Posts Tagged ‘blog’
Trifolia Open Source Update
Lantana is happy to announce the release of Trifolia 4.1, the second release as open source code. With the initial release, we announced plans to improve installation, documentation, to pre-load data, and to simplify authentication. We have made progress on all of these.
Read MoreCDA in the Wild: Timing is Everything (Installment #7)
Will time be cruel to CDA? Some think so, we think it is still alive and kicking. The hard part of CDA has always been its HL7 V3 heritage, and it is HL7 V3, not CDA that needs to join the dinosaurs, buried in shale and crushed into carbon.
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Conversations from the SideFrontlines: Get Ready for CQL to Change the Game
The Clinical Quality Language is a new expression language that defines logic for quality artifacts. With its introduction into eCQMs, the industry has taken the first step towards a harmonized standards landscape.
Read MoreTrifolia 4.0.0 Release Notes
This is the second major open source release of Trifolia. The update simplifies the installation process for users who wish to install Trifolia on their own systems, and improves support for the latest release of FHIR. It also includes bug fixes for users in China who were unable to log in due to the use of Google Captcha. Finally, it allows users to import data from other Trifolia installations, making it easier to share data between instances of Trifolia.
Read MoreOffering an Open Source Terminology Tool
I have been working with Robin Williams, RN, and Zabrina Gonzaga, RN, two of our clinical analysts, to update the value sets used by Camara, our clinical document editor. Our main goal is incorporating more realistic terms, so clinicians can create clinical documents using familiar terminology. Months ago, when Lantana created the Camara…
Read MoreWhen You Have to Travel for Work, Invest in Carbon Offsets
Lantana is a distributed company that does not manufacture products. We do not have corporate offices to retrofit for energy efficiency, so what can our business do to reduce its impact on the planet? One important option is to address our greenhouse gas emissions from business travel.
Read MoreWhat Eligible Clinicians Need to Know About Proposed Changes to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA)
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 changed the way Medicare rewards clinicians for providing quality care. CMS released a proposed rule in April 2016 to carry out key provisions of MACRA and implement two payment paths available to “eligible clinicians” (EC) as part of the proposed “Quality Payment Program”: (1) the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and (2) the Alternative Payment Model Incentive. The proposed “Quality Payment Program” replaces the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula for paying eligible clinicians based on value and quality of care, which aligns with CMS’s goal to replace Fee-for-Service (FFS) volume-based payment with a value-based system.
Read MoreDoes Risk-Adjustment for Sociodemographic Status (SDS) Have an Impact on Hospital Performance?
Ongoing research examines the impact of applying sociodemographic status (SDS) risk-adjustment to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality reporting programs. The main driver for investigation is a community assertion that SDS risk-adjustment is necessary to accurately gauge the quality of care given to patients of diverse backgrounds. Contrary to popular belief, recent research produced evidence that SDS risk-adjustment has little to no impact on hospital performance ratings.
Read MoregreenLantana: The Case Against Commuting
One of the many benefits of a distributed environment is flexibility. At Lantana Consulting Group, employees establish productive work environments wherever Wi-Fi can reach. Rather than joining millions of commuters across the United States, we embrace the freedom of working anywhere. This Earth Day, we celebrate our commitment to reducing Lantana’s carbon footprint…
Read MoreCDA in the Wild: Coded Data Issues (Installment #6)
This week, I have left the bush behind and retreated to the comfort of my office. I am attempting to decode the works of the famous biologist Brice Schneuer, who spent the later part of his career dedicated to Wild CDA research. Although he published many authoritative works on the species, Schneuer jealously…
Read MoreComments on Standards for Claims Attachments
Co-author: Kanwarpreet Sethi Lantana Consulting Group commented on the testimony provided on February 16, 2016, to the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) Subcommittee on Standards, Hearing on HIPAA and ACA Administrative Simplification — Phase IV Operating Rules and Attachment Standard (Part 2). We agree with the many comments urging a low…
Read More2017 Interoperability Standards Advisory
Lantana Consulting Group submitted comments on March 18, 2016 in response to the Office of the National Coordinator’s (ONC) request for feedback on the 2017 Interoperability Standards Advisory (2016 Advisory). ONC’s consideration of public comments informs the development of the 2017 Advisory and prompts dialogue, debate, and consensus among industry stakeholders. Lantana’s response outlined suggestions…
Read MoreTrifolia Release 3: New Functionalities
Co-author: Robin Williams, RN Trifolia (https://trifolia.lantanagroup.com/) is a web-based tool for standards development work. Trifolia produces HL7 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) templates and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) profiles. Trifolia helps users rapidly develop standards-compliant electronic documents for cost-effective standards implementation. See https://www.lantanagroup.com/resources/trifolia/ for a full description of Trifolia and its existing features. …
Read MoreConversation from the Sidelines: HL7 January 2016 in Orlando, FL
“Conversation from the Sidelines” is a new series at Lantana’s blog. We’ll share experiences from conferences or events that gave us a different perspective on the industry. First up, the HL7 January 2016 Working Group Meeting (WGM) in Orlando, FL. gave me an opportunity to fill-in for Crystal Kallem as an Interim Co-Chair…
Read MoreCDA in the Wild: Narrative Issues (Installment #5)
A solitary Wild CDA has left its pride. We can only presume it is searching for a mate by its extravagantly complex header and the swish of its long tail of codes. However, research tells us that while a long code tail is nice to have, it is the mating call of the CDA,…
Read MoreCertification Frequency and Requirements
Earlier this quarter, ONC and CMS requested information on program requirements for certification frequency for reporting quality measures. Lantana Consulting Group supports eMeasure development and has a sharp interest in the success of quality measure reporting programs as a transformative agent for healthcare. Our feedback centered on certification frequency, minimum requirements, and testing recommendations…
Read MoreCDA in the Wild: Validation and Schematron (Installment #4)
It has been weeks since our last episode. Frankly, the sight of that genetically mutated Wild-CDA/North-American-XHTML hybrid left my team so repulsed that many could not continue. But after discussing the importance of this work, and a few crew changes, we are back in the field. And we are documenting something never seen…
Read MoreQuality C-CDAs can lead to Quality Reporting
As standards developers and data analysts, we rely on finding patterns in our day to day work. We apply our patented “pattern recognition algorithm” (note: not a real patent) to identify the questions our clients ask most often. “How can we leverage our healthcare data to perform quality reporting?” Closely followed by, “and can we use C-CDA to import that data into our analytics environment?” Although we’d prefer a simple “yes”, the solution is rarely simple.
Read MoreASCO Augments Clinical Oncology Treatment Plan and Summary with Survivorship Care Plan
Co-authored by: Edward P. Ambinder, MD Jeremy L. Warner, MD The cancer journey, from diagnosis to treatment to survivorship, involves multiple interventions and stakeholders. Survivorship begins after completing a bulk of the definitive treatment, and addresses psychosocial developments, as well as late medical issues, resulting from treatment. In 2014, the American Society of Clinical Oncology…
Read MoreDraft 2016 Interoperability Standards Advisory: Lantana Response
Everyone understands today that standards for data, communication, and terminology are the lynch pins of health information exchange across clinical care. But who is doing something about it? Earlier this quarter, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) published a draft seeking feedback in three major areas: Vocabulary, Code Set, and Terminology Content and Structure…
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