Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts will require doctors to adopt computer prescription systems by 2011 if they want to qualify for bonus payments. The change will come a year ahead of a similar requirement by the federal government for doctors who treat patients under Medicare. Proponents say "e-prescribing" can reduce medication errors, complications from drug interactions and drug allergies, and overall pharmacy costs.
The Food and Drug Administration allows thousands of medical devices onto the market each year after only cursory review and with no clear evidence that they help patients. Doctors are free to use those products as they see fit, without telling patients that the devices are not proved. And because the doctors are frequently paid more by Medicare as a way to compensate them for the extra time and expense of adopting new procedures, these unproven products can become widely adopted. FDA officials defend the quick-review process as a way to promote innovation.
Five centuries ago, Leonardo da Vinci's intricate drawings transformed understanding of the human heart. Now a new computer model promises to do the same for modern-day cardiac care, experts say. The model is so realistic its four chambers beat in the same asymmetrical rhythm on screen as does a real heart in the human body. The model is the work of three British doctors who say the creation will improve both training and care during surgery.
Aetna Inc. is becoming the first health insurer to team with Microsoft Corp. to give its customers an Internet-based vault for storing medical records they can access even if they change jobs or leave their health plan. Aetna will allow some customers to transfer electronic personal health records to Microsoft's HealthVault, a platform that lets providers look at the information if they have patient permission. The vault will give the insurer's customers continuous access to their claims information and anything the patient wants to add, like clinical data or past medical records, said Aetna representatives.
Spurred on by smaller instruments and wider acceptance by doctors, minimally invasive surgery is now common in children from birth onward. Pediatric surgeons in Orlando, for example, routinely fix complex internal birth defects, drain chest infections, and ease chronic acid reflux with slender instruments and camera views provided through small slits in the skin. And some procedures in children and adolescents, such as appendectomies and gallbladder removal, are almost exclusively done with less-invasive techniques.
The World Health Care Congress Leadership Summit on ePrescribing and Medication Management is scheduled for Nov. 17 in Falls Church, VA. At the summit, IT leaders can "learn how industry stakeholders are pushing the envelope in terms of HIT integration and discover how e-Prescribing adoption can improve workflow, increase patient safety, and allow for the highest quality of medication management in your practice," according to the event's sponsors.