Electronic Health Records (EHR, EMR)
Free the data! Empower the patient! Break down those walls! Collaborate! Innovate!
Mergers and acquisitions can be hazardous to a company's health, industry experts often warn. In the realm of health IT, this caveat has proved no exception.
There are many elements of business intelligence in play within the healthcare IT continuum, but without a specific focus, the initiative is stuck in neutral. In fact, that is where many healthcare providers find themselves with their BI programs, system specialists say - wondering how to proceed and in which direction to move.
Hospitals can have hundreds of IT systems. Vendors have built proprietary databases. Not everyone follows the same standards. Health systems fear sharing data with competitors. Policymakers have not focused on health information exchange or EHR usability.
Alisa Ray, the first executive director of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), has been newly named as the organization's CEO.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT wants to use EHR certification criteria to make it easier for physicians to report patient safety events. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will encourage providers to report adverse events to patient safety organizations, and ONC will propose certification requirements that, where appropriate, EHRs can report safety events in AHRQ's Common Formats.
Electronic Health Records
The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $17 million contract to Science Applications International Corporation to provide services and operational support for USCG's Integrated Health Information System (IHiS), officials announced this month.
"Concerned, but not panicking," is how Allscripts' biggest customer describes his reaction to the EHR vendor's switch at the top -- one that has CEO Glen Tullman stepping down, and former Cerner executive Paul Black, now steering the ship. Allscripts customers give both men kudos for leadership, but say the turnaround has to be decisive -- and quick.
Thinking of gift ideas for that special health IT someone this holiday season? Want to explore the creative side of gift-giving and outdo last year's gift of that Epic EMR or RTLS tracking? Look no further.
Allscripts CEO Glen Tullman has resigned, and Paul M. Black, former chief operating officer at Cerner, is taking the reins as president and CEO of the company after months of turmoil and speculation on its potential sale.