“Hello, hello? This is the Department of Redundancy Department.”

Sometimes, the material just writes itself.

Consider the recent decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to create the Office of Burden Reduction and Health Informatics. That is a tongue-twisting head-shaker.

Look for more paperwork to affirm that you have abided by the reams of new rules dictating how to reduce burdens. On an office seating chart, the “burden-reduction department” likely would fit in well next to Compliance.

We got here on that well-known road undoubtedly paved in good intentions: Reducing burdens – on patients, on providers, on caregivers overall – is certainly a noble goal. And it is one that should have been considered at the beginning of this process.

Tech people hate to be compared to analog life but dang: This move largely acknowledges there was a rush to build some kind of cart without knowing where the horse was … or even if a horse would be the best way to propel it.

One of the (many) things we are proud of at BookZurman is the breadth of real-world experience our subject-matter experts bring to the table. They aren’t only comprised of IT-specific professionals and implementers.

Instead, some of our subject-matter experts have held positions as doctors and nurses -- as well as other roles on the user side of the equation. It is that experience that allows them to consider a project in a more holistic way. What is the goal? What is the best way to get there? What information is relevant and what data is not?  What are the pitfalls to avoid when a solution goes live in a hospital or healthcare system? 

Our mission at BookZurman is to help our client-partners develop healthcare IT solutions that include “burden reduction” as a thread woven throughout the fabric … and not an afterthought.