FROM THE FOUNDATION

Store-and-Forward Teledermatology Facts

Dermatologists can serve many more patients by making use of store-and-forward teledermatology systems. This CHCF paper looks at criteria for evaluating these systems, and gives a comparative overview of four available applications.

Clinics Collaborate on EHR Deployment

EHRs can help California's safety-net clinic patients, and collaboration between clinics can significantly smooth the way to successful adoption. This issue brief looks at the lessons learned by eight clinic networks.

Telepsychiatry in the Emergency Room

Telepsychiatry is used in some emergency departments to make the process of evaluating and treating patients with mental health issues more efficient. This paper examines seven ED telepsychiatry programs.

Hospitals

Monday, February 23, 2009

Hospital CEO Urges Consumers To Use Comparison Web Sites

In an Atlanta Journal-Constitution opinion piece, Eric Norwood, president and CEO of Dekalb Medical in Georgia, urges consumers to use online resources to help them make "wise, informed health care decisions."

He writes, "In this new age of transparency, health care consumers can have access to independent information about health care providers," adding, "If you have a computer, or just access to the public library, you can find numerous independent Web sites with objective information about the clinical quality of your local hospitals."

Norwood writes, "Good hospitals are embracing this new technology, and you should too."

He concludes, "Wherever you seek treatment, you owe it to yourself to get all the facts" (Norwood, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/23).



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