Electronic Health Records (EHR, EMR)
The nearly $1 billion electronic health record system at Sutter Health in Northern California crashed in August, leaving nurses and clinical staff not only unable to access vital patient information for a full day, but also scrambling to record new data on paper.
Three years after procuring a $16.1 million HHS grant to bolster local health IT initiatives and diabetic care management, the Western New York Beacon Community has chronicled mixed success -- at least in the quantifiable sense. Anecdotally, however, its success becomes much more striking, officials say.
Arguing that IT offers the opportunity to help "every American" lead a full and healthy life, the Consumer Partnership for eHealth, a coalition of more than 50 consumer, patient and labor organizations, has published an action plan designed to ensure that disparities of care are a critical focus of Stage 3 meaningful use.
Allscripts President and CEO Paul M. Black, hired in December 2012 to rescue the troubled EHR vendor, and other company executives sounded defensive and optimistic notes this week as they attempt to regain the confidence of customers, investors and health IT industry analysts.
Richard Antonelli, MD, a primary care pediatrician and medical director of integrated care at Boston Children's Hospital, has been thinking and working at making a difference in the field of care coordination for more than 20 years. Now, he's in the midst of a project that he's convinced will engage and empower patients and their families.
Citing concern about vendor readiness and that "significant investments" in EHR technology could go for naught, MGMA leadership is calling on HHS for an indefinite moratorium on meaningful use penalties for physicians who have completed Stage 1 meaningful use requirements.
With an array of industry groups anxiously calling for a delay of meaningful use Stage 2, HIMSS has made the case for a more nuanced approach, asking federal officials to launch Stage 2 on schedule but extend year one of the attestation period.
The Buffalo Bills announced Wednesday they will partner with Carestream Health to develop new imaging technology aimed at early detection of brain injuries. It's just the latest development for a league that's deploying health IT in football stadiums nationwide.
Deborah Jeffries, MD, director of healthcare for Polycom, talks about emerging telemedicine trends, including the growing power of the peer-to-peer aspects of personal health management.
The statistics are disturbing: between 10 percent and 15 percent of medical diagnoses are incorrect and those diagnostic errors have a high cost -- even death. To combat potential patient harm and reduce the costs from misdiagnosis, hospitals and medical practices are turning to clinical decision support tools.