News

News

• August 23, 2011 23 Aug'11

  Using a virtualized server environment to address HIPAA compliance

  Learn how one radiology group fulfills HIPAA mandates for offsite data backups and data availability through its virtualized server environment, which spawned from a PACS upgrade.

• August 22, 2011 22 Aug'11

  Quality reporting standards nearly set for stage 2

  The Health IT Standards Committee is prepared to recommend a set of so-called vocabulary standards for the quality reporting measures required for demonstrating the meaningful use of electronic ...

• August 19, 2011 19 Aug'11

  Insulin pump hack reveals lack of medical device security

  A security researcher who presented at this year's Black Hat security conference caused quite a stir when he showed audience members that he was able to hack into his own insulin pump. Jay ...

• August 17, 2011 17 Aug'11

  Universal patient identifiers: Get them done, now

  My name is Don Fluckinger. My pals and work colleagues will likely confirm that I am, er, a unique individual. Last I checked, I'm the only Don Fluckinger on Facebook, which makes me a popular guy, ...

• August 16, 2011 16 Aug'11

  Barriers persist in harmonizing EHR systems with substance use disorders

  In terms of coordination of care and health information exchange, the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD) are not on the same level as mainstream health care. However, the development of ...

• August 16, 2011 16 Aug'11

  How mHealth technology can enable meaningful use compliance

  Physicians are leveraging mobile health technology to tackle e-prescribing, CPOE, patient education and other key meaningful use requirements.

• August 15, 2011 15 Aug'11

  Don't forget to train medical students on EHR use

  Medical students working in a hospital setting must be trained on many things, but one job requirement that is often forgotten is electronic health record (EHR) use. The consequences of neglecting ...

• August 15, 2011 15 Aug'11

  Speech recognition technology making its way into EHR systems

  Meaningful use is bringing EHR adoption to the mass market. Physicians uncomfortable with a computer keyboard are increasingly turning to speech recognition to get data into EHRs.

• August 12, 2011 12 Aug'11

  Health IT security survey shows equal parts confidence, concern

  Our recent reader survey found health IT pros confident they are meeting federal laws but concerned they aren't doing enough to protect patient data, especially on mobile devices.

• August 11, 2011 11 Aug'11

  Even HIPAA auditors can have a health care data breach

  Since the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) began publishing information on health care data breaches affecting 500 or more individuals on its website, 300 breaches have been reported. Two of those ...

• August 10, 2011 10 Aug'11

  ONC proposes metadata rule -- prelude to stage 2 meaningful use?

  This week's preview of a soon-to-be-proposed health care metadata rule -- in government parlance, an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, or ANPRM -- some believe to be a glimpse of the upcoming ...

• August 09, 2011 09 Aug'11

  Patients, IT equal partners in enabling medical home model

  By Brita Van Fossen, Editorial Assistant The medical home model for health care provides multiple benefits for patients; namely, more cost effective and intimate care, available from the comfort of ...

• August 09, 2011 09 Aug'11

  Experts debate merits of virtualized vs native iPad EHR implementation

  While native apps and virtualization both have their tradeoffs for iPad EHR implementation, health IT leaders agree: The tablet is here to stay in hospitals.

• August 08, 2011 08 Aug'11

  Consumer health technologies need to be simple

  Although many factors hinder the adoption of consumer health technologies, poor design remains the biggest obstacle. This phenomenon isn't limited to devices that are difficult to use -- patient ...

• August 04, 2011 04 Aug'11

  New report shines light on health information exchange success

  A successful and sustainable model for health information exchange (HIE) is a key building block of the Nationwide Health Information Network. But concerns about long-term funding and a lack of ...

• August 04, 2011 04 Aug'11

  Vendors, providers mull effect of FDA mobile health regulations

  Looming FDA regulations could turn smartphones into Class II medical devices. Early reaction from stakeholders suggests this could throw a wet blanket on innovation.

