Minnesota e-Health Update for the Week of April 8, 2013

Minnesota
Opportunity for Hospital Lab Directors: Free LOINC Training
The Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota e-Health Initiative in conjunction with the Laboratory Interoperability Cooperative (LIC) are pleased to offer Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR) Laboratory LOINC® Mapping Guidance educational resources to hospitals in Minnesota, which will include a workshop on June 14th. To participate in the workshop and access the LIC online education resources, each facility must complete a Hospital Participation Letter as part of the registration process.

When: June 14, 2013, 9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.
Where: Bloomington, MN
Register today for the free training. Space is limited to 4 participants per hospital (participation letter covers all hospital participants). 

Registration is now open for Annual Minnesota Rural Health Conference
Register now for the Minnesota Rural Health Conference, which will take an in-depth look at workforce issues, delivery models, patient and community engagement, value and access. The conference is hosted by the Office of Rural Health & Primary Care, the Minnesota Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Resource Center. Visit the conference website for more information and to sign up for conference updates.  

When: June 24-25, 2013
Where: Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC)

Minnesota Health Information Technology Employer Connection Event
The MN Health Information Technology (MnHIT) program is hosting an Employer Connection Event at Normandale Community College on Thursday, April 11, 2013, 7:00 – 9:00 pm. This event follows the MnHIT commencement ceremony during which over 150 Health IT professionals who have just completed their HIT training program will be recognized. Organizations may reserve a table in the gathering space to meet and connect with these graduates as they come out of the commencement celebration about possible employment opportunities. Email Tracy Mastel for more information, tracy.mastel@normandale.edu.

Did you know…
Three out of four clinics in Minnesota used the data from the EHR for internal quality improvement efforts. Eighty-five percent of these clinics shared data with providers, 77% set goals around clinical guidelines, and 75% created benchmarks and clinical priorities.
Source: Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Health Information Technology, MN HIT Ambulatory Clinic Survey, 2012.

National
CMS toolkit helps with Stage 2 MU prep
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a comprehensive toolkit for helping providers prepare for Stage 2 of the electronic health records Meaningful Use program. The toolkit contains an overview of major changes in Stage 2 and remaining Stage 1 changes, frequently asked questions, list of core measures and a tip sheet, as well as clinical quality measures. 

Updated Friday, 12-Apr-2013 15:35:58 CDT