HealthLeadersMedia.com - Tech News & Analysis

Contract ready for health data exchange in PA

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:59:00 GMT

Pennsylvania is set to sign a contract with a Michigan-based information technology contractor to build the backbone of the state's new health communications network, a system that will allow for the exchange of patient data among doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and insurance companies. Truven Health Analytics, based in Ann Arbor, is in line to build what's being called Pennsylvania's "community shared services" network, a platform that will allow all of the state's existing health information exchanges to communicate with each other and swap data. ?

Pills tracked from doctor to patient to aid drug marketing

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:51:00 GMT

In the old days, sales representatives from drug companies would chat up local pharmacists to learn what drugs doctors were prescribing. Now such shoulder-rubbing is becoming a quaint memory — thanks to vast databases of patient and doctor information being used by pharmaceutical companies to market drugs. The information allows drug makers to know which drugs a doctor is prescribing and how that compares to a colleague across town. They know whether patients are filling their prescriptions — and refilling them on time. They know details of patients' medical conditions and lab tests, and sometimes even their age, income and ethnic backgrounds.

Medical robot lets off-site doctors work quickly to diagnose patients

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:47:00 GMT

On any given day inside Mercy San Juan Medical Center's neuro-intensive care unit, a 5-foot-6-inch-tall robot with a computer screen can be seen roaming the halls. The robot, named RP-VITA (Remote Presence Virtual Independent Telemedicine Assistant), is equipped with videoconferencing capabilities so doctors can beam in when there is an emergency. "Before, you couldn't see the patient when an important decision needed to be made," said Dr. Alan Shatzel, a neurologist at the Mercy Neurological Institute. "This has proven to be tremendously valuable."

Quiet ORs Better for Patient Safety

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:26:00 GMT

Music at loud decibels can contribute to miscommunication among surgeons and nurses in the operating room, raising the risk of medical error, researchers say.

Health plans seek EHR data for new payment models

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:57:00 GMT

Health plans are rapidly migrating to value-based payments models, according to a new report from Availity, which provides Web-based connectivity between providers and payers. As a result of this market shift, plans are seeking new types of information from providers and want to automate the exchange of data to facilitate the new payment models. The Availity report is based on interviews that Porter Research recently conducted with 39 health insurers. These plans, which include payers of different sizes and types -- including not-for-profit, for-profit, commercial, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicare Advantage plans -- are representative of the marketplace, said Brian Kagel, director of business intelligence for Availity, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare.

Esther Dyson's Population Health Dream

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:19:00 GMT

The former Wall Street technology analyst turned key Silicon Valley investor believes city-wide ecosystems of health incentives and disincentives for unhealthy habits could have a significant positive effect on the nation's health.

Access to EHR Notes Lauded by Patients, Providers

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:24:00 GMT

In a pilot, a system which permits patients to view all the notes in their electronic health records was such a hit with hospital patients and physicians that Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Geisinger Health System are dramatically expanding their OpenNotes programs.

20 health IT leaders who are driving change

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:01:00 GMT

A few years ago Atrius Health, a major independent physicians group, tried giving elderly, chronically ill patients devices that they could use in their homes to do things such as provide a verbal reminder to take their medications. "It absolutely made sense," says Dr. Michael Lee, Atrius's director of informatics. Lee, who's also a pediatrician, is among the health IT leaders we recognize in this year's InformationWeek Healthcare CIO 20. We call it the "CIO" 20, but as Lee's presence shows, we include people holding many titles who are driving change in their organizations and the industry.

Medical device companies more frequently investigated under Obama

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:51:00 GMT

Federal regulators issued the highest amount warning letters to medical device companies in 2012 than over the last seven years, according to a new study. Emergo Group, a worldwide medical device regulatory compliance firm, says the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) more rigorous – and more frequent – inspections during the Obama administration have resulted in the uptick in citations. The inspections hit a seven-year low in 2008 – with 1,423 investigations – and have increased ever since, reaching 2,121 by 2011 and dipping slightly last year to just more than 2,000. Accordingly, there were 74 warning letters issued in 2007, an eight-year low – with an increase to 98 in the slow investigation period in 2008 – and have grown exponentially each year to 164 in 2012.

Building a Better Healthcare Board

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:40:00 GMT

Whether boards are too large, too unwieldy, or have members who are underqualified to effectively provide strategic direction, many of them need help to deal with the new realities of healthcare.

Online tool shows how healthcare law impacts IL

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Heading into the Mother's Day weekend, President Barack Obama is promoting the benefits to women from the Affordable Healthcare Act. The president called healthcare a right, speaking to women's groups at the White House He's urging mothers to enroll their children for healthcare insurance in the fall. The president cited the Affordable Healthcare Act benefits, including easier access to mammograms and birth control along with the ability to keep kids on their parents insurance until the age of 26. Barb Otto, the CEO of Healthcare and Disability Advocates, talked to WGN about a new online tool that show how the law impacts Illinois.

