EHR

Worries over the usability of electronic health records have escalated recently -- in tandem, it seems, with their broad adoption. Now comes research from Frost & Sullivan that confirms this, and suggests that EHR usability challenges are likely to get worse before they get better.

Here are some quotes from anonymous hospital CIOs that may sound familiar: "Morale is really bad; folks are burned out." "ICD-10 will never happen, we'll just keep spending money on it." "Doing more with less can only go so far." But there are reasons for optimism these days that shouldn't be forgotten.

The American Medical Association released a statement Monday that points to the organization's concern over the recent departure of key leaders from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The ONC exits most recently include the coordinator herself, Karen DeSalvo, MD.

The topic at the Cleveland Clinic annual summit this Monday was healthcare innovation -- what's impeding it, what more is needed to foster it and the innovation milestones taking place today. It may come as no surprise: Health IT came up a lot at this year's event. (And, yes, so did Judy Faulkner.)

With more than 350 exhibitors on the show floor, including many for the first time, MGMA's exhibit hall is expected to be abuzz with activity and fresh ideas. There's also a "Tweet Street."

The healthcare industry is swimming in Social Security numbers, thanks to the necessities of patient record management technology. But balancing those requirements with fraud mitigation and privacy protections is proving a big challenge.

The Ebola cases in the United States, despite their limited numbers, have generated considerable discussion and anxiety. But the focus on EHRs in these discussions does not recognize more prominent health IT needs when it comes potential outbreaks, nor the ways we have yet to meet most of these needs with incentives and infrastructure.

For wearable technology to live up to the hype, especially when it comes to healthcare, it will have to be "interoperable, integrated, engaging, social and outcomes-driven," according to PwC.

Frustration with electronic health records has never been higher among RNs, with vast majorities complaining of poor workflows, bad communication and scant input on implementation decisions, a new survey shows.

The folks at Penn Medicine know a little something about putting data analytics to work. After identifying three years ago that their sepsis mortality rates were higher than expected, they set out to do something about it by harnessing predictive analytics. And the results? They're impressive.