News, Analysis and Opinion for Health IT - Page 4

February 24, 2017 24 Feb'17

Gaining a new appreciation for health IT at the 2017 HIMSS conference

Attending the 2017 HIMSS conference -- my very first foray into the largest annual health IT gathering -- was daunting, to say the least. Navigating the massive Orange County Convention Center and ...

February 23, 2017 23 Feb'17

HIMSS 2017 conference: new health IT beyond meaningful use and EHRs

The HIMSS 2017 conference focused on newer health IT strategies and segments such as medical imaging and avoided government regulation issues.

February 22, 2017 22 Feb'17

HIMSS 2017 buzz ranges from patient engagement to AI, machine learning

The busy floor and outskirts of HIMSS 2017 were abuzz with hot health IT topics ranging from patient engagement and care collaboration to AI and machine learning.

February 20, 2017 20 Feb'17

Cognitive computing in healthcare: MD Anderson puts IBM Watson on hold

News recently broke that MD Anderson put its project with IBM Watson on hold. Some interpreted this to be a setback for AI and cognitive computing in healthcare. Others disagree.

February 17, 2017 17 Feb'17

Health data breaches and hacker attacks spiked dramatically in 2016

Health data breaches caused by hacker attacks rose by 320% in 2016, ransomware attacks became prominent, and many smaller hospitals were hit hackers.

February 17, 2017 17 Feb'17

HIMSS 2017 conference coverage and analysis

The SearchHealthIT team will be attending the HIMSS 2017 conference in Orlando. Follow this guide for coverage from the show, post-conference reactions and a recap of HIMSS 2016.

February 10, 2017 10 Feb'17

Telemedicine parity laws are on the rise, but restrictions impede use

While more than half of the country has enacted telemedicine parity laws, restrictions on the types of telemedicine technology that are covered by health insurance often prevent patients from being ...

February 03, 2017 03 Feb'17

Patient-reported data often excluded from EHR documentation

A recent eye health study found that patient-reported data doesn't always get recorded in a patient's electronic health record (EHR), raising questions about the accuracy of clinical documentation. ...

February 02, 2017 02 Feb'17

Vendor calls for reversal of Joint Commission CPOE texting ban

Cries of protest arose when the Joint Commission prohibited secure texting of computerized physician order entries, but now the level of disenchantment among some in the secure text messaging ...

February 02, 2017 02 Feb'17

Accountable care organization model will likely survive ACA repeal

As congressional Republicans push ACA repeal, accountable care organizations appear safe because of bipartisan support for value-based care and reimbursement.

January 26, 2017 26 Jan'17

Major healthcare organizations urge Trump to continue push for value-based care

President Donald Trump has already begun the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, by signing an executive order that allows certain government officials and entities to ...

January 25, 2017 25 Jan'17

Under pressure, ONC still making noise

With its leadership and programs in flux because of uncertainty accompanying the new administration, ONC has produced a flurry of activity lately punctuated by a slate of sessions scheduled for ...

January 25, 2017 25 Jan'17

HIMSS 2017 health IT topics to include cybersecurity, value-based care

In this podcast, the HIT Squad talks about hot health IT topics SearchHealthIT expects to cover at HIMSS 2017; they include health data cybersecurity and value-based healthcare.

January 24, 2017 24 Jan'17

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.

January 20, 2017 20 Jan'17

Healthcare data breaches cost $6.2 billion a year

Healthcare data breaches cost the industry $6.2 billion a year, while the average cost of a single data breach across all industries is $4 million, according to Protenus. Additionally, nearly 90% ...

January 13, 2017 13 Jan'17

IBM Watson Health partners with FDA to study blockchain technology

IBM Watson Health and the FDA are collaborating on a research initiative that aims to define a "secure, efficient and scalable exchange of health data using blockchain technology," according to an ...

January 11, 2017 11 Jan'17

ICD-10 glitches cause CMS to back off

It turns out the transition to ICD-10 didn't go quite as smoothly as previously thought, particularly for the small practice physicians who were most anxious about the changeover from ICD-9 on Oct. ...

