BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts has announced that it will not require physicians to install an EMR to participate in its bonus program. Relying on information from past studies, BlueCross decided the financial benefits of office-based electronic medical records systems are not worth the cost to doctors. Analysts say the decision won't make technology advocates change their tune on the benefits of EMR, but that it may strengthen the case for outside funding for physician EMRs.
For two decades, electronic health records have been the Next Big Thing in healthcare. In 1994, President Bill Clinton announced that all doctors would use computerized records within 10 years, and in 2004 President Bush called for universal use of digital health records. Despite these declarations, 90 percent of U.S. doctors and more than two-thirds of U.S. hospitals still use paper for patient records.
While the pharmaceutical industry is making strides to boost its Web presence, it still has a long way to go, according to the results of a digital-outlook report conducted by the Electronic-media agency Avenue A/Razorfish. "Pharma marketers must be increasingly creative with how they engage their target consumers," Brian M. Krick, director of search marketing at Avenue A, told PharmaExec.com. "The standard approach of buying all the content for whatever indication was on the table is getting less effective in terms of how to blanket a consumer."
The American Cancer Society has decided to support the inclusion of virtual colonoscopy as a front-line screening exam for colorectal cancer. The decision came after the ACS examined the latest published research and preliminary results of recently completed trials. VC is now included as one of several options for colorectal cancer screening and prevention in average-risk adults age 50 years and older and recommended that this population receive the procedure once every five years.
A growing number of organizations are using online well-being programs as a cost-effective way of getting a healthy living message across to staff. Winning staff over, however, can be a challenge. By offering employees advice and support about healthy living which they can access via the company intranet or online, HR teams are trying to make well-being seem more fun. That may now be easier in Britain, following the launch of a new strategy to encourage employers to use the workplace to promote healthy lifestyles. The strategy is part of the British government's 'Health Work and Well Being--Caring for our Future' strategy launched in 2005.
A patient walks into a doctor's office for the first time and immediately is handed a clipboard holding a form asking for all sorts of information on that person's health status and medical history. NoMoreClipboard.com, a Fort Wayne medical technology startup, hopes to tap into consumers' frustration with all that medical paperwork to become a player in the fragmented and competitive market of personal health records.