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• Healthcare data storage options

  The volume of healthcare data is growing exponentially, and organizations have to figure out how to store it all. This guide looks at possible healthcare data storage options. Continue Reading

• population health management (PHM)

  Population health management (PHM) is a discipline within the healthcare industry that studies and facilitates care delivery across the general population or a group of individuals. Continue Reading

• ICD-10-PCS

  The International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) is a U.S. cataloging system for procedural codes that track various health interventions taken by medical professionals. Continue Reading

• Patient matching algorithms tackle medical record duplication

  Duplicate records are an unfortunate reality for hospitals and can be harmful to patients. An MPI is one way to ensure that patients only have one record in a health system. Continue Reading

• U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM)

  The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) is the largest biomedical library in the world. Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • problem list
  • pharmaceutical detailing
  • medical transcription (MT)
  • electronic intensive care unit (eICU)

  • protected health information (PHI) or personal health information
  • HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
  • telemedicine (telehealth)
  • Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO)

  View All Definitions

• A guide to healthcare IoT possibilities and obstacles

  This essential guide explores the potential of the internet of things in healthcare, as well as some of the obstacles that may hinder its wider adoption.Continue Reading

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

  Promoting a healthy general public and sharing data about chronic diseases are main goals of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Continue Reading

• Hospital uses intelligent virtual assistant for more accurate order entry

  When physicians juggle a lot of tasks, they can forget to place a necessary order. Artificial intelligence is helping one hospital system remedy this and avoid medical mistakes.Continue Reading

• American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)

  The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is a professional organization that promotes the business and clinical uses of electronic and paper-based medical information.Continue Reading

• revenue cycle management (RCM)

  Revenue cycle management (RCM) is the financial process, utilizing medical billing software, that healthcare facilities use to track patient care episodes from registration and appointment scheduling to the final payment of a balance.Continue Reading

• national provider identifier (NPI)

  A national provider identifier (NPI) is a unique ten-digit identification number required by HIPAA for covered healthcare providers in the United States.Continue Reading

• PHI breach (protected health information breach)

  A PHI breach is unauthorized access, use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information that is held or transmitted by a healthcare organization or its business associates.Continue Reading

• Artificial intelligence makes scanning medical records easier

  Medical-records scanning can be costly and time-consuming for healthcare organizations that want to go paperless. Artificial intelligence can ease the process.Continue Reading

• Interoperability may be in sight as Epic and Cerner work together

  As two of the largest EHRs in the healthcare space, Epic and Cerner have often appeared to be at odds with each other. But that seems to be changing via an ONC initiative.Continue Reading

• athenahealth Inc.

  athenahealth Inc. is a developer of cloud-based practice management, point-of-care mobile applications and electronic health record (EHR) systems for small to medium-sized (SMB) physician practices and hospitals.Continue Reading

• PatientPing helps with coordinating care among healthcare providers

  In this Innovation Spotlight, SearchHealthIT features PatientPing, a startup in Boston that provides technology to improve coordinating care.Continue Reading

• eClinicalWorks

  eClinicalWorks is a Massachusetts-based company that sells electronic medical record (EMR), practice management (PM) and personal health record (PHR) software and services to reportedly more than 115,000 physicians and 70,000 facilities in the ...Continue Reading

• FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

  The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) regulates the production and sale of food, medicine, health technology and cosmetic products. The FDA, also called the USFDA, approves drugs and medical devices for sale and recalls unsafe products.Continue Reading

• meaningful use stage 3

  Meaningful use stage 3 is the third phase of the federal incentive program that details requirements for the use of electronic health record systems by hospitals and eligible healthcare professionals. However, the new MACRA law will change the ...Continue Reading

• US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level agency in the executive branch of the federal government. Its mission is to enhance and protect the well-being of all Americans by providing effective health and human ...Continue Reading

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is the wing of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that runs healthcare reimbursement and health IT programs.Continue Reading

• information blocking

  Information blocking occurs when a person or entity purposely and unreasonably interferes with the sharing or use of electronic health information.Continue Reading

• Meditech (Medical Information Technology Inc.)