January 04, 2017 04 Jan'17

Intermountain’s part in DoD-Cerner EHR project

I caught up with Intermountain Healthcare CIO and vice president Marc Probst at the CHIME16 Fall CIO Forum and got a chance to ask him about Intermountain's role in what is one of the biggest EHR ...

December 28, 2016 28 Dec'16

Joint Commission bans CPOE secure texting for physicians

Vendors and patient advocates criticize computerized physician order entry ban following new Joint Commission and CMS clarification of secure texting rules.

December 23, 2016 23 Dec'16

ONC releases 2017 Interoperability Standards Advisory updates

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released its 2017 Interoperability Standards Advisory, which expands its focus on health research interoperability, ...

December 23, 2016 23 Dec'16

Trends in health IT for 2017: Ransomware, RPA, blockchain predictions

A health IT expert weighs in on the top trends in health IT for 2017, including predictions about ransomware, RPA and blockchain.

December 16, 2016 16 Dec'16

Hot in 2016: Data blocking and patient access to personal information

In 2016, the health IT world spent a lot of time addressing data blocking issues and patients' access to personal information like their health records. Learn more in this photo story.

December 15, 2016 15 Dec'16

Patients want info in one place

Health data and patients' electronic access to their own health information are real, personal issues, not just the stuff of health IT government and vendor debate. Some 94% of respondents in a new ...

December 15, 2016 15 Dec'16

IBM Watson enters cyber security arena to improve security in healthcare and other industries

Cognitive computing may be the next big advance in health IT security. According to a recent study from the IBM Institute for Business Value, nearly 60% of security professionals say cognitive ...

December 09, 2016 09 Dec'16

Telemedicine pediatrics is focus of new telehealth provider offering

The Nemours children's health system is offering pediatric telemedicine services for out-of-state patients as part of the new American Well telehealth exchange.

December 07, 2016 07 Dec'16

The 21st Century Cures Act: Implications for Health IT

The U.S. Senate passed the 21st Century Cures Act on Dec. 6, legislation that has some important implications for health IT including providing funding to initiatives started by President Barack ...

December 02, 2016 02 Dec'16

RSNA 2016: to cloud or not to cloud

CHICAGO - Scott Seidelmann, founder and CEO of Candescent Health, a cloud medical imaging service vendor and sort of spin-off of cloud EHR vendor athenahealth, Inc., got off a plane and headed ...

November 30, 2016 30 Nov'16

VNAs must push medical imaging technology boundaries

This issue of SearchHealthIT's Pulse zeroes in on vendor neutral archives -- a distinctive, medical imaging technology in healthcare designed to allow providers to view images in a standard format.

The market for medical imaging ...

November 30, 2016 30 Nov'16

The vendor neutral archive market heats up as technology advances

As technology advances, health systems are increasingly adopting vendor neutral archives to store, share and analyze medical images from multiple specialties, not only radiology.

November 29, 2016 29 Nov'16

RSNA 2016 features AI, cloud and VNAs for medical imaging

Artificial intelligence and machine learning in medical imaging and cloud and telemedicine applications for radiology are among the technologies featured at RSNA 2016 in Chicago.

November 18, 2016 18 Nov'16

Health data breaches down in October

The number of health data breaches decreased for the second month in a row following a summer that saw a record number of breaches, according to the Protenus Breach Barometer. There were 35 ...

November 11, 2016 11 Nov'16

ONC health IT report: EHR use up, but work remains

The 2016 annual report from Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology found that the use of EHR technology has dramatically increased in the past eight years. The report ...

November 10, 2016 10 Nov'16

Experts say how Trump presidency might affect the future of health IT

What will the future of health IT be under the new Trump administration? Health IT experts offer up predictions and reassurances for the future.

November 07, 2016 07 Nov'16

The CHIME bell sounds

PHOENIX -- Yes, the CHIME 2016 Fall Forum, the College of Health Information Management Executives' biggest annual conference, came with a soundtrack. And we're not talking Foreigner, the 70s-rock ...

November 04, 2016 04 Nov'16

White House CIO warns health CIOs to beware the internet of things

In keynote at CHIME16 Fall CIO Forum conference of healthcare CIOs, White House CIO Tony Scott says they should be wary of the internet of things and focus on cybersecurity.

