HealthLeaders Media IT - February 12, 2008 \| Which Came First, the MRI or the Inflation? Add news.editor@healthleadersmedia.com to your address book.	View as a Webpage \| Subscribe for Free


Which Came First, the MRI or the Inflation? Gary Baldwin, Technology Editor Like the chicken-and-egg conundrum, healthcare has its own longstanding riddle: Does technology lower costs or raise them? In search of an answer, I spent an afternoon last week poring through an exhaustive report from the Congressional Budget Office. "Technological Change and the Growth of Health Care Spending" suggests that technology does as much to spur costs as to contain them. [Read More]

February 12, 2008

Editor's Picks

Surgery pushed memory's buttons by accident
When surgeons implanted electrodes in his brain, the 50-year-old man was suddenly transported to a moment three decades earlier. He was in a park with friends, and could see the clothes they were wearing and what the weather was like. The discovery was an accident, but the team hopes it might lead to better care for patients with memory disturbances. This story from the Boston Globe highlights how technology enables medicine to probe deep into the very mental functions that make us human. It's a compelling story, showing how an expected turn in a procedure may lead to deeper understanding of neurological function. [Read More]

HHS Secretary seeks expanded use of electronic health records
Here's an update on the federal government's incentive program on physician EMR adoption, which was announced last year. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt has proposed a $150 million incentives plan to expand physicians' use of electronic medical records, reports the Associated Press. The five-year project would reward doctors in smaller practices who begin filing patients' health history electronically. Those who do so would get more Medicare money, but Leavitt did not specify how much. Details, details! [Read More]

Wisconsin bill would pave way for electronic exchange of patient data
Legislation to accommodate the electronic exchange of patient data between different health facilities and systems soon will be introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature, reports this statewide specialty newsletter. We've seen other instances of states intervening in the absence of federal guidelines. This bill tackles a couple of thorny issues, including mental health records and release of information. [Read More]

KLAS ranks digital mammography players
The software ratings organization has broadened its net of product reviews, introducing digital mammography into the mix. According to the report, despite tremendous market growth, there are currently relatively few full-field digital mammography vendors with FDA approval. Several more are poised for entry, pending FDA approval. [Read More]

Tech Headlines

Online house calls click with doctors
Los Angeles Times - February 12, 2008

Can PHRs really make patients healthier?
AP/South Florida Sun-Sentinel - February 12, 2008

RSNA receives $1.5 million endowment
Health Imaging News - February 12, 2008

State and local health IT spending to hit $10.8 billion in 2012
Government Health IT - February 12, 2008

Events & Product News

Audit software provides hospitals warning

North Carolina hospital looks to RadarFind to improve asset visibility

Cleveland Clinic signs with MedHub

Mayo Clinic and IBM establish medical imaging research center

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.

From HealthLeaders Magazine

Why Is The ED Such A Pain?
The emergency department has a culture all its own with a unique set of challenges to match. It's also your hospital's window to the community. So you'd better make it work. [Read More]

Where Did We Put That Wheelchair?

Alternative Goes Mainstream

Claiming Their Due

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IT Leaders Forum

Going Live With Electronic Health Records: A Guide For Private Physicians: without interoperable EHRs, practicing physicians, pharmacies and hospitals cannot readily share patient information. Contributor David R. Donnersberger, Jr., MD, offers practical suggestions for EMR implementation. [Read More]

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.

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