As providers prepare for P4P they are facing tough questions of how to keep up. In order to play in an environment which reimburses for outcomes, rather than encounters, provider organizations will need data collection tools and systems. And most will need to build. Pay-for-performance experts think transforming processes and culture will be the keys to achieving P4P success. Discover what it takes to compete in an ever-changing playing field in “Catching the P4P Wave,” page 28.
The number of people with chronic illnesses is growing, eating up a large amount of time, dollars and resources. Some major health plans are doing much more than scratch their heads trying to figure out ways to manage these members. By focusing on databases, data mining, and chronic-care improvement initiatives, plans are identifying those at risk. Read all about it in “Chronic Concerns, Novel Solutions,” page 34.
Healthcare organizations are still working to move a larger portion of their workflow and communication online. Yet questions about how the next Internet — Internet2 — is going to affect them are brewing. What exactly is the status of that network's collaboration with HIMSS, and what do organizations need to know about how it might affect them? Check out “The Next Network,” page 14.
IBM recently announced it was donating some components of its health information exchange software to Eclipse's open healthcare framework (OHF) project. But questions remain: are there too many impediments to widespread industry uptake, or will OHF take off with a big bang? Find out what all this means in “Room for Interpretation,” page 18.
