Does CCHIT really matter for a Specialty Practice?

This is a Getting Started resources discussing the relevance of CCHIT to a Specialty Practice today and in the future. The speakers are Mark Anderson (left in baseball-cap) CEO, AC Group, Inc. and our Robert Gleeman (sporting his new weekend look). Click the play button below to play this interview.

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I noted the following points from the discussion which might give you a feel for what the discussion gets into:

1. Mark Anderson describes (current) CCHIT as a general foundation or a minimum standard for what should be in an EMR. CCHIT doesn't yet get into the specifics that a speciality practice does on a day-to-day basis.
2. CCHIT have acknowledged that they need to start looking at specialities and have already identified the following Specialties: Child Health, Behavior Health, Personal Health Records, Cardiology and OBGYN.
3. CCHIT will start to identift the minimum requirments for these Specialities. Mark states that its good that a there will be a mimumum standard but will the Doctors pay that increased price for that CCHIT certified specialty product.
4. Robert asked how many CCHIT certs in 2008. Mark Anderson answered 45-50 for 2007. 18 in 2008. With interoperability built into the 2008 standard, maybe that answers why the reduced numbers planning certification.
5. Robert credits Dr. Al Borges as the "world leader" of the anti-CCHIT movement. Does Mark Anderson agree with Al? Lot of Doctors don't need CCHIT today -- but what about 2011, 2012? (This is the second mention for Al Borges MD in our Getting Started resources!)
   
6. What vision or forecast can Mark Anderson give for CCHIT in the next 5 years? Vendors are now adopting CCHIT -- not because their customers are requesting it -- because they are losing sales if they don't have it.
7. Mark touches on vendor demos - adding that he sees some 100-150 a year and many are not great.
8. Price cannot be the only factor. If the hospital is offering a product which doesn't meet your way of work, it may be better to walk-away and start with a lite-EMR and build up to an EHR over time.

Thanks again to Mark Anderson, AC Group for supporting our Getting Started resources for Doctors Researching EMR solutions.  

For more information about the subjects discussed here you can contact Mark Anderson at the details listed below.
See our other Getting Started resources here.

Mark R. Anderson CPHIMS, FHIMSS
CEO and Healthcare IT Futurist 
AC Group, Inc.
118 Lyndsey Drive
Montgomery, TX  77316
(c) 281-413-5572
(f)  832-550-2338
email: mra@acgroup.org
web: www.acgroup.org