Becker's Hospital Review

100 CIO / HEALTH IT Why health IT experts think Apple will succeed where Google failed with medical records By Jessica Kim Cohen A pple's move into patient health re- cords "portends great things for consumers," despite a similar — and unsuccessful — initiative Google launched a decade ago, according to an op-ed Aneesh Chopra, former U.S. chief technology officer, and Dr. Shafiq Rab, CIO of Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center, published in Wired. Apple unveiled plans to integrate patient health records into its Health app in late Janu- ary. In the latest iOS 11.3 beta, iPhone Health apps will include a "Health Records" section that enables patients to organize medical in- formation, such as immunizations and lab results, from various institutions. To develop this project, Apple is working with EHR vendors like Epic, Cerner and ath- enahealth to better integrate records with the iPhone. e goal, according to Apple officials, is to make it easier for consumers to review medical data from multiple providers. Mr. Chopra and Dr. Rab noted some people have remained skeptical of Apple's new effort, citing a Jan. 24 e New York Times article that referred to Apple's move as "hardly a new idea." e article noted Google shuttered Google Health, a similar service that aimed to central- ize users' personal health data, in 2011. However, Mr. Chopra and Dr. Rab ar- gued Apple's health record effort will be a "game-changer" because it requires the EHR vendors it works with to use an open appli- cation programming interface established through the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources standards framework. e use of open APIs "affirms there is one common path to open up electronic health records data for developers so they can focus on delighting consumers rather than chas- ing records" and "encourages other platform companies to build on that path, rather than pursue proprietary systems." "Once a provider's electronic health records system delivers health data in accordance with the standard, that same connection will be available to any app developer offering consumer applications," the authors wrote. "Imagine if Apple had instead introduced a proprietary system that didn't allow compet- itors to access data in the same manner from the participating providers." With this vision in mind, Mr. Chopra and Dr. Rab suggested Apple's Health app may not be the primary destination patients visit to view their medical information. However, it will like- ly serve as a "conduit" to a growing marketplace of applications looking to access and provide insight into patient health information. "When we look back a decade from now to render judgment, it will be the impact Apple Health has had in changing the default setting in health information sharing — from closed to open," they wrote. n CMS seeks physician participants for study on quality reporting burdens By Julie Spitzer C MS is enrolling physicians in a one-year study that runs from April 2018 to March 2019 to identify and address the burdens associated with reporting on quality measures. The agency plans to review clinical work- flows and data collection methods using dif- ferent submission systems to better under- stand physicians' challenges in collecting and reporting quality data. Ultimately, CMS wants to idenitfy changes that would reduce burden, improve quality data col- lection and reporting, and enhance clinical care. Physicians are able to participate if they are eligible for the Merit-based Incentive Pay- ment System. Those who successfully partici- pate in the study will receive full credit for the 2018 MIPS Improvement Activities perfor- mance category. n Wake Forest Baptist's chief innovation officer abruptly steps down: 6 things to know By Anuja Vaidya E ric Tomlinson, chief innovation officer at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., and president of Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, resigned March 1. Here are six things to know. 1. Dr. Tomlinson joined Wake Forest Baptist's team in June 2012. 2. During his tenure as chief innovation officer, Wake Forest Baptist faculty and staff were issued 400-plus patents, allowing the organiza- tion to complete more than 50 technology license and option agree- ments, as well as help create 19 start-ups. 3. He also spearheaded the creation of the Wake Forest Baptist's Tech- nology Development Program. 4. As president of Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, an enterprise of the medical center in collaboration with private developers, the City of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, Dr. Tomlinson helped create a hub for research, business and education. 5. The Wake Forest Innovation Quarter includes 3,600 workers and more than 150 companies. 6. Dr. Tomlinson will assist Wake Forest School of Medicine leaders in ensuring a smooth transition over the next few months. n

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