November 02, 2016 02 Nov'16

At 2016 CHIME CIO forum, health IT CIO group chief looks ahead

In a podcast from the CHIME fall forum in Phoenix, Russ Branzell, CEO of the health IT CIO organization, explains CHIME's policy agenda for 2017.

October 31, 2016 31 Oct'16

Organizations discuss cybersecurity, healthcare data breach prevention

Healthcare organizations and health IT professionals addressed cybersecurity awareness training and how to prevent health data breaches in a Twitter chat hosted by ONC.

October 24, 2016 24 Oct'16

Digital health a 'first responder' for behavioral health conditions

One in five adults in the United States suffer from mental illness, and many of them will consult their smartphones before they do a health professional. However, with digital health often acting ...

October 24, 2016 24 Oct'16

CRM goliath Salesforce aims at dominating CRM for healthcare market

A CRM system for healthcare as explained at Dreamforce by Josh Newman, M.D., Salesforce chief medical officer; and a visit to West Coast ambulatory EHR vendor Practice Fusion.

October 21, 2016 21 Oct'16

Digital health technology poised to help an aging population

Startups and established mHealth and health IT vendors showcase care coordination and telehealth apps, while speakers talk about tech tools for the elderly and mentally ill.

October 18, 2016 18 Oct'16

MACRA final rule met with guarded, but mostly positive reaction

The MACRA final rule eases ways for doctors to measure patient care data for Medicare reimbursement; meanwhile, ONC focused its authority on patient safety in health IT systems.

October 12, 2016 12 Oct'16

OCR HIPAA guidance

As Boston lawyer and HIPAA healthcare expert David Harlow points out in his eminently useful blog post on the Office for Civil Rights' recent guidance on cloud computing, there's really not that ...

October 06, 2016 06 Oct'16

HHS awards funding for cybersecurity threat information sharing

The Department of Health and Human Services awarded funding to a Florida-based healthcare data sharing center to build a more effective system of information sharing about cyberthreats. The Office ...

October 04, 2016 04 Oct'16

Ambulatory EHR vendors having success on East and West Coasts

As big EHR vendors battle for large healthcare system market shares, purveyors of EHRs for small physician practices are still finding success with moderately priced systems.

September 30, 2016 30 Sep'16

Cancer research panel calls for National Cancer Data Ecosystem

The Cancer Moonshot's Blue Ribbon Panel has called for a national infrastructure that will allow researchers, clinicians and patients to collaborate in sharing their data and knowledge about ...

September 28, 2016 28 Sep'16

Like it or not, blockchain is coming to health IT

Get used to it. Blockchain is invading health IT. And it's moving fast. Sure, while blockchain's encrypted distributed ledger technology has already made big inroads in the finance sector, in ...

September 28, 2016 28 Sep'16

Healthcare blockchain ideas swirl at government conference

Proponents and skeptics of blockchain for healthcare came together at a workshop hosted by NIST and ONC to work out proposals and problems with this new technology.

September 26, 2016 26 Sep'16

The CIO of MGH discusses health information exchange challenges

It is well known in the health IT world that health information exchange challenges abound. The CIO of MGH discusses the challenges he has witnessed in Massachusetts.

September 22, 2016 22 Sep'16

ONC: More hospitals than ever making information available to patients electronically

Efforts to make health information available to patients are paying off, according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. ONC published a data brief about how ...

September 19, 2016 19 Sep'16

ONC national coordinator rebuts report on doctor discontent with EHRs

Vindell Washington, M.D., the new national coordinator for health information technology, hits back at a survey citing widespread physician dissatisfaction with EHRs.

September 19, 2016 19 Sep'16

CTO: EHR market challenges and how this technology will evolve

The former CTO of Epic Systems Corp. and current CTO of Pure Storage discusses the challenges facing the EHR market today and shares his thoughts on how he thinks EHRs will evolve.

September 09, 2016 09 Sep'16

For Interoperability Standards Advisory, ONC aims for Wikipedia style

In a Twitter chat, an ONC executive discussed plans to enhance 2017 interoperability technology specifications. Chat members also brought up meaningful use and blockchain.

