Electronic Health Records (EHR, EMR)
Meaningful use just might have its financial perks. That's according to the top 25 highest performing meaningful users under the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program, all of whom brought in some $171 million in Medicare payments back in 2012.
Encouraged by the patient engagement spurred by giants such as Geisinger and the VA who've taken part, Kaiser Permanente Northwest and eight other health systems in the region have signed on to OpenNotes -- the first widespread adoption of the data sharing program.
To healthcare mogul Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, the dirtiest four-letter word in the realm of digital health is "silo."
EHRs were designed to satisfy specific functions for distinct parts of the care process. Currently, EHRs are all about making sure all the warnings are heeded, and all boxes are checked. It's about bringing the information together to make physicians' jobs easier so they can make faster, more informed patient care decisions.
ONC chief Karen DeSalvo, MD, envisions an agency with new workgroups and a less siloed approach, with consumer and privacy advocates participating across all the groups.
Healthcare CIOs report their workload is growing in both scope and complexity, and there seems to be no end in sight. This is according to a new report from nationwide healthcare executive search firm SSi-SEARCH.
Bill Spooner "retired" from his post as leader of Sharp HealthCare's 450-member IT team on Feb. 14. The quotes around "retired" are necessary because he has something in the works -- he won't say what yet. It's something that will keep him working halftime, or maybe more. It's too hard to leave healthcare IT altogether at this promising juncture, he says.
We hear a lot about patient engagement these days. Certainly, the idea is a noble one. And the benefits it could bring when practiced on a wide scale are immense. But a lot of providers are still wondering: How do you do it?
The American Health Information Management Association is urging controls on the copy-and-paste functionality in electronic health record systems. The use of copy-and-paste should be permitted only when such "strong technology and administrative controls," are in place, the organization wrote in a position statement.
Smart use of clinical and business intelligence has helped earn 21 University of Iowa Health Care clinics a spot among an elite few, as they've been awarded a Stage 7 Ambulatory Award from HIMSS Analytics.