05/22/2012
The Health Care Cost Institute is compiling a database containing more than 3 billion de-identified medical claims from more than 33 million individuals. The project aims to help researchers conduct large-scale analyses of information on medical costs. Washington Post, Politico.
05/21/2012
A report from the Department of Homeland Security finds that the health care industry's adoption of mobile technology poses certain security risks to patient data. The report offers recommendations to boost health care organizations' data security. Government Computer News et al.
05/21/2012
A new report from Surescripts finds that 36% of U.S. prescriptions were sent electronically by the end of 2011. The report also found that about 58% of office-based physicians were electronically prescribing by the end of last year. According to Surescripts, e-prescribing helps increase the likelihood that patients will pick up new prescriptions. AP/San Francisco Chronicle, Healthcare IT News.
05/17/2012
On Tuesday, HHS launched a new 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 various health indicators by certain demographic characteristics. Modern Healthcare.
05/16/2012
Researchers say that mobile phones can help connect residents in remote areas with health care providers in nearby cities. A project at the Johns Hopkins Global mHealth Initiative involves about 60 faculty members and 120 students, who are working on 51 projects examining how mobile technology could improve health care. New York Times.
05/10/2012
The California Health Information Partnership and Services Organization has signed up more than 7,700 health care providers seeking to adopt electronic health records. It says members have earned more than $65 million in federal incentive payments. Healthcare IT News et al.
05/04/2012
A recent study found that small, nonteaching and rural hospitals lag behind urban hospitals in adopting electronic health records. In California, only about half of the state's 293 designated rural health centers have implemented or are in the process of implementing an EHR system, according to a California HealthCare Foundation report. KQED's "State of Health."
05/03/2012
A Government Accountability Office report recommends that CMS take certain steps to improve its process for verifying that health care providers qualify for incentive payments through the meaningful use program. Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments. In the report, GAO suggests that CMS consider conducting more prepayment verifications for the Medicare meaningful use program. Health Data Management, Modern Healthcare.
04/27/2012
This week, Kaiser Permanente officials touted the success of its Android-based mobile phone application, which the insurer released in January. Officials said that the Android app has been downloaded 94,367 times and that the insurer is preparing to release an iPhone version of the app. San Francisco Business Times' "Bay Area BizTalk."
04/26/2012
On Wednesday, David Panush -- government relations director for the California Health Benefit Exchange -- said that the awarding of a $27 million IT contract for the exchange has been delayed. The contract winner will be tasked with building an IT system to handle insurance eligibility, enrollment and retention for millions of residents who gain insurance through the exchange. Timing for the delayed announcement, which was originally expected Tuesday, is unknown. Sacramento Bee.
04/24/2012
A study published last year in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine found that interactive computer kiosks accurately, efficiently and safely expedited the management of woman with uncomplicated urinary tract infections at busy, urban emergency departments. However, a follow-up report by the California HealthCare Foundation found that some triage nurses did not refer eligible patients to the kiosks because they believed the technology disrupted their workflow. InformationWeek.
04/23/2012
An FDA user fee bill introduced by Sens. Tom Harkin and Michael Enzi includes language that would require HHS to issue a final rule establishing a unique device identifier system for medical devices by the end of 2012. The language calls for HHS to implement the UDI system to electronically track and recall faulty medical devices "as soon as practical." Health Data Management.
04/20/2012
A new report from CDC finds that rates of various health care-associated infections declined in 2010. Meanwhile, HHS has released a nine-point action plan aimed at further reducing health care-associated infection rates by leveraging health information technology and other strategies. Reuters et al.
04/19/2012
A new report from HIMSS Analytics finds that the hospitals listed in Thomson Reuters' 100 Top U.S. Hospitals in 2009 and 2010 had more advanced levels of electronic health record adoption than the overall pool of U.S. hospitals. Modern Healthcare, Healthcare IT News.
04/18/2012
A PricewaterhouseCoopers survey finds that about one-third of consumers use social media to access health information. More than 80% of respondents ages 18 to 24 say they would use social media to share health data. Computerworld's "Government IT," Health Data Management.