Electronic Health Records (EHR, EMR)
More than half of U.S. hospitals are currently connected to a regional, state or private health information exchange, with a majority of them citing this as their biggest challenge yet.
The Electronic Health Record Association, which represents 40 EHR developer companies whose products are in use at a majority of hospitals and physician practices today, tells the FDA that EHR systems should remain unregulated by the agency.
If more office-based docs got on board with health information technology solutions, they'd be able to see more patients while also lightening their overall workload, according to the findings of a new Johns Hopkins study.
When in the realm of healthcare privacy and security, electronic health records may facilitate easier data exchange and data viewing, but the systems' audit trails make catching unauthorized viewers all the more simple, too.
Three recent deaths at the Memphis VA Medical Center emergency department could probably have been prevented with better communication, digital documentation and better layout of the emergency department, according to an investigation by the Veterans Administration Inspector General.
As healthcare facilities launch their own patient portals, technology is only the first step. Administrators are learning that decisions need to be made on everything from patient login protocols to support for patient record revisions.
Thousands of clinical providers and provider organizations across the country will gain free access to what athenahealth executives describe as "a safe, privileged environment in which they can easily submit patient safety concerns and findings as well as share best practices to enhance safety and improve care."
With mHealth becoming the norm instead of the exception, a panel at Partners HealthCare's 10th Annual Connected Health Symposium concluded that EHR vendors will have to find a way to modify their products to focus on data that the patient and his or her care team want, or they'll become obsolete.
Every country, every government, every population is participating in a global trial and error when it comes to improving health outcomes. As it finds uptake around the world, health information technology is central to this care revolution, with nations learning from each others' struggles and successes.
Mobile personal health records may be on the uptick in the near future. But before consumers are able to access PHRs at their fingertips from virtually any location, there are some big barriers standing in the way, according to new research by Frost and Sullivan.