Eric Andrew
Kristof

A Continuity of Care Document (CCD) is an XML patient summary built on the HL7 Clinical Document Architecture that lets systems exchange a standard set of clinical sections such as problems, medications, allergies, and vital signs. This post explains how the CCD relates to the broader C-CDA standard, which versions federal rules reference, and what studies of real exchanged documents found about conformance, completeness, and agreement between networks.

An Advanced APM is a Medicare payment model that qualifies clinicians for the Advanced APM track of the Quality Payment Program, which requires certified EHR technology, payment tied to quality measures, and more than nominal financial risk. This post explains the criteria in 42 CFR 414.1415, the QP thresholds, how the APM incentive fell from 5 percent to 1.88 percent, and what studies found about ACO clinicians.

Usability testing evaluates a product by watching representative users attempt typical tasks to find problems and measure satisfaction. This post explains the methods reported in a review of electronic discharge summary studies, what a site-specific testing program of 13 EHR features found, and what a scenario-based test with 12 nurses revealed about documentation screens.