News

News

• 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

  At ATA 2016, American Well telemedicine draws attention

  American Well is getting attention for its new telemedicine exchange while The New York Times also picked up on the development as the telehealth industry poises for growth.

• May 18, 2016 18 May'16

  Telemedicine lawyer at ATA 2016 says acceptance growing

  Telemedicine has come a long way in terms of acceptance, but reimbursement and cross-state licensing issues are still impeding growth, a legal expert says at ATA 2016.

• May 13, 2016 13 May'16

  Healthcare data breaches widespread, Ponemon survey shows

  As ransomware and other cyberattacks mount, 89% of healthcare organizations and their business associates have been hit by data breaches, and 50% of them were by cybercriminals.

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  ONC healthcare contest to give patients more say over data movement

  Most people can be reached instantly by others through mobile technology. A new healthcare contest devised by ONC may make it so that patients are able to approve the electronic transmission of ...

• May 09, 2016 09 May'16

  US Vice President Joe Biden shares his information blocking experience at Health Datapalooza

  Even the vice president of the United States isn't exempt from experiencing information blocking. At the Health Datapalooza conference in Washington, D.C., Vice President Joe Biden told the crowd ...

• May 04, 2016 04 May'16

  HIT Squad hits Health Datapalooza, telemedicine shows

  Top federal officials are soon expected to promote a new Medicare reimbursement system. The HIT Squad eyes Health Datapalooza and American Telemedicine Association coverage.

• May 04, 2016 04 May'16

  Medicare reimbursement changes add information-blocking ban

  Under the proposed new Medicare reimbursement rules to modify meaningful use, physicians and healthcare systems must prove they're not blocking information flow, among other requirements.

• May 03, 2016 03 May'16

  Epic VP: Healthcare interoperability standards face challenges

  When it comes to interoperability standards in healthcare, there are many barriers. One of Epic System Corp.'s vice presidents weighs in.

• April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16

  Infographic: Healthcare purchasing strategy focuses on security tech

  TechTarget's health IT spending intentions survey shows security is a top healthcare purchasing strategy. This infographic details top investment areas.

• April 27, 2016 27 Apr'16

  SAP jumps into precision medicine

  Precision medicine has a powerful advocate in the person of President Obama. Now a powerful multinational tech giant is also throwing its considerable financial and intellectual resources behind ...

• April 26, 2016 26 Apr'16

  Machine learning tools best human accuracy in diagnosing cancer

  Machines are just as capable as humans, if not more so, on almost every level when it comes to diagnosing patients. Open source machine learning tools and algorithms are able to identify cancer ...

• April 26, 2016 26 Apr'16

  Healthcare information security tops purchasing survey

  In a TechTarget survey, health IT buyers said they are looking at security compliance ahead of analytics and EHR systems. Meanwhile, mobility is up as well.

• April 25, 2016 25 Apr'16

  HIPAA audit protocol signals audit process underway

  As it prepares to launch audits of healthcare organizations and their business associates, OCR issues audit protocol as a guide to compliance with HIPAA security and privacy rules.

• April 13, 2016 13 Apr'16

  More cybersecurity woes in health IT

  The seemingly constant volley of cyberattacks on healthcare data networks is being accompanied by a flurry of new surveys and studies confirming that the threat to health data is real and ...

• April 12, 2016 12 Apr'16

  CPOE systems not stopping all hazardous medication orders

  Computerized physician order entry systems might help cut down on medical transcription mistakes, but when it comes to flagging drugs that could be potentially harmful to the patient, the systems ...

• April 11, 2016 11 Apr'16

  Data security in healthcare tops health IT buying intentions

  Healthcare data security and HIPAA compliance emerged as the top areas in a TechTarget survey of 2016 health IT buying intentions. Meanwhile, cloud and mobility are growing quickly.

• April 05, 2016 05 Apr'16

  Incentives don't push patients to digital health tools, self-motivation does

  Most people can't be incentivized to use digital health tools by an outside force. The ultimate motivator is a person's concern for their own wellbeing and understanding how digital health tools ...

• April 04, 2016 04 Apr'16

  More cybersecurity urged as attacks on healthcare networks continue

  While the ransomware attacks that recently crippled Washington, D.C.-based MedStar Health system and the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles captured nationwide headlines, those ...

