|
|
Editor's Picks
|
Study of online medical information urges skepticism
A study by researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas has found breast cancer information was inaccurate or misleading on 5 percent of the 343 Web sites examined. Also, sites that focused on alternative or complementary medical approaches were 15 times more likely to contain problematic information, according to the report. This study raises a problematic issue around online content--namely the willingness of consumers to believe something in print. Just how gullible can consumers be? Very. A story I saw in the Chicago Tribune is not healthcare related, per se, but it raises the same question about the lure of online content. In the story, users of a make-believe virtual world wound up losing real-world money when they invested in phony banks. So it's easy to imagine how product sites touting questionable medical "cures" could draw a crowd. There is one group attempting to address this issue in healthcare: Health on the Net. [Read More]
Prototype allows MR, hysterosalpingography hybrid imaging
This update highlights work in Canada to fuse MRI and radiography modules. The hybrid imaging technique offers hope to better analyze infertility. [Read More]
Candidates' views on health IT
Here's a nice summary of the positions held by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain on the role of IT in reducing healthcare costs. All three recognize the potential. However, "the candidates' plans are still a far cry from the idealized national network that the healthcare IT community has imagined and, of course, there is no guarantee that if any one were elected they would be able to deliver on their proposals. The focus on universal insurance could also overshadow healthcare technology," notes Computer Business Review. [Read More]
Dr. Robot can see you now
A Florida hospital uses a robot to conduct "face-to-face" screenings with patients. It almost seems like the Jetsons, but apparently it is working. By enabling physicians to be two places at one time, the robot technology helps address the labor shortage. I have a difficult time imagining talking to a doctor who appears on a TV screen mounted atop a mobile mechanical man. Yet, if it meant quicker access to medical expertise, I am sure I would get over it. It's an e-visit with a twist! [Read More] |
|
Tech Headlines
|
CareFirst is investing $1.5 million in electronic records systems
Maryland Daily Record - February 19, 2008
Vegas docs bet on EMRs
Las Vegas Review-Journal - February 19, 2008
Health record privacy rules may get tighter in New Hampshire
Foster's Daily Democrat - February 19, 2008
Laptop stolen with personal data on 300,000 health insurance clients
Information Week - February 19, 2008 |
|
Events & Product News
|
WebMD unloads Emdeon
FDA greenlights first drug-eluting stent in more than three years |
|
|
|
Sponsored Headlines From AT&T
|
|
Enabling Healthcare after a Disaster: AT&T enables healthcare after a disaster.
Implementing a Wireless LAN: Successful WLAN implementation is all about balance.
IP Networks Boost Secure Health Communications: AT&T provides secure communication to keep healthcare moving forward.
Optical Networks: Closing the gap between patient and caregiver.
Q&A: Critical Steps in Ensuring Business Continuity: Consult this guide to learn how your company can ensure continuity.
Transition to Digital: More and more hospitals are going paperless.
Trend Report--Dialing Long Distance for Healthcare: Telemedicine makes care accessible when and where it's needed.
Healthcare 2015: Win-win or lose-lose? The current paths of many healthcare systems around the world will become unsustainable by 2015. Healthcare systems that fail to transform will likely require immediate and major forced restructuring. There is a more positive scenario that will require new levels of accountability, tough decisions and hard work.
Healthcare 2015 and U.S. health plans: New roles, new competencies: The U.S. healthcare system is on an unsustainable path. Health plan providers must help shape and lead the healthcare transformation or risk being marginalized.
In the interest of the patient: This paper explores how by collaborating and sharing data, the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries can realize the full value of the information they collect--and improve patient treatments. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Audio Feature
Listen: IT's Safety Impact: Studies that explore the relationship between patient safety and information technology are usually done at a single hospital or health system. Nir Menachemi discusses a study he led at Florida State University that considered IT's impact on patient safety at 98 Florida hospitals. | |
|
|
| |
