05/23/2012
Reps. Michael Burgess and Gene Green have introduced legislation that would require states to establish laws mandating that hospitals publicly disclose the cost of inpatient and outpatient services. The measure also would require health insurers to provide enrollees with estimated out-of-pocket costs for health care services. Becker's Hospital Review, AHA News.
05/23/2012
A survey from Wolters Kluwer Health finds that 65% of consumers who seek medical information online say they trust the data that they find. Sixty-seven percent of respondents say that medical websites have made them better-informed patients. Healthcare Informatics et al.
05/22/2012
United Kingdom health officials have launched an initiative designed to make it possible for patients to go online to access their electronic health records and other medical information by 2015. The project also would let patients book physician visits online. Daily Mail et al.
05/21/2012
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.
05/21/2012
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.
05/16/2012
Yesterday, HHS launched an online tool called the Health System Measurement Project to help health care professionals, policymakers and the public track U.S. health care trends. The website provides data on access to care, disease prevention, health IT and other issues. In addition, users can view health indicators by certain demographic characteristics. CMIO et al.
05/11/2012
An upgraded database developed by the Utah Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing offers information on disciplinary orders against licensed health professionals, including explanations and copies of the disciplinary actions. Government Technology.
05/08/2012
New guidelines from the Federation of State Medical Boards' House of Delegates recommend that health care providers always maintain their professionalism and strive to protect patient confidentiality when using social networking websites. CMIO, Modern Physician.
05/07/2012
CMS recently announced that it will not require medical industry companies to collect data for the Physician Payments Sunshine Act until 2013. The act requires companies to report certain payments to health care providers, and the information will be available on a public website. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Herb Kohl said they are disappointed by the delay. Modern Physician et al.
05/01/2012
Facebook has launched an initiative to help match patients who are waiting for organ transplants with possible donors. Members of the social networking website will be able to declare themselves as organ donors and access links to state donor registries. New York Times.
05/01/2012
Employers and health insurers increasingly are using online games to encourage healthier behavior among workers. However, researchers note that there is a lack of data showing that such games are an effective strategy to improve employee wellness. Wall Street Journal.
04/27/2012
According to a Federal Register notice, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is seeking public comment on its plans to develop a Registry of Patient Registries. AHRQ said the registry aims to promote collaboration among researchers. Health Data Management, Federal Register.
04/26/2012
The Department of Labor's newly launched Virtual Career Network aims to help individuals find health care jobs and employment training opportunities. The department eventually plans to offer health IT courses through the online portal. Healthcare Finance News, Modern Healthcare.
04/20/2012
CMS' Quality Care Finder website now includes data on patients' experiences with Medicare-certified home health agencies, such as information about how home health care providers address home safety and other issues. Health Data Management, Modern Healthcare.
04/17/2012
A PricewaterhouseCoopers survey finds that about one-third of consumers use social media to access health information. Nearly 90% of survey respondents ages 18 to 24 say they would trust health information on social media websites and more than 80% of that age group say they would use social media to share health information. Computerworld's "Government IT," Health Data Management.