Health IT execs' top worries: Security, BYOD, cloud

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:59:00 GMT

Seven senior IT executives who participated in a focus group conducted by analyst group HIMSS Analytics cited data security concerns -- especially those related to the growing use of personal mobile devices -- as among their top challenges. Other pressing issues included the growth in data storage needs and health information exchange. Although the focus group was small, what the participants said reflected the IT infrastructure priorities of the industry, as represented in a recent survey by the Health Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS), according to a report on the focus group.

Glimpsing the future of e-healthcare from a Rio favela

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:50:00 GMT

Your doctor may not be the biggest fan of the coming electronic health care wave, but marrying mobile technologies with medical know-how has the potential to save lives, dramatically improve patient care, and slash significant costs, even in the poorest urban communities in the world, a new study finds. Researchers at the New Cities Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Paris that seeks to tackle the most intractable issues facing the world's fastest-growing cities, joined by a small team of health-care workers from Rio de Janeiro, recently concluded an 18-month trial in one of the poorest parts of the city, the favela of Santa Marta, a community of 8,000.

Allscripts plans 350 NC jobs

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:49:00 GMT

Medical software company Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. plans to hire another 350 workers in North Carolina's Research Triangle region over the next 4 1/2 years to expand its research and development work, chief executive Paul Black said Wednesday. The Chicago-based company said it would add to its more than 1,000 employees in Raleigh, one of Allscripts' top three locations along with its headquarters and Atlanta. Allscripts develops and sells software for doctors and hospitals that handle electronic medical records, digital patient prescriptions and medical practice management.

Telemedicine is Retail Health Clinics' Newest Tool

Wed, 08 May 2013 12:32:00 GMT

Once a way for people in rural areas to access medical specialists, telemedicine is now being piloted by Rite Aid at its in-store clinics. Competitors Walgreens and CVS may not be far behind. Where does that leave traditional healthcare providers?

HIPAA rules, outdated tech cost U.S. hospitals $8.3B a year

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:58:00 GMT

HIPAA and outdated communications devices can make it harder to deliver effective patient care, according to a survey of physicians, hospital administrators and IT pros. The survey by the Ponemon Institute is based on responses from 577 healthcare and IT professionals in organizations that ranged from fewer than 100 beds to more than 500. Fifty-one percent of respondents say HIPAA compliance requirements can be a barrier to providing effective patient care. Specifically, HIPAA reduces time available for patient care (according to 85% of respondents), makes access to electronic patient information difficult (79%) and restricts the use of electronic communications (56%).

Opinion: Healthcare exchanges will need the young invincibles

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:54:00 GMT

In less than five months, on Oct. 1, the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges will go live online. Millions of Americans will suddenly be able to log on to a website and choose their own heath-care coverage from a menu of subsidized options for prices and coverage levels. As the opening day gets closer, anxiety is increasing over how well these online exchanges will function. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia are operating their own exchanges, seven states are operating exchanges in partnership with the federal government, and the federal government is running exchanges for the remaining 26 states that opted not to create their own.

AMA Raises Reimbursement Concerns Over EHR Workarounds

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:22:00 GMT

Arguing that documenting a full clinical encounter in an electronic health record "can be pure torment," an American Medical Association official describes three time-saving methods physicians have turned to, each of which has the potential for abuse leading to the denial of CMS payments, he says.

Meaningful Use stage 2 needs more time, CHIME says

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:15:00 GMT

The College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME) has proposed a one-year extension of Meaningful Use stage 2 to "maximize the opportunity of program success." According to the organization of healthcare CIOs, an additional 12 months to meet the stage 2 requirements "will give providers the opportunity to optimize their EHR technology and achieve the benefits of stage 1 and stage 2; it will give vendors the time needed to prepare, develop and deliver needed technology to correspond with Stage 3; and it will give policy makers time to assess and evaluate programmatic trends needed to craft thoughtful Stage 3 rules."

'Virtual healthcare' gaining ground

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:56:00 GMT

Technology is going to radically change your office visit to the doctor in the years ahead. An "office" may not even be associated with your visit. You may already have seen the changes: Your doctor allows you to make your next appointment online or when you arrive at your doctor's office, you sign in on an iPad instead of a clipboard. In some states, physicians already conduct office visits via personal communication devices, using Skype, FaceTime, email or text. Telemedicine in New Jersey is more evolution than revolution. That's because the first step toward telemedicine is linking systems and sharing data, which begins with computerization of medical records.