• August 03, 2011 03 Aug'11

  As health information exchange grows, so does interest in standards

  By Brita Van Fossen, Editorial Assistant Slowly, the health care industry is undergoing a transformation and beginning to make the necessary changes to meet the meaningful use requirements. Since ...

• August 02, 2011 02 Aug'11

  PHR adoption needs electronic workflows, change in patient behavior

  Although the market for personal health record (PHR) services remains weak -- as suggested by the recent demise of Google Health -- a report from Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) shared what needs to ...

• August 01, 2011 01 Aug'11

  Employees in VA clinics get OK to use iPad, iPhone

  The Department of Veterans Affairs has OK'd the use of iPads and iPhones in VA clinics, effective Oct. 1. The Apple Inc. devices join BlackBerry smartphones on the list of VA-approved mobile ...

• August 01, 2011 01 Aug'11

  Provider survey: Medical records scanning all over the map

  Iron Mountain polled 200 providers, large and small, on how they're tackling medical records scanning. Results are all over the map. This podcast offers tips on where to start.

• July 29, 2011 29 Jul'11

  Interest growing in the medical home model of care delivery

  The medical home model of care delivery -- which blends health IT and care coordination to encourage a more efficient and patient-centric approach to care -- has been gaining steady traction with ...

• July 28, 2011 28 Jul'11

  EMR rollout requires team effort, flexibility

  While switching paper records to electronic medical records (EMRs) often brings trepidation among doctors, practices and hospitals alike, a successful implementation out of Wisconsin shows it can ...

• July 27, 2011 27 Jul'11

  City, county health officials struggling with health data exchange

  Funding and expertise are scarce as local public health officials prepare to be inundated with immunization, syndromic surveillance and lab patient data, thanks to meaningful use.

• July 26, 2011 26 Jul'11

  Making CPOE systems palatable to physicians

  Computerized physician order entry isn't exactly New Coke or the Edsel, but CPOE adoption remains low, with fewer than one in six U.S. hospital employees actually using CPOE systems. The history of ...

• July 26, 2011 26 Jul'11

  mHealth app tapped for serious diabetes treatment

  Sloughing through July, reading about federal spending has become tedious. No matter on which side of the political divide they stand, a recent poll showed 91% of voters are outright disgusted with ...

• July 21, 2011 21 Jul'11

  Understanding the human factors in consumer health IT

  As a relatively healthy individual, I have little use for consumer health IT devices or applications. However, when I received an invitation to sign into the patient portal offered by my health ...

• July 21, 2011 21 Jul'11

  For cloud EHR users, meaningful use, data exchange low priorities

  Health care providers adopting cloud-based EHR systems are doing so not to achieve meaningful use but, they say, because it makes clinical workflow and data management easier.

• July 20, 2011 20 Jul'11

  States won't be checking all those Medicaid EHR incentive criteria

  Back in my irreverent youth -- okay, as recently as my mid-20s -- I had a blast throwing my body around a mosh pit at a Descendents show. Even got my glasses smashed during "Coffee Mug," which ...

• July 20, 2011 20 Jul'11

  Behavioral health agency sees benefits to online word processing

  One agency looks to online word processing as a method to port data into the cloud, and security measures are developing to enhance safety and compliance.

• July 19, 2011 19 Jul'11

  For nurses, the advent of ACOs a viable alternative to primary practices

  Accountable care organizations (ACOs) could be a worthy alternative for nurses seeking to take on more care management roles and have greater interaction with patients Working in a primary practice ...

• July 19, 2011 19 Jul'11

  Health care cloud adoption grows, albeit slowly, thanks to EHR systems

  While many physicians and CIOs remain hesitant to embark on cloud adoption, it's becoming clearer that cloud services offer economic and security advantages for some providers.

• July 18, 2011 18 Jul'11

  On kittens, 'bof fry flew' and health education videos

  Last week the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) said it would be developing animated health education videos to explain the benefits of health IT and the ...

• July 14, 2011 14 Jul'11

  Mobile sensing technology could help track the health of seniors

  One important goal of community health is to improve the overall quality of life for patients. Everyday behaviors of patients -- such as social interaction and physical activity -- can be ...

