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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Friday

Alaska Medicaid Agency To Pay $1.7M To Settle HIPAA Case

Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services has agreed to pay $1.7 million to HHS to settle possible HIPAA violations. According to Leon Rodriguez, director of HHS' Office for Civil Rights, the settlement marks OCR's first enforcement action against a state agency. As part of the agreement, DHSS will review and revise its policies on HIPAA compliance. Modern Healthcare et al.

CCHIT Calls for Creation of Public-Private Entity To Govern NwHIN

The Certification Commission for Health IT has released public comments stating that a public-private partnership should govern the Nationwide Health Information Network because NwHIN governance will require input from a variety of stakeholders. Healthcare IT News.

Most Physicians Rely on Desktop PCs for Clinical Needs, Survey Finds

A survey from Sharecare and the Little Blue Book finds that most doctors prefer to use desktop computers for their clinical needs. The survey finds that 59% of physicians use desktop computers for clinical needs, while about 35% of doctors use laptops. FierceHealthIT et al.

OCR Releases Protocol for HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule Audits

Yesterday, HHS' Office for Civil Rights released the protocol that it uses to conduct HIPAA audits under the HITECH Act. The protocol covers requirements for the HIPAA Privacy and Security rules, as well as the Breach Notification Rule. Health Data Management, GovInfoSecurity.

Health IT Project Delays Prove Costly for Medical Center Run by VA, DOD

A Government Accountability Office report states that the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are facing extra costs because of delays in health IT projects at a federal medical center in Chicago. GAO offers suggestions to address the delays. Healthcare IT News.

Health Care Industry Struggles With Usability of Electronic Health Record Systems

Former National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal, Jacob Reider, acting CMO at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, Matt Quinn of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Rod Piechowski of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and Joseph Scherger of Eisenhower Medical Center in California spoke with iHealthBeat about efforts to boost the usability of electronic health record systems.

Running Time: 6:01

DATA POINTS

Do Physicians Believe That the Patient Care Benefits Outweigh the Costs of EHR Adoption?

In 2012, 60% of surveyed doctors said they believe that the patient care benefits outweigh the costs of adopting an electronic health record system, down from 68% who said the same in 2011, according to a report by EHR provider athenahealth and online physician community Sermo.

FEATURES

Patients Go Online for Health Data but Afraid To Share What They Know

by Lisa Zamosky, iHealthBeat Contributing Reporter

Patients increasingly are taking a more active role in their own health care and going online to obtain health information. Yet, several new studies suggest that many patients are afraid to discuss what they've learned online or to ask pointed questions during a medical consultation.

PERSPECTIVES

The Dangers of Too Much Ambition in Health Information Exchange

by Micky Tripathi

The health information exchange market is poised for spectacular growth over the next couple of years. However, the propensity to pursue over-architected HIEs -- those that try to do too much for too many with not enough money or time -- raises concerns.

COMMENTS (8)

"The final point of Mickey’s article seems to be “Start with PUSH” because it is high value to physicians and low risk. It is true that PUSH is high value to physicians and that it is the primary thing they are willing to pay for. But, this alone will..."

- Joel Ryba