Collaborate and Converse on HIMSS E-Prescribing Wiki

Collaborate and Converse on HIMSS E-Prescribing Wiki

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society offers new tool to foster information sharing on e-prescribing

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) January 30, 2009 -- With e-prescribing recognized as a vital component to improving the delivery of healthcare, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) launched the HIMSS E-Prescribing wiki. The work of the HIMSS e-Prescribing Task Force, the wiki's development was led by volunteer Chairperson Patricia Hale, MD, PhD, FACP Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at New York Medical College and Deputy Director of the Office of Health Information Technology Transformation, New York State Department of Health.

Available at http://himsseprescribingwiki.pbwiki.com, the wiki is the central source for the dynamic exchange of lessons learned and sharing of metrics from use of e-prescribing. Physicians, pharmacists and anyone supporting the adoption and use of e-prescribing can find valuable information resources on the wiki as clinicians provide their own personal perspective on this technology application.

"HIMSS and our E-Prescribing Task Force are excited to introduce this wiki to the healthcare and e-prescribing communities because it offers all of us a valuable tool to share our experiences and collaborate on lessons learned with e-prescribing," said Dr. Hale. Dr. Hale is also the author of Electronic Prescribing for the Medical Practice: Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask. "The wiki is an interactive resource that will enrich and expand the knowledge of its users."

The HIMSS E-Prescribing Wiki includes an interactive discussion forum where users can introduce a new or participate in a current conversation on e-prescribing. The wiki also offers recent industry updates; case studies; a "tools" section with a tip sheet series, podcasts and white papers; pilot project results; books and other references; upcoming programs; and presentation materials for e-prescribing programs.

As background on the use of e-prescribing, Medicare's E-Prescribing Incentive Program (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI/03_EPrescribingIncentiveProgram.asp#TopOfPage) may encourage more physicians to migrate from paper-based prescriptions to e-prescribing. Generally, to be a successful e-prescriber in 2009, an eligible professional must report the e-prescribing quality measure on at least 50 percent of applicable cases during the reporting year. The documents on incentive program page in the link above provide definitions and details on what a quality measure is and how physicians can qualify for reimbursement according to the guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

"The HIMSS E-Prescribing Wiki introduces a central, dynamic single source for our members, and the industry, to share lessons learned to alleviate confusion and eliminate rework in implementing and utilizing e-prescribing," said David Collins, MHA, CPHIMS, FHIMSS HIMSS director of health information systems. "The power of this collaborative effort far exceeds any one individual effort at harnessing the power of e-prescribing to improve patient safety, quality, and provider efficiencies."

Visit http://himsseprescribingwiki.pbwiki.com to access the HIMSS E-Prescribing Wiki.

What is the purpose of a wiki? A wiki is a kind of free-form website that is easy to edit. Any visitor with the site's password can edit any page on the site. Wikis can be made public to allow anyone to read a wiki, while still restricting editing to those who know the wiki's password. Edits are done in plain text and don't require learning fancy or complex codes like HTML. Just start typing! It's also easy to create new pages and make links to pages you've already made. Source: PBwiki

About HIMSS

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, Singapore, and other locations across the United States and the globe, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 350 corporate members that collectively represent organizations employing millions of people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems' contributions to ensuring quality patient care.

For more information, contact:

Joyce Lofstrom/HIMSS

312-915-9237

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Contact Information Joyce Lofstrom

HIMSS

http://himsseprescribingwiki.pbwiki.com

312-915-9237