• July 14, 2011 14 Jul'11

  Meaningful use stage 2 delay would only affect certain providers

  A proposed delay in the onset of meaningful use stage 2 would only affect health care providers who have already implemented stage 1. Even then, the effect will be minimal.

• July 13, 2011 13 Jul'11

  Macs, iPad EHR apps, and device-independent EHRs driving HIT adoption

  This week, ClearPractice released Eden, which company president Joel Andersen unabashedly trumpets as one of the few native iPad EHRs -- that is, because it's Web-based and hosted by ClearPractice, ...

• July 12, 2011 12 Jul'11

  Four on the 4th: States begin EHR incentive programs

  While America was celebrating its birthday, eligible professionals and eligible hospitals in Arizona, Connecticut, Rhode Island and West Virginia had an extra reason to celebrate given the launch ...

• July 11, 2011 11 Jul'11

  HL7, IHTSDO continue health care interoperability efforts

  Health Level Seven International Inc. (HL7) and the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization (IHTSDO) are continuing their efforts to foment health care interoperability, ...

• July 08, 2011 08 Jul'11

  How EHR technology and ICD-10 impact the clinical coding workflow

  The implementation of EHR technology -- in conjunction with the transition to the ICD-10 codes and the use of computer-assisted coding (CAC) -- will have a significant impact on the clinical coding ...

• July 07, 2011 07 Jul'11

  EHR vendors: Watch first, code later

  In the course of interviewing two sources for two different stories, interviewees took me down the same interesting side street, conversationally. They both were convinced the best electronic ...

• July 07, 2011 07 Jul'11

  The benefits of object-based storage for health care

  Object-based storage cuts down on the bottleneck when a large file such as a medical image is opened. This podcast discusses how to use the concept in health care data centers.

• July 06, 2011 06 Jul'11

  Social media serves as a powerful tool for patients disclosing illnesses

  No matter the trend, social media has a role in some capacity. That’s the case for health IT as patients are increasingly disclosing medical diagnoses online for consolation purposes, according to ...

• July 06, 2011 06 Jul'11

  For state HIE, patient opt-out a thorny technical issue

  Building a state HIE is complicated. Creating an IT back-end to support individual patient consent -- mandated by law in some states -- is even more complex.

• July 05, 2011 05 Jul'11

  With private cloud architecture, slow and steady wins

  As the cloud computing market continues to mature, and as server virtualization technology continues to catch on in health care organizations, a private cloud architecture becomes both attractive ...

• July 05, 2011 05 Jul'11

  State HIE leaders face uphill journey to health data interoperability

  States can build national health information exchange, but interoperability must come first. State leaders discuss the current technical, legislative and economic issues they face.

• June 30, 2011 30 Jun'11

  How mobile health technologies can benefit older adults

  Mobile health technologies can be particularly beneficial to older adults, though their full potential is only starting to emerge, says the Center for Technology and Aging in its latest report, ...

• June 30, 2011 30 Jun'11

  Regional extension centers progressing, survey finds

  A recent eHealth Initiative survey suggests that the nation's RECs are now supporting providers as they purchase and implement EHR systems. Many have their eyes to the future, too.

• June 29, 2011 29 Jun'11

  Google Health, code blue. What's next in PHR space?

  In officially announcing it would pull the plug on its Google Health personal health record (PHR) last week, Internet giant Google pulled a Cee Lo, saying forget you to developers who had built ...

• June 28, 2011 28 Jun'11

  Dentists, health IT harmonize in treating patients with chronic illnesses

  Health IT doesn’t belong in just hospitals and physician practices; there’s a place for electronic systems in dental offices, too, according to providers. And dentists should be paying attention to ...

• June 27, 2011 27 Jun'11

  Google Health shutting down at end of year

  An ailing Google Health will finally be put to sleep. Google Inc. announced Friday that its personal health record (PHR) service will be retired on Jan. 1, 2012, with data available for download ...

