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continua Newsletter - July 2007Click here to sign up for the Continua Health Alliance newsletter e-mail list.In This Issue: Featured Article In the News Upcoming Events Progress Report Membership Update Featured ArticleThe Virtues of Interoperability: The Providers' PerspectiveInteroperability in the personal health domain is Continua’s raison-d’etre. Besides the consumer, Continua’s mission also has important implications for healthcare providers. In order to illuminate this facet, we sought the opinions of experts and practitioners at two highly respected healthcare organizations and members of Continua- Partners Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente. The notion of interoperability cuts a broad swath, but Dr. Blackford Middleton from Partners distills its essence, “From a clinician’s perspective, seamless interoperability would allow a provider to have a complete picture of his or her patient’s data”. Dr. Julian Goldman, also from Partners agrees, “seamless access to data where and when we need it”. For Mr. Doug McClure, a systems expert at Partners’ Center for Connected Health, interoperability is about “being able to buy and support best of breed solutions knowing that they will work with each other in affordable and supportable ways”. Underscoring the growing importance of interoperability to the paradigm of providing care, Mr. Michael Robkin from Kaiser Permanente states, “All of our business decisions related to system acquisition and deployment take into account interoperability. No aspect of healthcare operates in a silo anymore”. An interesting study by Ms. Tracy Rausch and Mr. Tom Judd, also from Kaiser Permanente, discloses that for every 1 million USD spent in equipment purchases, integration costs can run as high as 300-400K. Mr. McClure agrees, “Costs should fall, choice should increase. Different capabilities should proliferate”. Beyond the dollars and cents, clinicians from both Partners and Kaiser Permanente are unanimous in their opinion that interoperability will improve patient safety and quality of care- the gold standards for any healthcare provider. This would be realized through the elimination of errors in the data communication and care methodology, including testing and diagnosis, brought about by interoperability. Dr. Joseph Kvedar, Director of Partners’ Center for Connected Health and a dermatologist at Harvard, adds another dimension to the benefits of interoperability, “Providers see the power that information brings in terms of improving quality, access and efficiency of medical practice. Their primary concern is in the area of work flow. Today's providers are stretched thinner than ever and we should expect that trend to continue for the foreseeable future. So the hew and cry from most doctors is, 'please don't make my workflow more complicated'. In addition, physicians are leery of paying for significant integration costs when systems need to exchange data seamlessly. Both of these concerns are addressed with interoperability. So while you won't hear providers asking specifically for interoperable systems, they ask for it implicitly by asking for simplicity, for ease of use, and minimal disruption to work flow”. Looking beyond US shores, Ms. Lesley Macherelli from Partners provides another interesting perspective, “interoperability creates a global language for healthcare…and justifies the up-front investment in tele-health programs for providers ( in a period in which many worthwhile causes compete for those dollars) because it ensures the practicality, utility and efficacy of any program. Continua engages stakeholders in this worldwide discussion”. Dr. Middleton on Continua’s role, “Continua’s efforts are critical to assuring seamless interoperability of healthcare information across the full spectrum of sites where clinical data are produced, including the home, and for all devices”. Mr. Michael Robkin concurs, “Continua’s value proposition fits perfectly with Kaiser Permanente’s mission. It will extend interoperability from our in-house systems out to the patient’s own personal healthcare devices”. To be sure, Continua’s focus is on the personal health space and its ambitions do not currently extend to solving all the interoperability challenges within the provider’s enterprise. But the overwhelming endorsement of its core goals from a key constituent, the providers, should provide some degree of comfort and confidence as Continua presses onward. Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Mr. Joe Ternullo from Partners and Mr. Mike Robkin from Kaiser In the NewsContinua Health Alliance celebrated its one year anniversary in June. This has been an eventful year as Continua made significant progress towards accomplishing its goals. Continua’s mission and progress are drawing significant attention from various national and international organizations, including the press:
Upcoming EventsHealthcare UnboundDate: July 16-17, 2007 Venue: Marriott San Francisco Airport, San Francisco, CA Fourth Annual Healthcare Unbound Conference & Exhibition, July 16-17, 2007, San Francisco, CA. Special focus on remote monitoring and home telehealth for disease management and wellness promotion. In addition to in-depth coverage of technology-enabled disease management and wellness promotion, including leading-edge case studies, this year's program will delve into legal/regulatory and reimbursement issues, payer perspectives, the emerging role of wireless technologies and the potential of Health 2.0 applications. The program features a new Aging Services educational track designed to meet the information needs of the long-term care community. Keynote speakers include David L. Whitlinger, President & Board Chairman, Continua Health Alliance. 350+ attendees expected. Audience will include senior executives/clinicians from healthcare provider and payer organizations, healthcare IT/telemedicine vendors and medical device companies. For additional information, please visit: http://www.tcbi.org/hu2007/index.html Continua Summer Summit 2007 (Members Only) Date: July 18-19, 2007 Venue: Santa Clara Marriott Visit the Continua Members Only page for event registration details. Additional event logistic and agenda information available for download here. Working Group Progress Report
Membership UpdateFounded by 22 Originating member companies on June 6, 2006, Continua’s membership has grown to 120 member companies over the past year! Most recently, Nokia was welcomed as the newest Promoter member while Westchester Institute for Human Development, AMI Semiconductor, CYPAK AB and nSpire Health, Inc. joined at the Contributor level.The Continua Health Alliance currently has a membership of Promoter and Contributor Members comprised of nearly 120 companies. Membership gives you the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of the Continua vision as well as participate and network in Continua members only events. Click here to read more about Continua Health Alliance membership benefits. |
