The emerging Nationwide Health Information Network was put through its paces on September 23 as live operations were demonstrated before a large audience at the Health and Human Services Department and via a Webcast. The demonstration involved records created for the test but stored in actual health systems. The exercise showed that a healthcare provider could easily use a Web browser to obtain basic records on a patient stored by another healthcare system. The next step is to prepare to go live by the end of the year, said Ginger Price, NHIN program coordinator at HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
At least three-quarters of all Internet users look for health information online, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Of those with a high-speed connection, 1 in 9 do health research on a typical day. And 75% of online patients with a chronic problem told the researchers that “their last health search affected a decision about how to treat an illness or condition,” according to a Pew Report released in August. Reliance on the Internet is so prevalent, said the report’s author, Susannah Fox, the associate director at Pew, that "Google is the de facto second opinion" for patients seeking further information after a diagnosis.
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association and the American Hospital Association want the DEA relax a proposed rule that would allow tightly monitored use of computer technology to electronically transmit prescriptions for controlled substances. "While the proposed rule doesn't affect a physician's ability to prescribe everyday non-controlled prescription drugs, it would create unnecessary burdens and workflow issues for physicians and pharmacists regarding controlled substances," said PCMA President & CEO Mark Merritt in a statement.
It is often heard that healthcare IT lags behind financial world of IT by about 10 years or that healthcare IT should look to the financial sector for cues about doing IT right. But in his latest blog, John Halamka, MD, CIO of the CareGroup Health System, talks about why he doubts he'll be hearing either of those tidbits in 2008.
A Markham, Ontario, Canada-based anesthetist plans to offer more quality healthcare choices to international patients, namely Americans, at much lower prices than in the United States. Details on what procedures will be offered by the Canadian Healthcare International Corp. starting November 1 are not yet available. This initiative comes on the heels of a growing international medical tourism industry.
Chicago-based Michael Reese Medical Center, in the process of shutting down its healthcare operations, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a move the facility's executives say will allow its financial situation to stabilize as the operation winds down in the coming months. The closing of the facility has been in the works for months. It has faced tens of millions of dollars in losses and a series of challenges including ownership changes, competition from rival facilities, and a rising number of uninsured patients who cannot pay their bills.