Telehealth
Blogging, tweeting, texting and facebooking have become routine for many physicians as well as many other healthcare professionals. In this issue, Associate Editor Molly Merrill talks to docs who connect with their patients, colleagues and the public via social media (Cover story and P. 23). She discovers, what she already knew, social platforms aren’t just for idle banter.
"Hospitals are missing their opportunity" to boost patient engagement online, says one expert, who notes that a successful Web project requires a hybrid of marketing expertise and technology.
Innovative tools and data that federal health agencies have released to the public can help healthcare providers meet meaningful use of electronic health records, says Todd Park, chief technology officer for the Department of Heath and Human Services. Speaking to an audience at the Government Health IT Conference on June 15, Park offered several examples.
Natural disasters are hitting the U.S. and abroad more often, it seems. In an attempt to connect after disasters hit, family, friends, rescuers, relief agencies, healthcare workers and others have turned to social media – which one expert says is the right tool for the job.
Vivek Kundra, the U.S. Chief Information Officer for the past two and a half years, will be stepping down from his role to serve a joint fellowship at Harvard University this fall.
Unified communications (UC), which has become a hot issue among IT leaders and administrators, has recently been bolstered by video – and the "prognosis for its use in healthcare appears to hold promise," says one expert.
At the close of the Health Data Initiative Forum held on Thursday, Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra announced StartUp Health, a strategic initiative designed to improve access to capital, education and resources for health and wellness entrepreneurs.
Virtua, the largest comprehensive healthcare system in Southern New Jersey, announced Wednesday it is offering a free online personal health record – one that its founder calls a "hybrid PHR" – to consumers living in the three counties that it serves.
Can meaningful use really be condensed into an elementary school exercise? Perhaps not in reality, but it works as an effective analogy for achieving success, says one interoperability specialist.
Knowledge is power, and Highmark – one of the largest Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in the country – is launching a new wellness initiative with Navigenics that works with genetic knowledge to improve individual health.