ACOs, Medical Devices, MU Teamwork, First-Day Attestation

With the release of the proposed rule for accountable care organizations, providers are moving ahead on their ACO initiatives. This month's cover story, beginning on page 8, explores the opportunities and risks involved, as the experiences of leading organizations point the way forward.

The article on page 14 takes a look at the progress being made by hospitals and vendors in the area of medical device interoperability. There has been real movement by both regulators and standards organizations that are providing new impetus to make disparate medical devices work as a system, resulting in better patient safety.

Meanwhile, the feature story on page 22 takes an inside look at meaningful use-that is, what strategies are CMIOs following to get their clinician colleagues fully on board as they lead their organizations through the complex area of quality data reporting.

This month's financial management coverage, on page 28, focuses on revenue cycle management in the medical group environment, as the leaders of the 480-provider WellSpan Medical Group, explain why their investment in RCM solutions has been worthwhile.

On page 31, Cecilee Ruesch, R.N., shares her experience as team lead at Providence Alaska Medical Center for the development of a nurse-staffed remote monitoring system via a new electronic intensive care unit system. The project was the first-place winner of the first Healthcare Informatics/AMDIS IT Innovation Advocate Award, presented in May.

In addition, the Beacon Communities Program reached its one-year anniversary in May, which was marked by an event co-sponsored by the Brookings Institution and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. The story on page 34 highlights the progress that has been made, as well as the challenges that remain.

On page 36, Ferdinand Velasco, M.D., CMIO of Texas Health Resources, shares his experiences regarding his organization's attestation under meaningful use. THR is among a small number of integrated health systems to complete the attestation process on April 18, the first day in which attestation of the fulfillment of Stage 1 requirements under the HITECH Act was possible.

Last but not least, on page 40, HCI Career Paths columnist Tim Tolan offers solutions to help potential hires deal with relocation issues in a lethargic housing market.