• June 23, 2011 23 Jun'11

  Linking consumer health information to EHRs and PHRs

  Last summer, the IT folks at USA.gov unveiled a general app store for citizens that included several free mobile health care apps, including MedlinePlus. The app, which provides abstracts of ...

• June 22, 2011 22 Jun'11

  Report reveals IT gaps between here and health reform

  Last year's health reform bill forced open access to health benefits to all. This year, IT leaders among health care providers and payers are charged with the task of building an infrastructure ...

• June 21, 2011 21 Jun'11

  Providers question value of tracking info changes within EHRs

  Although it's been four years, the death of Diane Stewart following an elective surgery continues to fuel the discussion of tracking changes within electronic health records (EHRs) in California. ...

• June 20, 2011 20 Jun'11

  EHR software market to exceed $6 billion by 2015

  The electronic health record (EHR) software market is poised to exceed $6 billion by 2015, according to the research firm Markets and Markets. This will represent tremendous growth, the firm noted, ...

• June 20, 2011 20 Jun'11

  Success of ACO model hinges on clinical data analytics

  Getting physicians and hospitals to sign up for ACO adoption will require some heavy IT lifting. Clinical data analytics will support these potential payment game-changers.

• June 17, 2011 17 Jun'11

  Lessons learned from abroad: PHI encryption is essential

  If a health care organization can be fined $4.3 million over an incident involving a mere 41 patient records, imagine what the penalty might be for a health care data breach involving 8.63 million ...

• June 16, 2011 16 Jun'11

  Five tips for making the ICD-10 transition more than a mandate

  Stop us if you've heard this before, but, at this point, health care organizations should be knee-deep in their preparations for the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related ...

• June 15, 2011 15 Jun'11

  Patients should be foundation of health information exchange

  Editor's note: For more on HIE, please see the transcript from our live chat with experts (June, 2011) Almost two decades before the HITECH Act was signed into law requiring providers to use ...

• June 15, 2011 15 Jun'11

  The ACO model and shared savings: Can IT get you there?

  The success of accountable care organizations seems possible. Association leaders aren't quite convinced. Either way, IT departments should prepare for a new reimbursement model.

• June 14, 2011 14 Jun'11

  Still using paper workarounds? You might be helping your EMR

  Improving coordination of care supported by health IT is an ongoing and important theme. One way to improve that care is by delving into both paper and computerized workarounds. A new study by ...

• June 14, 2011 14 Jun'11

  For Kaweah Delta, using the iPad a natural extension of Citrix network

  A central California health district has been using the iPad since the day it came out. Read this case study to see how the devices have been deployed, managed and secured.

• June 09, 2011 09 Jun'11

  ONC program uses prizes and challenges to spur health IT innovation

  The current health IT landscape is fraught with challenges, including a lack of system interoperability that limits innovation. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information ...

• June 08, 2011 08 Jun'11

  CMS clarifies meaningful use attestation process with FAQ answers

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) frequently posts answers to questions health care stakeholders pose -- and a hot topic right now is meaningful use attestation procedures. ...

• June 07, 2011 07 Jun'11

  Hospitals eye wireless networks to boost satisfaction, connectivity

  Hospitals seeking to enhance patient and employee satisfaction are integrating wireless networks as a perk, and Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) is no exception. The health system’s North State ...

• June 06, 2011 06 Jun'11

  Verizon updates partner, security management programs for health care

  Verizon Business has updated its partner and security management programs to help address the health care industry's increasingly complex data security management, risk and compliance requirements. ...

• June 03, 2011 03 Jun'11

  How a learning health system could improve population health

  Many health care providers have been preoccupied with the goal of achieving meaningful use of  electronic health records (EHRs). For those that have not yet implemented an EHR system, this can seem ...

• June 02, 2011 02 Jun'11

  Physician Assistants want a piece of the EHR incentive pot

  It's well documented that receiving incentive payments by demonstrating meaningful use is a difficult process. Although it’s difficult, primary care specialties actually have this opportunity. ...

