EVENTS

MAY

Summit on States' Implementation of Health IT Initiatives

Baltimore

MAY

West Coast Summit on Using Health Data To Boost Care

San Francisco

MAY

Briefing on Legal Issues Related to Health IT Use

Washington, D.C.

View All Events

FROM THE FOUNDATION

Informing Choices, Improving Outcomes

The California Joint Replacement Registry collects data on device efficacy, surgical techniques, and patient outcomes for hip and knee replacements. A new report details how this CHCF-sponsored effort is faring.

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Friday

Bill Would Extend EHR Incentive Pay to Behavioral Care Providers

Democratic and Republican lawmakers have introduced a House bill that would let mental health care providers, substance misuse treatment professionals, psychiatric hospitals and other behavioral care providers qualify for meaningful use incentive payments. The legislation is similar to a Senate bill that has been referred to the chamber's finance committee. Health Data Management.

Group Says Reform Law Decision Will Benefit Telehealth Initiatives

The American Telemedicine Association says that the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the health reform law will benefit telehealth initiatives partly because it removes uncertainty that led doctors to delay telehealth investments. Becker's Hospital Review, Modern Healthcare.

Hospitals Call for NwHIN Governance To Build on Privacy, Security Norms

In a new comment letter, the American Hospital Association recommends that federal health officials develop a governance structure for the Nationwide Health Information Network that builds on existing privacy and security standards. AHA News, Becker's Hospital Review.

HHS Announces New Funding Opportunities for Insurance Exchanges

HHS has announced new opportunities for states to receive federal funding to support their health insurance exchanges. Such exchanges will rely on a solid IT foundation to connect with advanced eligibility systems for Medicaid and other programs. The Hill's "Healthwatch" et al.

N.Y. REC First To Help 1,000 Providers Qualify for Meaningful Use

The New York eHealth Collaborative Regional Extension Center says that it is the first REC in the country to help more than 1,000 health care providers qualify for incentive payments for the meaningful use of electronic health record systems. Modern Healthcare, EHR Intelligence.

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.

PERSPECTIVES

Upping the Health IT Bar During Cost Containment

by Ernie Hood and Daphne Lawrence

Most CIOs are feeling the need to better manage or reduce operating expense at the very moment when demand for IT services is peaking. How can CIOs manage competing demands -- such as the meaningful use program and ICD-10 -- without compromising performance?

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.