  Meditech (Medical Information Technology Inc.) is an electronic health record vendor that holds a 19% market share in the hospital industry, but faces intense competition.Continue Reading

• SaaS app built on cognitive computing platform helps with medical codes

  Data analytics and cognitive computing are helping one hospital ensure the correct medical codes are being assigned for Medicare reimbursement via a SaaS application.Continue Reading

• With healthcare disaster recovery systems, storage options evolve

  As cyberattacks continue to hit health data networks with alarming frequency, providers are increasingly turning to hybrid cloud and other forms of healthcare disaster recovery.Continue Reading

• Patient matching technology helps HIE reduce duplicate records

  In this Innovation Spotlight, SearchHealthIT looks at how an HIE reduced duplicate patient records by using NextGate's patient matching technology.Continue Reading

• Visual data analytics make genomics in healthcare possible

  To fully realize genomics in healthcare, the right technology is needed to effectively leverage and use genomic data. One hospital is taking steps toward that goal.Continue Reading

• Cloud medical imaging storage is the way of the future

  PACS and VNAs are the image storage standards in healthcare. Cloud medical imaging storage presents benefits that may intrigue healthcare providers to ditch PACS and VNAs.Continue Reading

• McKesson Corp.

  McKesson Corp. is a provider of medicines, pharmaceutical supplies and health information technology including nursing automation, practice management, clinical decision support systems, secure online healthcare communication and electronic health ...Continue Reading

• The diverse use cases for cloud in healthcare

  Healthcare cloud services come in various forms, including analytics models and system backups. Those are two of the reasons cloud has the attention of health IT professionals.Continue Reading

• A last-minute guide to the ICD-9 to ICD-10 transition

  The ICD-9 to ICD-10 transition has been a long time coming in the U.S. This guide examines the increase in codes and what providers did to prepare.Continue Reading

• Wearable health technology in medical and consumer arenas

  The future of wearable health technology in the medical space may depend on if providers can make a business case for the use mobile devices.Continue Reading

• The ICD-10 release date: Here are important facts to know

  The ICD-10 implementation date is fast approaching, and providers should know what to expect. Here are some important facts from CMS' ICD-10 resources.Continue Reading

• SERMO

  SERMO is an online social network of verified physicians where they can anonymously discuss patient cases and non-medical subjects.Continue Reading

• Wearable health technology and HIPAA: What is and isn't covered

  Healthcare data many think is protected by HIPAA may not be. With wearable health technology, some experts are concerned by what's not covered.Continue Reading

• computer assisted coding system (CACS)

  A computer assisted coding system (CACS) is medical software that reviews healthcare forms, including electronic health records, and assigns appropriate medical codes to its findings.Continue Reading

• Joint Commission

  The Joint Commission is an independent group that presently accredits 20,500 healthcare facilities in the United States by performing onsite evaluations.Continue Reading

• Bar Coded Medication Administration (BCMA)

  Bar Coded Medication Administration (BCMA) is a hospital inventory control system that uses barcodes in the distribution of prescription medications with the goal of ensuring the patient is receiving the correct medication.Continue Reading

• laboratory information system

  A laboratory information system (LIS) is software that collects, stores and produces reports from medical test data.Continue Reading

• HL7 (Health Level Seven International)

  HL7 (Health Level Seven International) is a set of standards, formats and definitions for exchanging and developing electronic health records (EHRs).Continue Reading

• Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code

  Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are a uniform medical code set maintained and copyrighted by the American Medical Association and used to describe medical, surgical and diagnostic services.Continue Reading

• Clinical Document Architecture (CDA)

  Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) is a markup standard created by Health Level 7 International (HL7) that defines the structure of discharge summaries, progress notes and other medical records.Continue Reading

• Radiology Information System (RIS)

  A RIS is the traditional core software system for electronically managing medical images, scheduling and billing in hospital radiology departments and physician practices.Continue Reading

• Healthcare CIO (healthcare chief information officer)

  A healthcare CIO is a healthcare executive with an influence over technology purchasing and other IT business decisions.Continue Reading

• Guide to healthcare compliance resources and agencies

  There are a handful of groups that function as healthcare compliance resources and regulate rules and programs such as HIPAA and meaningful use.Continue Reading

• American Medical Association (AMA)

  The American Medical Association (AMA) is a physician group that works for healthcare reform and publishes a collection of medical journals.Continue Reading

• SERMO more than a social network for doctors

  SERMO, a social network exclusively for physicians, is a place for docs to hang out in cyberspace, but also to seek out and share medical opinions and diagnoses.Continue Reading

• medical 3-D printing

  Medical 3-D printing is a growing field dedicated to creating medical implants, devices, prosthetics and even human tissue using 3-D printing technology.Continue Reading

• Wearable technologies, cloud guide the future of healthcare

  The advancement of cloud, artificial intelligence and analytics will go a long way in determining the future of health IT.Continue Reading

• medical scribe

  A medical scribe is a healthcare employee that assists medical professionals with documenting patients' medical histories.Continue Reading

