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Gartner has released its 2009 Hype Cycle Report about technology trends. Cloud computing made the list. There is definitely a developing hype surrounding cloud technologies. As more and more companies jump on the cloud bandwagon, the true nature – and benefits – of these technologies become increasingly amorphous. However, concerns about the security of cloud computing as it relates to health care may have been over hyped, as well. In fact, one can easily make the argument that it is easier to monitor and maintain security in a hosted cloud model than it is for a client-server, considering that a typical application using a legacy client server is wired separately to the Internet. This makes for a distributed nightmare of a mess — with questionable protections that are potentially vulnerable. Historically, the majority of security breaches have occurred with this computing model (if not from a stolen laptop!) All you have to do is look at your own PC every time you connect to the Internet and witness the barrage of messages about virus protection to get a sense for this. Who is securing your connection and protecting your data? Some pre-packaged and potentially out of date virus protection software with some dubious firewall, or a group of top-notch engineers equipped with monitoring and protection tools more powerful than the hackers?

The Health IT Policy Committee on Friday released its recommendations for electronic health record (EHR) certification under the ARRA. In general, the recommendations will place less emphasis on features and functionality, and focus more on the criteria for meaningful use, including interoperability, privacy and security. The recommendations call for multiple certification organizations (rather than just one), with accreditation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Nuesoft applauds the committee’s effort to move toward a more “transparent and objective process”, where the emerging model appears to level the playing field for vendors with newer, more innovative technologies and system and data architectures.

While the government’s incentives for adopting an EHR have been cautiously welcomed by many in the health care industry, providers and software vendors alike are struggling to come to grips with one key term: “meaningful use”. A practice must show meaningful use of an EHR before it is eligible to receive the incentives, and finding a definition that applies to all sizes or practices and hospitals seems to be no mean feat . The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is one organization hoping to modify the HIT Committee’s definition before it is finalized by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). MGMA sent a letter to the ONC at the end of June that recommended that, among other things, a broader set of administrative requirements be included as an integral part of the definition of meaningful use: essentially, that there is a focus on billing and practice management efficiencies as well as EHR efficiencies. In particular, it suggested eligibility verification, real-time claims adjudication and electronic payment remittance, all things that users of robust practice management software are already enjoying.

Additionally, MGMA is concerned that the definition of “meaningful use” as it currently stands has been developed with larger provider groups and hospitals in mind, and will prove too burdensome for smaller practices. In another letter sent last month to the ONC, MGMA listed ten recommendations to combat this.

There has been much discussed and written recently about how cost control is a necessary component of health care reform. CNN recently highlighted the six primary sources of wasteful health care spending, which amount to a whopping $500 billion. Claims processing made the list — and for good reason.

As a medical billing software company that also functions as an approved clearinghouse of medical claims, Nuesoft witnesses first hand the administrative costs and inefficiencies related to claims adjudication. There are an estimated 6 billion medical claims filed each year by medical practices and hospitals. If every single one of those claims could be filed according to the exact same data protocols, with no payer specific differences for required fields; imagine the time and money that could be saved. By simply adding uniformity, transparency and clarity to the exchange of data between providers and payers, and leveling the playing field for all involved, we can vastly impact the system, and help medical providers divert resources away from administration and back toward activities that support patient care.

Later this year, Nuesoft will release Nuevita™, a fully integrated clinical and administrative software solution. In addition to its robust clinic management and billing functionality, Nuevita features a CCHIT Certified® electronic health record (EHR), complete with e-prescribing, a template and encounter type library, secure electronic faxing, custom flow sheets, lab interfaces and health maintenance tracking and reporting. With Nuevita, users will see the same easy-to-use, ultra secure, efficient and affordable solution that they have come to expect from other Nuesoft products. Read our fact sheet to learn more, and stay tuned for more information.