|
|
Editor's Picks
|
Grassley Takes Aim at Hospitals' Problems with Health IT Implementation
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa asked 31 of the nation's largest hospitals and health systems to detail their problems implementing the $19 billion federal health information technology program that was launched last year. The 11-question survey is in response to complaints from providers about administrative complications, formatting and usability issues, errors, and interoperability roadblocks. Grassley's new letter underscores the myriad challenges involved in implementing HIT on such a massive scale, says Louis Wenzlow, director of HIT at the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative. [Read More]
California Program Uses Telemedicine to Reach Medically Underserved
Telemedicine has been around for awhile. But a new pilot program with community centers in California strives to redefine the telemedicine experience, according to this piece by my colleague Joe Cantlupe. More than 15 sites will be equipped with high-definition cameras and electronic scopes to deliver primary and specialty care. While a physician assistant stands next to the patient and uses the necessary medical instruments, the physician can see or hear what's necessary in the examination, such as a patient's heartbeat. In turn, patients will be able to see and listen the same way as clinicians. That physician-patient interaction is key to the program's success and may help spur the growth of telemedicine. [Read More]
CCHIT updates EHR certification programs to meet new HHS rules
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology has updated its electronic health record certification programs to comply with the Department of Health and Human Services' Interim Final Rule on standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for electronic health records. CCHIT will begin accepting certification applications Feb. 12. The roughly two dozen vendors who already achieved certification under CCHIT's latest programs will be offered incremental testing at no cost to close any gap. [Read More]
Q&A: Health IT czar rethinks national data exchange
David Blumenthal, MD, the National Coordinator for Health IT, discusses recommendations from the HIT Policy Committee to encourage the development of a more flexible, less complicated method of health information exchange than the Nationwide Health Information Network. [Read More]
|
|
Tech Headlines
|
Radiation offers new cures, and ways to do harm
New York Times - January 25, 2010
Few Hospitals Use Social Media Effectively, Says Study
John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media - January 25, 2010
Insurer Anthem invests in hospital initiative to improve safety, cut costs
Los Angeles Times - January 20, 2010
Molina Healthcare to buy Unisys unit for $135 million
Los Angeles Times - January 20, 2010
Should surgeons meet patients online?
New York Times - January 21, 2010
|
|
Webcasts
|
On Demand: Marketing Oncology: Service Line Strategies for Marketers
On Demand: Joint Replacement Service Lines: Alignment and Business Strategies for a Changing Environment
On Demand: Women's Health: Building a More Profitable Service Line With Existing Assets
|
Sponsored Headlines
|
One kid, 3 ER admissions, 12 back-end systems. One eHealth ecoSystem. Learn how MEDSEEK is improving the patient experience.
|
Harnessing effective asset management in an uncertain economy from IBM
| |
Building a successful validation process and compliance support with IBM Maximo solutions
| |
Managing healthcare assets and optimizing asset utilization with IBM asset management tools
| |
Learn how Sisters of Mercy Health achieved its asset management goals in partnership with IBM
| |
|
|
|
|
| Service Line Management |
The Sports Center Famous athletes and big sports programs may be the public face of sports medicine, but at its core are local communities and, increasingly, the unconventional athlete. [Read More]
|
|
|
IT Forum
Next-Generation Analytics that Drive Better Clinical Care Decisions: Health plans are urgently seeking ways to improve quality while controlling costs. We are seeing next-generation analytics that can draw from multiple sources to meet some of our greatest challenges. We are moving into an era of information that is specific and current. Newer technologies integrate lab values and point-of-care clinical information—including data from electronic health records, writes Douglas M. Moeller, MD, medical director at McKesson Health Solutions. [Read More] |
|
|
 |
Audio Feature
Blue Shield Reaches Patients Through Portal: Jim Orchison, director of network design and programs for Blue Shield of California, talks about the insurer's new Patient Ally portal. [Listen Now]
|
|
|
|
|
|
