08/26/2010
HHS has launched a new interactive widget on its HealthCare.gov website designed to help consumers find the most suitable health insurance plan for them. The widget can be embedded in websites to send users to the insurance site. Government Health IT, Federal Computer Week.
08/24/2010
The Health IT Policy Committee is supporting plans to establish a national database that would help states determine residents' eligibility for federal health care programs. The database could be used as part of states' electronic health insurance exchanges. Government Health IT.
08/23/2010
A bill in the Illinois Legislature aims to reinstate full public access to a database that provided legal profiles of state physicians, which was removed in February. Meanwhile, a laptop with medical data on Chicago-area patients has been stolen from a hospital. Chicago Tribune et al.
08/20/2010
Federal attorneys are launching a new legal offensive against online pharmacies that deliver prescription medications without requiring valid prescriptions. Two such pharmacies in Illinois and Utah have been identified in court documents. Affidavits indicate that the Illinois pharmacy collaborated in shipping 30,000 packages of drugs nationwide during the first six months of 2010. CNN.
08/18/2010
Yesterday, Missouri's top health official announced that the state would begin republishing older information on hospital infection rates to its website. Consumer advocates had criticized the state's previous policy of deleting the data after one year. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
08/17/2010
Last week, the Health IT Policy Committee's enrollment work group recommended that states model their forthcoming health insurance exchanges on existing electronic systems that federal agencies use to verify personal income, citizenship and legal residence. Government Health IT.
08/17/2010
Yesterday, HHS announced $46 million in grants to help states strengthen their ability to regulate health insurance rate increases. Some states plan to use the funds to upgrade existing technology or create new interactive Web tools for consumers. Modern Healthcare et al.
08/16/2010
Missouri health officials have purged a website containing hospital infection rates from 2005 to 2008, saying the information is too costly and sensitive to maintain. Consumer advocates say the information is necessary to assess hospital performance. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
08/16/2010
Roger Baker, CIO of the Department of Veterans Affairs, announced that VA will start posting online its reports to Congress on data and security breaches. The number of total security breaches at VA declined from June to July. Government Health IT, InformationWeek.
08/13/2010
More than 100 entities that have reported data breaches affecting at least 500 individuals could pay about $834 million in total costs to address the violations, according to a new report. Since September of last year, there have been 130 reported security breaches involving patient data. HealthLeaders Media.
08/10/2010
In a Facebook application, Novartis included "misleading" information about a leukemia drug and failed to comply with FDA regulations on advertising, the agency said in a letter to the drugmaker. The case is indicative of larger issues surrounding drug and medical advertising on social media websites, according to some advocates. CongressDaily's "Tech Daily Dose" et al.
08/10/2010
HHS has granted innovation awards to three programs that improve the agency's services, enhance its transparency and advance public engagement. The awards highlight programs that use technology to engage U.S. residents. InformationWeek, ExecutiveGov.
08/09/2010
The growth in social media has led health care facilities to set rules for how staff can work with the technology. Many hospitals already have faced numerous issues as they incorporate social media into their marketing plans. Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Business Journal.
08/06/2010
CMS is urging Medicare providers to update information in an agency database to ensure prompt and accurate payments. In addition, reports of hospital-acquired infections will be required starting next year. NextGov, Health Data Management.
08/06/2010
Yesterday, Washington state health officials unveiled a new database that aims to provide consumers with information about the number, type and date of serious medical errors that have occurred at hospitals and other medical facilities statewide. Seattle Post-Intelligencer.