• Six components of a healthcare data analytics strategy

  A successful healthcare analytics strategy combines six important pieces that our expert explains. Also learn pointers on how to carry out this data analytics plan.Continue Reading

• The top six priorities of a new healthcare CIO

  Assessing performance strengths and identifying any gaps should be part of a healthcare CIO's plan of attack when joining a new organization.Continue Reading

• ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification)

  ICD-9-CM is the current medical coding standard used in hospitals in the United States. It is scheduled to be replaced by ICD-10 by Oct. 1, 2015.Continue Reading

• clinical documentation (healthcare)

  Clinical documentation (CD) is the creation of a digital or analog record detailing a medical treatment, medical trial or clinical test.Continue Reading

• medical device class (MDC)

  Medical device class (MDC) is a category that defines the amount of risk involved with a medical device in the United States and the proper procedures that must be followed when manufacturing and using the device.Continue Reading

• clinical document (HL7 clinical document)

  A clinical document is a written, printed or electronic record that provides evidence of medical care.Continue Reading

• Next for Direct: Apps to enable health data exchange

  Getting patients involved in Direct(ing) exchange of health data is coming in 2015, when developers finish their applications.Continue Reading

• Five areas of focus for a healthcare business intelligence program

  Defining healthcare business intelligence is the first step towards its use. A book on the subject has all of its definitions covered.Continue Reading

• Quiz: The continued development of big data and healthcare analytics

  Are you using healthcare analytics to its full potential? Take this quiz to find out.Continue Reading

• Quiz: PACS integration with other imaging systems and EHRs

  Implementing a PACS requires preparation and adjustments to be made along the way. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of hospital imaging systems.Continue Reading

• meaningful use attestation

  Meaningful use attestation, in a health information technology (HIT) context, is a process that documents that an organization or individual has successfully demonstrated meaningful use and is successfully fulfilling the requirements for electronic ...Continue Reading

• OpenEMR

  OpenEMR is free, open source software for the health care industry. OpenEMR integrates medical practice management, electronic medical record (EMR), patient scheduling and electronic billing functionality.Continue Reading

• health care cloud

  A health care cloud is a cloud computing service used by health care providers for storing, maintaining and backing up personal heath information (PHI).Continue Reading

• common working file (CWF)

  A common working file (CWF) is a tool used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to maintain national Medicare records for individual beneficiaries enrolled in the program.Continue Reading

• The predicament for providers, patients in stage 2 meaningful use

  For physicians and hospitals, achieving stage 2 meaningful use under the proposed rules means relying on patients to do their part. This is easier said than done.Continue Reading

• American Telemedicine Association (ATA)

  American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is a non-profit organization that strives to promote telemedicine (medical care delivered through the use of telecommunications technology).Continue Reading

• Federal Health Information Exchange (FHIE)

  Federal Health Information Exchange (FHIE) is a health information sharing project that allows the Department of Defense to share service members’ personal health information in a joint storage area also accessible by the Veterans Health ...Continue Reading

• formulary

  A formulary is a list of prescription drugs that are covered by a specific health care plan.Continue Reading

• National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT)

  The National Alliance for Health Information Technology, or NAHIT, was formed in 2002 in an effort to promote the use of health IT.Continue Reading

• medical transcription software (MTS)

  Medical transcription software (MTS) is a specialized speech recognition program that includes a database of medical terminology.Continue Reading

• Bidirectional Health Information Exchange (BHIE)

  Bidirectional Health Information Exchange (BHIE) is a health information sharing project that builds on the previously established Federal Health Information Exchange (FHIE) program. The BHIE allows for two-way sharing of PHI data between the ...Continue Reading

• Meaningful use stage 2 deadlines: Giving way to ICD-10 implementation?

  Those folks reading HHS's meaningful use stage 2 deadline announcement last week as an ICD-10 deadline extension can give up hope on that.Continue Reading

• Industry reacts: Meaningful use stage 2

  Concerns about meaningful use stage 2 so far suggest that the requirements either go too far or not far enough. Beyond that, surprises were kept to a minimum.Continue Reading

• Got a meaningful use stage 2 comment?

