05/17/2013
An Institute of Health Technology Transformation report finds that data analytics is critical to the success of population health management and accountable care organizations. The report lists several steps that are key to the effective use of health data analytics, such as building partnerships with health plans to obtain claims data. HIT Consultant, Clinical Innovation & Technology.
05/17/2013
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office is reviewing a five-year, $8.9 million contract under which Truven Health Analytics would build the platform for a new health information exchange in the southeastern region of the state. Government Health IT, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
05/13/2013
A report from the American Medical Association's board of trustees states that AMA has concerns about the shift to ICD-10 code sets, but that advancing directly to ICD-11 standards would be "fraught with its own pitfalls" and thus "is not recommended." Modern Physician.
05/13/2013
There is growing evidence that blogging about illness and treatment can be beneficial for patients. Large medical institutions have taken note and are incorporating blogging into their treatment offerings. by Lisa Zamosky, iHealthBeat Contributing Reporter
05/14/2013
Mana Health will receive $15,000 as the first place winner of a New York eHealth Collaborative challenge. The contest asked software developers to build an online portal that would allow New York residents to access and share their health records. Health Imaging, NYeC release.
05/13/2013
A MarketsandMarkets report predicts that the global health IT market will reach $56.7 billion by 2017, up from the 2012 market value of $40.4 billion. According to the report, the U.S. and Canada will account for the largest market share. Clinical Innovation & Technology et al.
05/14/2013
Several data breaches have occurred across the U.S. in recent months. Facilities that have reported such breaches include Indiana University Health Arnett, Regional Medical Center in Memphis and the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. HealthITSecurity et al.
05/15/2013
Although 73% of doctors say that health IT will improve care quality, 71% believe that the tools ultimately will result in higher costs, according to a report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. The report also finds that 60% of doctors believe hospital-physician relationships will suffer as hospitals comply with the meaningful use program. FierceHealthIT, Deloitte report.
05/13/2013
A new online tool created by ProPublica allows the public for the first time to search, sort and compare information on physicians and other health care providers who prescribe medication under Medicare Part D. The tool -- called Prescriber Checkup -- accompanies ProPublica's analysis of CMS data on Medicare Part D prescribing patterns. ProPublica/Washington Post, ProPublica.
05/15/2013
In an opinion piece, Peter Levin -- former senior adviser to the Department of Veterans Affairs' secretary and CTO of the agency -- writes that VA and Pentagon should leverage the Open Source Electronic Health Record Agent to deploy a joint electronic health record system. Politico.
05/16/2013
In a final order, FDA said it is amending the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to categorize "digital pill" technology as a class 2 medical device. Such technology can transmit messages about a patient's health and drug ingestion from inside the stomach. The Hill's "RegWatch."
05/15/2013
A yearlong survey of text4baby program users finds that the text messaging service promoted maternal and child health care. Users say the program increased their health knowledge and reminded them of appointments, among other benefits. FierceMobileHealthcare.
05/16/2013
A preliminary bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee allocates $344 million for a joint, integrated electronic health system between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. The funds must go toward the creation of an open-architecture system. NextGov.
05/14/2013
A report from the American Medical Association's board of trustees states that a physician's communication skills can determine how computers affect patient satisfaction. In related news, New Jersey's AMA delegation is urging the association to inform federal officials that the appropriate use of electronic health record systems does not constitute fraud. Modern Healthcare, Modern Physician.
05/15/2013
A study by communications agency Ideahaus that was published in the Journal of Communication in Healthcare finds that health care communications professionals prefer using YouTube over Twitter and other social media websites. Healthcare IT News.