EVENTS

MAY

Summit About Wireless Health Convergence

San Diego

MAY

Webinar About Health IT Privacy, Security Risks

Online

JUN

'Datapalooza' Conference on Health Data Tools

Washington, D.C.

View All Events

FROM THE FOUNDATION

All Over the Map

A newly updated interactive map unleashes data to highlight medical treatment variation across California. Now with breast cancer, prostate cancer, and spine procedures, this CHCF-sponsored research shows that practice patterns vary dramatically from place to place.

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Claims Database Aims To Provide Insights on Medical Care Costs

The Health Care Cost Institute is compiling a database containing more than 3 billion de-identified medical claims from more than 33 million individuals. Three of the country's largest health insurers -- Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare -- have contributed claims information to the HCCI database. The project aims to help researchers conduct large-scale analyses of information about medical costs. Washington Post, Politico.

ONC Contest Seeks Apps To Sync Ophthalmology Tools With EHR Systems

A contest launched by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT seeks applications that could improve interoperability between ophthalmologists' examination devices and their electronic health record systems. Modern Healthcare, ONC's "Health IT Buzz."

NIH Study Uses EHRs To Track How Genetic Tests Affect Follow-Up Care

Individuals who undergo genetic tests do not seek significantly more or less follow-up care, according to an NIH-led study. NIH said the study is the first to use electronic health records to measure how genetic testing affects health care behaviors. Modern Healthcare et al.

Report: Physicians See Benefits in Software-as-a-Service EHR Tools

A report by research firm KLAS finds that physicians see certain advantages in using software-as-a-service electronic health record systems. The report notes that such systems are appealing because they are easy to use and involve relatively low hardware costs. InformationWeek et al.

Websites Aim To Help Consumers Compare Health Care Costs

Websites like Castlight Health and OutOfPocket.com aim to help consumers and employers reduce their health care costs by allowing them to compare the costs of certain medical services. However, several challenges are hindering more widespread use of such websites. Bloomberg.

University of California Spearheading New Initiative To Mine 'Big Data' in Health Care

NIH Director Francis Collins, Atul Butte of the Stanford School of Medicine, David Patterson of the University of California-Berkeley and Taylor Sittler of UC-San Francisco discussed new efforts to mine "big data" for health care and scientific research.

Running Time: 4:48

DATA POINTS

What Percentage of Physicians From Various U.S. Regions Have Adopted an EHR System?

Rates of electronic health record adoption among physicians in the Northeast U.S. grew from 19.9% in 2002 to 52.1% in 2011, while EHR adoption rates among physicians in the Western U.S. grew from 19.5% in 2002 to 60.8% in 2011, according to a recent Health Affairs study.

FEATURES

High Court Ruling Not Expected To Impair Health IT

by Paula Blasi, iHealthBeat Editor

Health IT plays a key role in health reform law provisions related to health insurance exchanges and accountable care organizations. Even if the Supreme Court strikes down the overhaul, experts say health IT will continue to support efforts to transform the U.S. health care system.

PERSPECTIVES

A Look at Social Media in Health Care -- Two Years Later

by John Sharp

When I wrote an iHealthBeat Perspective two years ago, social media in health care was just getting started. Many of my predictions came true, while other trends -- like pharma's big leap into the social media realm and the explosion of mobile applications -- weren't yet on my radar.

COMMENTS (2)

"Hi, I came across this piece and thought it was really informative. We, at Fueled, are also really interested in the role social media plays in the evolution of the healthcare industry. Below is a link to an article where we share our thoughts. T..."

- Ariha Setalvad