• March 31, 2016 31 Mar'16

  Cloud EHR vendor CEO Jonathan Bush hits health IT hot topics

  Jonathan Bush, CEO of cloud EHR vendor athenahealth Inc. talks about his plans to enter the midsize hospital market, cloud health IT technology and consumerization of health.

• March 30, 2016 30 Mar'16

  Telemedicine gaining acceptance

  Telemedicine is moving steadily from the margins of healthcare to the mainstream, according to a new industry survey. Nearly two-thirds of the 390 clinicians and healthcare executives who ...

• March 29, 2016 29 Mar'16

  Group submits proposal for changing weight of meaningful use objectives

  Though the criteria and focus of the meaningful use program have changed on multiple occasions since the program's inception, one of the most significant features of the program -- the percentage ...

• March 28, 2016 28 Mar'16

  Health app development contests devised by HHS, ONC

  A pair of government healthcare agencies announced three contests that will award six-figure sums to developers that make apps that are assets to patients and providers.

• March 25, 2016 25 Mar'16

  HIPAA audits and their discontents

  Now that it appears the long-awaited HIPAA audits of healthcare organizations and their business associates are actually starting, it's worth noting that not everyone is thrilled about the ...

• March 25, 2016 25 Mar'16

  After many delays, OCR HIPAA audits will start in 2016

  After a nearly two-year delay, OCR HIPAA audits of healthcare organizations are starting this year, though it is unclear exactly when audits will begin.

• March 17, 2016 17 Mar'16

  HIT Squad drops in on Epic Systems Corp. booth at HIMSS 2016

  The HIT Squad's unannounced visit to the Epic Systems Corp. booth at HIMSS 2016 produced a quotation, but also a polite evasion, as the HIT Squad roamed the exhibition floor.

• March 16, 2016 16 Mar'16

  Healthcare groups call for 90-day meaningful use reporting period

  In a familiar refrain, a coalition of 34 healthcare organizations -- including the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) -- has called on CMS to "act quickly" and adopt a ...

• March 14, 2016 14 Mar'16

  ONC steps up campaign against information blocking

  With their new vendor pledge against information blocking, HHS and ONC have stepped up their campaign against the alleged practice by some EHR vendors and healthcare providers.

• March 09, 2016 09 Mar'16

  HIPAA compliance audits coming, cybersecurity expert says at HIMSS 2016

  In a podcast from HIMSS, cybersecurity expert Mac McMillan discusses a new health data security simulation system, long-delayed HIPAA audits and the safety of cloud technology.

• March 09, 2016 09 Mar'16

  Anxiety about cyberattacks on health data prompts OCR-NIST crosswalk

  With worry about cyberattacks on health data networks at an all-time high, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is drawing on the National Institute of ...

• March 08, 2016 08 Mar'16

  Boston Heart is a pacemaker in mobile app UI design

  Cardiovascular healthcare services provider Boston Heart Diagnostics turns to UX design and UI development on a Microsoft stack to make its cloud apps addictive to patients.

• March 07, 2016 07 Mar'16

  CMS makes plans for the end of meaningful use

  Andy Slavitt, the acting administrator of CMS, was very direct in stating that meaningful use is winding down and will be replaced by an improved program.

• March 04, 2016 04 Mar'16

  The benign chaos of HIMSS 2016

  At times, it was hard to distinguish between the blinking slot machines on the dazzling casino floor of the Sands Expo and Convention Center and the tech-stocked booths of the country's biggest ...

• March 04, 2016 04 Mar'16

  HIT Squad visits Epic, IBM Watson Health booths at HIMSS 2016

  The HIT Squad took to the HIMSS 2016 exhibition floor, mic in hand. Among the booths they visited were Epic and IBM Watson Health.

• March 03, 2016 03 Mar'16

  Improving patient experience on HIMSS 2016 agenda

  CRM systems, such as Salesforce's, are examples of vendors at the HIMSS conference trying to improve the patient experience, says health IT consultant Murtuza Mukadam.

• March 02, 2016 02 Mar'16

  I survived HIMSS 2016

  Ten interviews, a podcast, a session with ONC and CMS, and two days later, I can officially say I survived HIMSS 2016. There was a momentary scare there as I wandered the exhibition floor after an ...

• March 01, 2016 01 Mar'16

  At HIMSS 2016, HHS chief Burwell blasts information blocking

  On the eve of HIMSS 2016, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell blasts information blocking, saying interoperability is needed to reform the nation's healthcare delivery system.