September 07, 2016 07 Sep'16

To delay MACRA or not is the question

Eight high-ranking congressmen are calling on federal healthcare officials to consider "flexibilities" in administering the new MACRA healthcare law, particularly as it applies to small physician ...

September 01, 2016 01 Sep'16

ONC Blockchain Challenge winners show health IT uses

A wide range of possible use cases for blockchain in healthcare are revealed in 15 papers chosen by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology as the top proposals ...

August 29, 2016 29 Aug'16

Informatics and analytics: closer ties in wake of health data boom

In the wake of an explosion in the volume of digital health data, medical informatics and analytics are becoming more allied as informaticians seek to extract the best data.

August 29, 2016 29 Aug'16

Advances in health technology groom analytics, data sharing still lags

With advances in health technology and data analytics comes far-flung potential -- but only if electronic health record systems allow information to be shared more freely.

August 29, 2016 29 Aug'16

Data analytics boosts value-based reimbursement and clinical decisions

In this issue of Pulse, SearchHealthIT's writers explore the current state of data analytics use in clinical care and peek into what the future holds. In the cover story, News Writer Kristen Lee presents a timeline of future uses of data in ...

August 26, 2016 26 Aug'16

VA partners with NCI, DoD for precision medicine program

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) is partnering with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to form the nation's first screening program intended to provide ...

August 26, 2016 26 Aug'16

Data analytics aids value-based reimbursement, but bigger goals loom

Although data analytics will play a role in precision medicine, experts say we're far from achieving the full potential. Instead, the focus of analytics now is on value-based care.

August 25, 2016 25 Aug'16

Members of CommonWell will enable patients to access health data

If you're a patient of a hospital or physician that is using the technology of a CommonWell Health Alliance member—including Cerner Corp., athenahealth, Inc., and McKesson Corporation, to name a ...

August 19, 2016 19 Aug'16

Many health and fitness apps lack privacy policies

A recent study by the Future of Privacy Forum found that the top health and fitness apps lag behind other types of apps in terms of privacy policies -- only 70% of the top 100 health and fitness ...

August 17, 2016 17 Aug'16

E-prescribing of controlled substances on sharp rise

Electronic prescribing of controlled substances, or EPCS, such as opioids increased dramatically in 2015, according to Surescripts Inc., the national pharmacy IT network. ECPS is now allowed in all ...

August 12, 2016 12 Aug'16

Karen DeSalvo, M.D., out as ONC national coordinator to focus on HHS

In the waning days of the administration, ONC national coordinator Karen DeSalvo, M.D., leaves ONC to focus full time on her other post as acting assistant HHS secretary for health.

August 10, 2016 10 Aug'16

Dentists and meaningful use

It may be time for dentists to sink their teeth into meaningful use. Dentists, while theoretically eligible for the federal EHR incentive program, have for the most part stayed away because there ...

August 05, 2016 05 Aug'16

MHealth apps too complicated for vulnerable populations

There's no denying that mHealth apps have the potential to help patients better manage their health. But according to a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of California, San ...

July 29, 2016 29 Jul'16

Intermountain becomes telehealth provider in a big way

Utah's Intermountain Healthcare, one of the country's biggest health systems, has become a major provider of telehealth services, including direct to the consumer.

July 29, 2016 29 Jul'16

Gender pay gap among health IT workers grows wider

Female health IT professionals in the U.S. are paid less than their male counterparts, and the wage gap between the two has only grown larger over the past decade. In 2006, the average female ...

July 28, 2016 28 Jul'16

Healthcare IT topics: Cloud, consumerization, wearables are hot

Among the trending topics in health IT are cloud technology, consumerization of healthcare services and wearable devices, says SearchHealthIT editorial director Scott Wallask.

July 27, 2016 27 Jul'16

Most hospitals say they have EHR disaster recovery plans

While about a third of U.S. hospitals reported to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services that they don't have HIPAA-compliant EHR disaster recovery ...

July 22, 2016 22 Jul'16

CMS releases overall hospital quality data

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is preparing to unleash some stark numbers on care quality at individual hospitals across the country. But before CMS publishes those star ...

