Government & Policy
Humetrix expands its mobile health information hub to arm Apple and Android devices with access to various Blue Button accounts and, in so doing, moves patients closer to the center of their own health records.
The Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) announced this week that it will establish a new working group to support the White House Cybersecurity Executive Order.
Previously intended for Nashville, the HIMSS Innovation Center will be within the Global Center for Health Innovation, and it will house the Interoperability Showcase.
Multiple models of health information exchange are at work, with varying degrees of success. At least one critic calls the nationwide network of HIEs an "unmitigated disaster," while proponents in the trenches say it will take time for the the systems and standards to mature, and also to work through some very complicated issues, policy and governance among them.
In the GOP response to President Obama's State of the Union address, Fla. Senator Marco Rubio says he wouldn't change Medicare in a way that harms seniors but not altering the program will ultimately bankrupt it.
U.S. doctors' use of health IT has been sharply increasing, up from 46 percent who used an EMR in their practice in 2009 to 69 percent in 2012, according to a survey of nearly 9,800 primary care physicians representing 11 nations. The Commonwealth Fund released findings of the survey in November 2012, and expanded on several drill-down topics during an online presentation Feb. 5.
Existing obstacles are making it difficult for practices to exchange data with HIEs. Could a snowball effect follow?
For the second time, President Barack Obama has nominated Marilyn Tavenner to be permanent administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She has been serving as acting administrator since December 2011, when Donald Berwick, MD, stepped down.
National health programs have been, or are now, becoming electronic, just as health records are. Many of these programs will play major roles in either incenting or conflicting with efforts to advance the electronic healthcare infrastructure. And as with other industries, becoming electronic changes the way these programs can and should be carried out themselves. John Loonsk, MD, discusses how it might all shake out.
The Office of the National Coordinator's Health IT Standards Committee is urging ONC leaders to lean towards menu options and certification for use cases on Stage 3 meaningful use rather than core requirements, and to especially keep in mind that standards for a variety of clinical procedures are still evolving.