Electronic Health Records (EHR, EMR)
Healthcare organizations with long-established electronic health records run the risk of "note bloat" and compromised patient safety unless they standardize physician documentation procedures and limit the amount of cutting-and-pasting doctors have to do, attendees of CHIME's Fall CIO Forum heard at a session on Oct. 9.
While physicians recognize the benefits of electronic health records, they also complain that many systems deployed nowadays are cumbersome to use and often act as obstacles to quality care, according to a new report from RAND Corporation.
HIMSS CEO H. Stephen Lieber spoke about the promise of health IT and collaboration Oct. 8 at the opening of the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland, an initiative of local government, local healthcare providers, nonprofit organizations and health IT vendors that has been 10 years in the making.
While some observers wagered that he would succeed his colleague Farzad Mostashari, MD, as the new national coordinator, Principal Deputy David Muntz actually ended up departing ONC this past month alongside him. And as he announced his leave-taking, Muntz actually foreshadowed his next move.
Cleveland is a city that prides itself on being a city of firsts. HIMSS leaders are also used to firsts -- and to innovation and disruption. With their new HIMSS Innovation Center, they make no bones about their intent to shake things up in healthcare.
Who would have thought that something so simple as copy and paste could have such serious consequences? Diana Warner, director at AHIMA, confirmed the seriousness of inappropriately using copy and paste functions in electronic health records. And the government agrees -- it's no laughing matter.
Royal Philips and Accenture announced Thursday they would partner to study the creation of a proof-of-concept demonstration that uses a Google Glass head-mounted display for researching ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of performing surgical procedures.
EHR usability is among the greatest barriers to digitizing America's healthcare system. EHRs present a push toward modernization, but to fulfill the promise, industry insiders say, the clunky technology has to be made easier for doctors to use.
This year's Medical Group Management Association annual conference is all about getting down to the nitty-gritty, said Robert Tennant, MGMA's senior policy advisor.
As medical practice administrators and physicians head to San Diego for the Medical Group Management Association's 2013 annual conference, they're likely to have money on their minds. Keeping a medical practice going has become a complex, pricey endeavor. At the top of the list of increasing costs: IT.