• June 02, 2011 02 Jun'11

  Telestroke services connect specialists, patients more quickly than ever

  Telestroke services put neurologists at patients' bedsides fast enough to make a difference with cutting-edge tPA treatments. This puts telemedicine in the spotlight.

• June 01, 2011 01 Jun'11

  E-prescribing rule update open for comments until 7/25

  Today the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today proposed an update to its e-prescribing rule (e-Rx) and opened a public commenting period that ends July 25. Long story short: The ...

• May 31, 2011 31 May'11

  Is health care finally ready for cloud adoption?

  A recent survey from CDW LLC suggests that today's businesses are gravitating toward cloud adoption. Surprisingly, the health care industry is not an exception. Roughly 30% of the 150 health care ...

• May 31, 2011 31 May'11

  Avoiding data breaches in interoperability testing, development

  Many hospitals use live patient data for interoperability and application development test bed. That's a potential HIPAA data breach violation. Here's what to do instead.

• May 26, 2011 26 May'11

  Joint Commission launching medical home accreditation program

  Beginning in July, The Joint Commission will offer a primary care medical home accreditation option for its previously accredited ambulatory care organizations. The medical home model blends ...

• May 25, 2011 25 May'11

  IOM report: Meaningful use just the start of health IT revolution

  Earlier this month at a New England health IT conference, former U.S. health IT coordinator Dr. David Blumenthal said that he is reasonably confident the HITECH Act's push for EHR adoption would be ...

• May 24, 2011 24 May'11

  ONC committee seeks feedback, looks toward permanent certification program

  The Health Information Technology Standards Committee (HITSC) implementation workgroup is open to feedback pertaining to the development of applications that meet Stage 2 meaningful use criteria. ...

• May 24, 2011 24 May'11

  Personal health records not dead yet, experts say

  Are patients not using personal health records because they don't need them, or because they don't trust vendors with their privacy? Physician encouragement may be the key.

• May 23, 2011 23 May'11

  Reducing the cost and complexity of medical image archiving

  By Anna Siembor, Editorial Assistant Medical image archiving costs are quickly becoming a huge expense in the health care industry -- so much so, according to the Symantec Health white paper ...

• May 19, 2011 19 May'11

  Survey: Are you ready for health information exchange?

  As the health information exchange landscape continues to evolve, many hospitals and health care organizations are still trying to assess their readiness to exchange information.  A new online ...

• May 19, 2011 19 May'11

  Meaningful use attestation requires organization, focus

  Like Boy Scouts, providers conducting meaningful use attestation all say the same thing: be prepared. Here, two practices discuss what it takes to complete the process.

• May 18, 2011 18 May'11

  CHIME could get its way with CMS on ACO rule

  Whether you agree with the health IT CIOs comprising the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) or not, you've got to give them props for not holding back in their comments ...

• May 18, 2011 18 May'11

  Differing laws, data standards complicate state HIE initiatives

  State health IT leaders discuss how privacy laws and EHR interoperability issues make interstate health information exchange anything but straightforward.

• May 17, 2011 17 May'11

  One doctor explains productivity losses; sounds off on reality of EHR implementation

  A study conducted by the Medical Group Management Association suggests that a loss of productivity is the biggest concern among doctors who are switching from paper health records to electronic ...

• May 17, 2011 17 May'11

  Blumenthal: Building national health network could take decades

  Despite many barriers, the national health network envisioned by former ONC head Dr. David Blumenthal will be built, he says -- but maybe not by the HITECH Act's goal of 2015.

• May 16, 2011 16 May'11

  Proposed rule aligns hospital quality reporting programs

  By 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expects hospitals to be able to use electronic health record (EHR) data for all reports required by the Hospital Inpatient Quality ...

• May 16, 2011 16 May'11

  Ongoing clinical studies show new value for patient social networks

  Traditional clinical trial patient recruitment can be time-consuming and expensive. Social networks of willing patients are making that process quicker and easier.

