line …

“John Halamka, committee co-chairman, asked whether the reimbursements paid to office-based physicians would be counted by the Internal Revenue Service as taxable income. Trudel said that question was out of her purview.”

Of course its taxable income Dr. Halmaka!  It’s based on Medicare reimbursement payments … and that’s revenue.  Had the bozzos who set up this idiotic incentive program provided tax credits instead of partial reimbursements for meaningful use adoption of a certified EHR … then maybe they would have gotten more than 15 docs to sign up.

You will love the dialog between Judith Faulkner (Epic Systems) and Doug Fridsma (ONCHIT).

“Faulkner asked whether he thought “we’re going to make” the Jan. 1, 2011, start date by having both these certification and testing organizations and vendors with tested products in place by then.

Fridsma made no promises.”

He said his hope is that having multiple testing and certifications organizations authorized will “eliminate some of the bottlenecks.” Still, he said, there will be “challenges” to get systems certified if providers “bundle” pieces of EHR systems together to achieve meaningful use, a common scenario at many hospitals.

“We are working as hard as we can to meet those timelines and get the capability in place,” Fridsma said.

I appreciate that you are working as hard as you can … but that’s not good enough.  ONC has to get it done now.  Any date after 30 September and its costing hospitals money.  They are going to be still screwing around with this in January … 2 years after they put it out in ARRA.  If I were a doc I would just say screw it … I’m closing my panel to Medicare patients.  This isn’t worth the pain and effort.

These webcasts have been popping up all over the place. It’s really quite amazing. You could make it a full time career just attending various webcasts on the EMR stimulus and meaningful use. Well, I’ve seen a ton of them, but this one by Modern Healthcare looked pretty interesting with a variety of people including the Director of CMS Office of E-Health Standards and Services. You can read more about it here and I’ll put some of the details of the meaningful use regulations webcast below:

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010
10 a.m. Central Time
FREE REGISTRATION*

About this Webcast

The federal government is offering as much as $34 billion in financial assistance to healthcare providers that buy, implement and use information technology in a manner consistent with the way the government wants it to be used. The government explained what it wants in nearly 700 pages of proposed regulations issued earlier this month.

In this webcast moderated by Modern Healthcare Information Technology Reporter Joseph Conn, four healthcare IT experts will break down those regulations and help attendees:
Identify the key sections of the regulations
Understand the impact of the regulations on hospitals, health systems and physician practices
Teach providers strategies to qualify for federal funding
Featured Speakers

J. Michael Kramer, M.D.
Chief Medical Information Officer
Trinity Health
Novi, Mich.

David Seaman
CEO
Pronger Smith Medical Care
Blue Island, Ill.

Tony Trenkle
Director
CMS Office of E-Health Standards and Services
Washington

Paul Tang, M.D.
Chief Medical Information Officer
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Palo Alto, CA

P.S. If you’re able to attend this or any other webcast and want to do a guest post on what was said at the webcast, feel free to contact me on the EMR and EHR contact us page.