Most Clicked eHealth SmartBrief Stories
1. Blumenthal discusses HITECH Act, HIE grants
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 13, 2009
A key aspect of the HITECH Act is for information to follow the patient, and "artificial obstacles -- technical, business related, bureaucratic -- should not get in the way," said David Blumenthal, national health IT coordinator. Blumenthal said his office this winter will start awarding $564 million in grants to help states establish health information exchanges. Government Health IT (11/12)
2. 7 top technologies to watch in 2010
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
Electronic medical records and genetic testing are at the top of ECRI Institute's recently released list of technologies to watch in 2010. The list could help health plan executives decide which technologies they should prioritize, the institute said. Healthcare IT News (11/16)
3. Study: EHRs have little impact on quality, cost of health care
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
The use of electronic health records currently has very little impact on health care quality or costs, said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, lead author of new research comparing 3,000 hospitals at various levels of EHR adoption. The study found marginal differences among hospitals with advanced EHRs, those with basic computer records and those with no records in terms of hospital stays and treatment of conditions such as pneumonia and heart failure. New York Times, The (11/15)
4. Survey: Providers to offset payment cuts by enhancing health IT use
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
More than 30% of medical providers intend to boost their use of health IT in part to offset proposed reductions in Medicare payments, according to an online survey by IVANS, an IT services firm. "From their perspective, technology is not simply a way to cut costs but, more importantly, to increase efficiencies to maintain the quality of care to their patients," said IVANS CEO Clare DeNicola. Healthcare IT News (11/13)
5. HIMSS: Health care business partners could put patient privacy at risk
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
Health care organizations' business partners are not prepared to comply with HITECH Act provisions on information security, according to a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Analytics study. "Business associates could represent a risk to health care organizations, especially hospitals" due to their "lack of awareness of new federal regulations," said an HIMSS spokeswoman. InformationWeek (11/17)
6. Small providers eligible for health IT loans under proposed bill
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on Tuesday introduced a measure that would provide small physician practices access to loans that would pay for the technology they need for e-prescriptions and EHRs. The Small Business Health Information Technology Financing Act of 2009 would enable small practices "to be more efficient and to focus on patient care," Kerry said. InformationWeek (11/13)
7. Real-time location systems could improve clinical outcomes
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
Hospitals could save time and money, as well as boost clinical results and employee morale, by utilizing real-time location systems, according to a study that analyzed the use of RTLS technology at Lumberton, N.C.-based Southeastern Regional Medical Center. "The level of data generated by these systems has the potential to profoundly change the management of technology and the delivery of patient care," said Barbara Christe, the study's lead researcher. Healthcare IT News (11/17)
8. N.Y. eHealth collaborative designated for HIE funding
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
New York Gov. David Paterson has designated New York eHealth collaborative, or NYeC, to be the state's recipient of federal stimulus funds allocated under the HITECH Act. NYeC already has state and private funding totaling $450 million. "In light of the economic environment, the state had the foresight and the commitment to health IT not to cut the budget," said the NYeC's board chairwoman. Healthcare IT News (11/17)
9. CMS to boost interoperability via NHIN, Medicaid platform
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 13, 2009
The CMS is looking to improve information exchange among its programs through the nationwide health information network and its Medicaid Information Technology Architecture. The agency is working to create a Connect software version that integrates MITA to enable Medicaid agencies to share data with other state and federal programs. Government Health IT (11/12)
10. Elsevier introduces clinical content service for doctors
eHealth SmartBrief | Nov 13, 2009
MD Consult Mobile from Elsevier gives doctors access to resources such as practice guidelines and evidenced-based clinical information straight from their smart phones and other mobile devices. Healthcare Informatics online (11/12)
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