  Believe it or not, American Idol figures in to meaningful use stage 2 commenting. An ONC spokesperson explains.Continue Reading

• Twitter co-founder offers health IT innovation insight

  You can't talk innovation without social media, and you can't talk social media without Twitter. At HIMSS 2012, Biz Stone shared his personal and professional insight and applied it to health care IT.Continue Reading

• Stage 2 of meaningful use coming this week

  After waiting, and waiting, for the announcement of meaningful use stage 2 on Friday, the health care world turns to HIMSS 2012, where the federal government has several chances to state its case.Continue Reading

• meaningful use stage 1

  Meaningful use stage 1 is the first phase of the United States federal government's meaningful use incentive program, which details the requirements for the use of electronic health record (EHR) systems by hospitals and eligible health care ...Continue Reading

• meaningful use stage 2

  Meaningful use stage 2 is the second phase of the meaningful use incentive program that details the second phase of requirements for the use of electronic health record (EHR) systems by hospitals and eligible health care providers.Continue Reading

• EHR implementation plan

  An electronic health record (EHR) implementation plan is a comprehensive set of strategies and steps used by a health care organization when preparing for and executing the adoption of an electronic-based health care system.Continue Reading

• ICD-11

  The International Classification of Disease, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11) is a system of medical coding created by the World Health Organization (WHO) for documenting diseases, signs and symptoms, diagnoses and social circumstances.Continue Reading

• Implementing, using computerized physician order entry

  A CPOE system eliminates the need to place orders for tests and prescriptions on paper. But the learning curve, and the cost, can be high. This guide explains the basics of CPOE.Continue Reading

• Survey says? Hospitals still forming data disaster recovery plans

  As information systems and next-generation diagnostic equipment proliferate more and more data, disaster recovery for health care becomes more complex.Continue Reading

• Improving revenue cycle management in health care

  A revenue cycle management system can help hospitals streamline administrative and clinical tasks. This tutorial explains how RCM software is affected by EHR use and ICD-10.Continue Reading

• Cardiologists embracing meaningful use program so far

  A survey of American College of Cardiology members suggests that more than half intend to participate in meaningful use and more than one-third have already registered.Continue Reading

• RxNorm

  RxNorm is a catalog of the standard names given to clinical drugs and drug delivery devices in the United States to enable interoperability and clear communication between electronic systems, regardless of software and hardware compatibility.Continue Reading

• legal health record

  A legal health record is the record of patient health that is created by a health care organization for its own business record. It is also the record that is produced upon request from patients or legal services.Continue Reading

• Kinect

  Kinect is Microsoft’s motion gaming system for the Xbox 360. The system provides a natural user interface (NUI) that allows users to interact intuitively and without any intermediary device, such as a controller.Continue Reading

• health apps

  Health apps are application programs that offer health-related services for smartphones and tablet PCs.Continue Reading

• ambulatory medical record (AMR)

  An ambulatory medical record (AMR) is an electronically stored file of a patient’s outpatient medical records, which includes all surgeries and care that do not involve being admitted to a hospital.Continue Reading

• HIT standards committee

  The Health Information Technology (HIT) standards committee is a federal committee created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) that advises the National Coordinator for Health IT on matters of standards, certification ...Continue Reading

• telepathology

  Telepathology is the area of telemedicine involving the transmission of pathological specimen images for remote study and diagnosis of disease.Continue Reading

• GE Healthcare

  GE Healthcare is a subsidiary of General Electric Co., that focuses on new developments in health information technology (HIT) such as more advanced medical imaging technology and patient monitoring systems.Continue Reading

• FAQ: What is health data archiving?

  Data archiving lets health care providers store patient records for years, as state and federal laws require. This FAQ addresses types of storage, outsourcing and other concerns.Continue Reading

• Briefing: How to avoid a health care data breach

  A data breach can be quite costly to a provider's budget and reputation. This briefing offers advice for securing health care data to comply with HIPAA and HITECH Act rules.Continue Reading

• Briefing: Getting meaningful use money in five (not so easy) steps

  Obtaining financial incentives for demonstrating the meaningful use of EHR technology is no easy task. This guide outlines the five steps that are key to getting the job done.Continue Reading

• FAQ: How is server virtualization technology used in health care?

  Server virtualization technology helps organizations cut maintenance and administration costs while improving performance. But health care providers must keep a few things in mind.Continue Reading

• Regional Extension Center (REC)

  A Regional Extension Center (REC) is an organization that has received funding under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) to assist health care providers with the selection and implementation of ...Continue Reading

• Office for Civil Rights (OCR)

  The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is an organization within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS),Continue Reading

• FAQ: How will the transition to ICD-10 codes affect health IT?

  As of Oct. 1, 2015, U.S. health care providers must use ICD-10 codes when they submit medical claims. This FAQ addresses what the transition means and how providers can prepare.Continue Reading

• National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII)

  The National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII) was a government initiative first proposed under former President George W. Bush that targeted the improvement of health care by setting standards for interoperability.Continue Reading