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

UnitedHealthcare Launches Tool To Let Members Download PHRs

Today, UnitedHealthcare announced that it is launching a "Blue Button" tool to let policyholders access, download and print their personal health records from the insurer's website. UnitedHealthcare said that 12 million policyholders will be able to use the tool by the end of this year and about 26 million policyholders will be able to use it by mid-2013. MedCity News, Healthcare IT News.

eHealth Initiative Calls for ONC To Scale Down NwHIN Oversight Plans

In a comment letter, the eHealth Initiative recommends that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT scale down its plans for the governance of the Nationwide Health Information Network and seek additional stakeholder input. Health Data Management, Modern Healthcare.

VA Seeks To Integrate Clinical Decision Support Tools With iEHR System

The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking industry input on its plans to incorporate certain clinical decision support capabilities into the integrated electronic health record system it will operate with the Department of Defense. FierceEMR, Government Health IT.

Group Launches Video Contest To Promote Value of Telehealth

The American Telemedicine Association has launched a contest for videos that promote telehealth, mobile health and remote monitoring to health care administrators and the public. ATA is accepting entries for the contest through Aug. 15. Becker's Hospital Review, ATA release.

Mich. Gov. Signs Bills Promoting Insurance Coverage of Telehealth

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed two bills that seek to encourage health insurers to cover telehealth services. The bills would block insurers from requiring face-to-face meetings between health care providers and patients to cover treatments. Crain's Detroit Business.

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

Are Hospital Leaders Comfortable With Their Organization's Budget for EHR Deployment?

Twenty-five percent of surveyed hospital administrators say they are very comfortable with their organization's budget for electronic health record adoption, while 9% say they are not at all comfortable with their organization's EHR budget, according to a poll by audit, tax and advisory services firm KPMG.

FEATURES

Targeting Technology To Treat Senior Population

by David Gorn, iHealthBeat Contributing Reporter

A new organization -- AgeTech California -- hopes to help California care for its growing senior population by making greater and better use of technology like home telehealth systems and remote medication management.

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?