HealthLeaders Media IT - July 17, 2007 | Too Much of a Good Thing Add news.editor@healthleadersmedia.com to your address book. View as a Webpage | Subscribe for Free

Too Much of a Good Thing Gary Baldwin, Technology Editor I've been reporting these past few weeks on a story slated to appear in our September print issue, "EMR Wars." Yes, we work that far ahead. My story will analyze the prospects of automating the physician office practice, which is the toughest nut to crack in the clinical IT world. Despite all the hoopla, despite all the potential clinical and financial benefits, fewer than one-fourth of physician practices use EMRs to document their care. But as my story will point out, you are now beginning to see EMR implementations in the small group practices that dominate the industry. [Read More]

July 17, 2007

Editor's Picks A technological finger on the pulse of a busy ER Thanks to reader Alina Tuttle-Melgar for sending me this story, about how Pocono Medical Center has implemented a patient tracking system it its busy ED. As the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal points out, flaws in workflow need to be addressed before wrapping IT around the operation. [Read More] CMS to doctors: Stop using computer-generated faxes to send prescriptions The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing to revoke a rule that has allowed doctors sending prescriptions from their computers under the Medicare prescription drug benefit to use computer-generated faxes rather than digital data, reports Government Health IT. Such a change could have enormous impact. I have spoken with many physicians who use their EMR systems to print to fax, rather than sending a digital file, because the local pharmacy prefers the fax. If this ruling takes place, the government may be penalizing the wrong party. [Read More] Call him 'Dr. Scrounge' A New Haven physician launches a Web site that encourages hospitals to share reusable medical equipment and supplies with hospitals around the world. This story from the New Haven Register describes the effort of William Rosenblatt, MD, who has spent 16 years salvaging disposable surgical materials and old hospital equipment in New Haven, CT, and shipping it to remote corners of the planet. [Read More] Seniors flock to the Web Who says "old people" aren't tech savvy? This San Francisco Chronicle article (which originated in the Baltimore Sun) describes how senior citizens are becoming quite adept at using the Web to research health-related conditions and products. [Read More] Tech Headlines IT company to manage two healthcare data banks for HHS Washington Post - July 17, 2007 Hospitals' online prices make watchdogs wary AP/Chicago Tribune - July 17, 2007 Tampa, FL, hospital tries new cancer therapy St. Petersburg Times - July 17, 2007 New NHIN standards website for vendors Health Imaging News - July 17, 2007 Events & Product News American Academy of Family Physicians names Jason Mitchell, MD, to IT post Veterans Health Administration purchases Picis anesthesia software MEDecision picked by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Founder of 'healthy hospital' effort receives entrepreneur award From HealthLeaders Magazine Challenge in Carolina Safety-net provider. Teaching institution. Testing ground for new technology. UNC Health Care is all of these things-welcome to life as an academic medical center.[Read More] Built for the Long Haul? Send Us Your Patients Dirty Delays, Oppressive Overruns      Qualify for a FREE Subscription IT Leaders Forum Applying Business Intelligence to the Needs of Healthcare Organizations To stay ahead, healthcare providers must be proactive in managing and leveraging vast amounts of data, says contributor Mark LaRow. [Read More] Why Implement an Electronic Medical Record? Fundamentally, any application system implementation should meet some sort of business objective, and an Electronic Medical Record is no different, says contributor Tim Breaux. [Read More] Audio Feature Diagnosing Today's Baseballs: David Zavagno, president of Universal Medical Systems in Ohio, put a CT scanner to work analyzing a sample of major league baseballs to see if their components have anything to do with the home run surge in recent years. Sponsor HealthLeaders Media IT Contact Lisa Brown, Director of Integrated Sales, at lbrown@healthleadersmedia.com or call 781.639.1872.

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