• May 13, 2011 13 May'11

  ONC awards $32 million to fund training for health IT jobs

  The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology is continuing its efforts to address the shortage of qualified professionals available to fill health IT jobs by ...

• May 11, 2011 11 May'11

  The all-payer claims database: Big name, big potential

  WORCESTER, MA -- OK, I'll be the first to admit it: Until I heard self-described "data geek" Jo Porter speak about statewide all-payer claims databases (APCDs) as a research tool for many health ...

• May 10, 2011 10 May'11

  E-prescribing guidance gets a modern makeover

  The Clinician's Guide to e-Prescribing, a document that introduces the concept to physicians who still use traditional paper-based prescriptions, has received a refresh. The guide is a ...

• May 09, 2011 09 May'11

  A challenging year for the health care CIO

  By Anna Siembor, Editorial Assistant The upcoming year in health care will be characterized by optimized processes, reduced waste and improved quality, all in the name of cost cutting. That's ...

• May 09, 2011 09 May'11

  Two studies show efficacy of telemedicine technology

  For telemedicine to compete with traditional in-person health care modalities, physicians must prove its value. Two studies presented at ATA 2011 attempted that. Results varied.

• May 05, 2011 05 May'11

  CMS final rule eases credentialing burden for telemedicine services

  Up until recently, hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) looking to provide telemedicine services to their patients had to go through a burdensome credentialing and privileging process for ...

• May 05, 2011 05 May'11

  At ATA show, telemedicine reimbursement takes center stage

  While telemedicine technology quickly marches forward, telemedicine reimbursement lags behind. Leaders do see opportunities in ACOs, Beacon communities and EHR connectivity.

• May 04, 2011 04 May'11

  Hospital leader who advocated telestroke services ends up a patient

  TAMPA, FL -- The moment was a bit corny, along the lines of one of those "reveals" at the end of a TV reality show, enough so that Fox News sent a video crew to the American Telemedicine ...

• May 04, 2011 04 May'11

  How telehealth services benefit from mobile device adoption

  The head of the American Telemedicine Association notes how the popularity of smartphones and tablet PCs has triggered innovation in mobile telehealth services.

• May 03, 2011 03 May'11

  Patients get proactive role using HealthVault Connection Center

  Microsoft HealthVault Connection Center is giving flexibility to patients accessing, organizing and storing their medical images in a personal health record (PHR). The Connection Center -- free ...

• May 03, 2011 03 May'11

  As one doctor quits over EHR use, experts lament opportunities missed

  A Massachusetts doctor has closed up shop over frustration with EHR use. A safety net of RECs, combined with training and simple technology, can help prevent cases like his.

• May 02, 2011 02 May'11

  How to address HIPAA compliance under the HITECH Act

  The HITECH Act, as is now widely known, has had a dramatic impact on HIPAA compliance. Business associates as well as covered entities are now directly responsible for protecting personal health ...

• May 02, 2011 02 May'11

  Applying data analytics software to the hospital supply chain

  Analytics software can be used for more than clinical data. Hospitals crunching supply chain numbers for order fulfillment timeliness and accuracy can see bottom line improvements.

• April 29, 2011 29 Apr'11

  ATA: Continuing to limit telehealth services a barrier to ACO model

  As researchers, physicians and vendors gear up for the American Telemedicine Association's ATA 2011International Meeting & Exposition, the organization is making it quite clear that, for ...

• April 29, 2011 29 Apr'11

  Telemedicine technology news from ATA conference 2011

  Read the latest telemedicine technology news from the American Telemedicine Association's 2011 ATA conference in Tampa, Florida.

• April 28, 2011 28 Apr'11

  How the digital pen can help enable electronic forms in health care

  Despite federal incentives to adopt electronic health records and establish a system of electronic health information exchange, many hospitals and providers still include paper forms in their ...

• April 27, 2011 27 Apr'11

  'Death by PDF': Don't kill the messenger

  Just in case some readers might consider this a conflict of interest, I'll say it up front: I covered the world of PDF for nine years at PDFzone.com, a site affiliated with eWeek. PDFzone's mission ...