Blog

Beyond the Field of Dreams

Large organizations, including government agencies, universities, and companies, often develop new products and services for which the demand seems quite low. These mystery launches recall the mantra popularized by the 1989 film “Fields of Dreams”: “if we build it, they will come.” Even in the fantasy world of the movie, it was clear that building […]

MEDICAID’S ENHANCED MATCH: DEAD OR ALIVE AFTER SUPREME COURT DECISION?

There are at least three reasons why the 90/10 Federal match will not be affected by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  First, the basis for changing the Medicaid match for IT systems is deeply rooted in federal regulation, not statute.  In effect, CMS simply […]

The Fierce Urgency of NOW

In my 36-year career with the federal government, I have never seen a better time to reach our goals of achieving interoperability across the Health and Human Services Divide. From across the broad spectrum of stakeholders, organizations, key decision-makers and thought-leaders are all signing on. Like many of us, I have collected and treasured favorite […]

CONFIDENTIALITY: TRUTH OR EXCUSE

This “written thought” is the first of many to come regarding confidentiality and the ability to share information between health and human services systems and organizations. All the reports discuss how systems should work together to avoid duplication, redundancies, and improve outcomes.  When dealing with children, many systems and agencies may be involved:  education, child […]

Blue Button Technology: Empowering Patients

Blue Button technology, an electronic link gives patients the ability to download his or her entire medical history from their service provider’s EHR site, is soon to be made a standard feature available to all federal healthcare recipients.  First implemented in the trailblazing Veterans’ Administration My HealtheVet EHR system, the technology is a huge step forward in […]

Are There Enough Technology Solutions to Meet The Needs of Government?

On a daily basis we see ads for new phones, new devices, new features, higher speeds, and greater reach with social networks.  “4G vs 3G” and “There is an app for that” are just two of the common expressions we frequently hear.  (I have a retired friend who prefers “I have a nap for that.”)  […]

New Funding Opportunities for Interoperability

Now is a great time to be a health and human services government leader committed to breaking down service silos to create a true system of care, at least for eligibility determination.  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has put States on the fast track to developing new eligibility systems for Medicaid in order […]