July 21, 2016 21 Jul'16

Under HIPAA audit program, 167 healthcare organizations to be audited

OCR has emailed notices to 167 healthcare organizations that they will be scrutinized under the HIPAA program for compliance with the law's privacy and security rules.

July 13, 2016 13 Jul'16

Epic EHR installation a challenge for Massachusetts hospitals

Challenges of Massachusetts hospitals' adoption of an EHR from Epic Systems Corp. and a federal health privacy official's Fitbit experience discussed in HIT Squad podcast.

July 06, 2016 06 Jul'16

OCR gets tough with business associates

With its levy of a $650,000 fine on a service provider of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has entered into what appears ...

July 01, 2016 01 Jul'16

ONC sets MACRA interoperability measures

Responding to Congress' call last year to define health IT interoperability measures that Medicare providers must meet to receive reimbursement under new value-based models, ONC has published the ...

July 01, 2016 01 Jul'16

Sale of McKesson healthcare IT assets sparks wary reaction

McKesson Corp.'s spinoff of much of its health IT portfolio has raised concern among some users about the future of its medical imaging and EHR systems.

June 30, 2016 30 Jun'16

Vendors selling into health IT market talk tech to HIT Squad

A recent health IT conference was a forum for health IT and cybersecurity vendors to reach healthcare organizations and potential customers; the HIT Squad talks with the vendors.

June 30, 2016 30 Jun'16

EHR interoperability, regulations top patient record concerns

From meeting new government standards to navigating EHR interoperability woes, providers have a lot on their minds. Find out how they are accommodating EHR regulations without sacrificing security.

June 24, 2016 24 Jun'16

Security and value-based care hot topics at HIT Summit

The first day of the two-day Health IT Summit in Boston was filled with speakers and panels addressing value-based care and cybersecurity. Most of the audience at the summit, about half, were ...

June 23, 2016 23 Jun'16

Certified health IT disclosure rules to be enforced, ONC official says

ONC senior policy adviser explains in this HIT Squad podcast the rationale for and benefits of new certified EHR transparency requirements and how they will be enforced.

June 15, 2016 15 Jun'16

ONC moves on health IT safety

Health IT is so often seen as central to creating efficiencies, maximizing reimbursement and helping spur advances in medical care, that its effect on patient safety is sometimes overlooked. But ...

June 08, 2016 08 Jun'16

Medical Informatics group chief pleads for more EHR interoperability

Doug Fridsma, M.D., is a passionate guy. A former chief science officer for ONC, Frisdma joined the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) in 2014 as president and CEO, telling ...

June 08, 2016 08 Jun'16

Five new telemedicine devices and systems shown at ATA 2016

At ATA 2016, vendors showed five new telemedicine devices and systems ranging from non-contact connected thermometers to real-time video conferencing for virtual doctor's visits.

June 02, 2016 02 Jun'16

At health IT conferences, information blocking, telemedicine star

Information blocking and new telemedicine systems are hot health IT conference topics, with government officials pushing interoperability and telehealth finding more adoption.

June 01, 2016 01 Jun'16

ONC pushes vendors to disclose information

Moves by federal health regulators to pressure EHR vendors to reveal more information about pricing and functionality of their software are meeting a mixed response. ONC, at its annual meeting this ...

June 01, 2016 01 Jun'16

Mayo Clinic to get funding for work with precision medicine group

Add the Mayo Clinic to the list of organizations that will have a major role in the Precision Medicine Initiative. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is slated to receive $130 million in 2016 ...

May 31, 2016 31 May'16

Healthcare CIO Harun Rashid's career journey

CIO Harun Rashid always knew he wanted a career in technology. But a career in healthcare IT came as a rewarding surprise. Now he's working to provide quality care around the world.

May 31, 2016 31 May'16

Healthcare IoT applications expand patient care possibilities

In this issue of Pulse, SearchHealthIT writers examine healthcare IoT applications and share how IoT technology influences patient care, from perspectives of patients and providers.

First, Scott Wallask draws the line between healthcare ...

May 24, 2016 24 May'16