08/26/2010
The Medical Group Management Association is recommending that CMS make changes to the agency's incentive programs for electronic prescriptions and electronic health records. The comments address CMS' proposed 2011 physician fee schedule. Modern Healthcare, Health Data Management.
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
Mississippi's Medicaid program has signed a contract with health information exchange company Shared Health to establish electronic health record and electronic-prescribing programs, while North Carolina is adopting a health information exchange system. Healthcare IT News et al.
08/19/2010
The Council of Medical Specialty Societies has joined a lawsuit seeking to exempt doctors from the Federal Trade Commission's "Red Flags" rule, which aims to curb identity theft. FTC has delayed enforcement of the rule several times. HealthLeaders Media, Modern Healthcare.
08/16/2010
Physicians who are near retirement are considering whether to adopt electronic health records before leaving the business. Experts say that physicians should determine if deploying EHRs would produce financial benefits by the time they retire. American Medical News.
08/12/2010
More than 40 health care providers have received grants from the Cardinal Health Foundation to improve care quality and efficiency. Several grants apply to health IT-related projects in hospital operating rooms and for medication management. Healthcare IT News.
08/12/2010
A recent federal report found several barriers to greater use of technology that performs practice-based population health functions. Physicians with electronic health records are more likely to perform PBPH functions than those with paper records. InformationWeek.
08/11/2010
A new survey concludes that 98% of medical school students think virtual reality training can help them learn skills they will need as physicians. A majority of students also believe role-playing in online health care settings can have educational value. HealthDay, International Business Times.
08/11/2010
A study from an Ohio hospital has found that sending personalized text messages to teenage diabetes patients about their condition improved adherence to their medication regimen. Teens who received text reminders were three times less likely to skip a dose. Healthcare IT News.
08/10/2010
A new patient simulation laboratory at Alabama's Jackson Hospital uses state-of-the-art "manikins" equipped with special software to help health workers and medical students prepare for potential emergency situations in a safe, controlled environment. Montgomery Advertiser.
08/10/2010
Limited IT capabilities pose a challenge to the Obama administration's efforts to recruit more physicians to rural areas. Rural offices should become more accommodating to IT-savvy doctors to boost physician retention, one physician suggested. Washington Post.
08/06/2010
On Thursday, a number of health care providers, insurance groups and licensure organizations discussed plans to increase the use of electronic health records nationwide. Federal health care officials noted that achieving "meaningful use" of EHRs will take a sustained, coordinated effort from both the private sector and the national government. CQ HealthBeat et al.
08/04/2010
Many health care providers are using smartphones and tablet computers to instantly access supporting data on any medical situation. Meanwhile, some health care clinics are inviting patients to fill out medical questionnaires on electronic tablets. San Jose Mercury News, Durham Herald Sun.
08/03/2010
Health insurance companies and other stakeholders are increasingly putting physician rating information online. While consumers are gaining access to more information, some analysts are concerned that rating systems are not entirely accurate. Kaiser Health News/Washington Post.
08/02/2010
Rep. Zack Space has introduced a bill to adjust a CMS plan to make single payments to multicampus hospitals for the "meaningful use" of electronic health records. Meanwhile, a bill by Rep. Michael Burgess would facilitate incentive payments to health care providers who are using EHRs that have not yet received federal certification from verified groups. AHA News, Modern Healthcare.